Charlie Hall

Styles I Teach

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Lessons - general description

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I teach a variety of styles, listed here, and some samples of the music and notation off to the right of each. There are also a lot of pieces that just don't fit into any of these categories. Also, click here for a description of what I don't teach.

Style	Sound Samples	Notation Samples
Beginning guitar. I’ve been teaching beginning students for many years, in classes and in private lessons. If you’re really going to learn the basics, you need to learn to change chords well, on time and accurately; to strum accurately; to keep proper time; and to be able to play single-note melodies. These are fundamental to moving on to more advanced styles, whether it’s accompanying yourself while singing, playing rhythm or leads on bluegrass songs, or playing any of several fingerpicking styles.	Amazing Grace You Are My Sunshine	Amazing Grace You Are My Sunshine
Fingerpicking guitar using the alternating bass (sometimes called the “Travis pick”). This is used in accompaniment patterns for folk songs and while playing melody as well. Examples include Elizabeth Cotten's Freight Train, Gordon Lightfoot's Sit Down Young Stranger, Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant, Paul Simon's The Boxer. (In the Dust In the Wind examples, there's a melody guitar in the left channel and the Travis pattern accompaniment is in the right channel)	Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (slow) Don't Think Twice, It's All Right (fast) Dust In the Wind (slow) Freight Train	Don't Think Twice, It's All Right Dust In the Wind
Fingerpicking blues and ragtime guitar, as played by Doc Watson, Reverend Gary Davis, etc. Examples include Willie Brown's Mississippi Blues, Reverend Gary Davis' Hesitation Blues, Merle Travis' Rockabye Rag and I Am a Pilgrim. The Deep River Blues Loop to the right is an example of "loops," repeating a section slowly to allow you to work it smoothly.	Deep River Blues (loop) Victory Rag Glad Rag Alice's Restaurant	Deep River Blues Victory Rag Glad Rag Alice's Restaurant
Everything else fingerstyle. This is everything that doesn't fit in the categories above, from a pretty standard arrangement of Greensleeves to The Beatles' Here Comes the Sun and Blackbird, to the pieces being played by the pioneering fingerstyle guitarists of today such as Stephen Bennett, Richard Thompson, and Colorado’s own Phil Volan. Other examples include Cat Stevens' Moonshadow, Pat Donohue's The Road to Kingdom Come, Mason Williams' Classical Gas, Stephen Bennett's I Knew It Was You and A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.	The Star-Spangled Banner Banish Misfortune Out of the Blue Here Comes the Sun The Water is Wide The Glory of Love Over the Rainbow	The Star-Spangled Banner Banish Misfortune Out of the Blue
Flatpicked rhythm and lead guitar. This is often associated with bluegrass, but the techniques and skills can be applied to any situation where you're playing chords or melody. Examples range from breaks on bluegrass songs such as Will the Circle Be Unbroken? to the waltzes Ashokan Farewell and Tennessee Waltz, to well-known songs such as Over the Rainbow.	Tennessee Waltz Man of Constant Sorrow Wildwood Flower Ashokan Farewell - solo guitar Little Sadie Over the Rainbow	Tennessee Waltz Man of Constant Sorrow Wildwood Flower Ashokan Farewell - solo guitar
Fiddle tunes from America, Ireland and the British Isles—on guitar and mandolin. Examples include Whiskey Before Breakfast, St. Anne's Reel, Cherokee Shuffle, Flowers of Edinburgh, Red-Haired Boy, and pretty much any standard (and many a non-standard) fiddle tune.	Red-Haired Boy Big Sciota Sì Bheag, Sì Mhor	Big Sciota
Swing—rhythm and lead. When we say “swing,” we’re usually talking about what many people call the “Standards”; that is, popular songs of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. It also includes Western Swing as played by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys and more recently, Asleep at the Wheel. This music is great fun to play and sing, and the chords and tonalities don’t have to be a mystery.	Ain't Misbehavin' Blues for Dixie Old Fashioned Love San Antonio Rose Blue Skies
Beginning and intermediate mandolin. See also above at Fiddle Tunes. If you’re already an established mandolin player and want to play like Ronnie McCoury, I’m not your guy. But if you want to develop good skills, learn good chording techniques and lead approaches, and get your style to that “established mando player” part, I can teach you.	Golden Slippers Bright Days Man of Constant Sorrow	Golden Slippers Bright Days Man of Constant Sorrow
Beginning and intermediate upright bass. If you want to develop good basics, good sound, improve your ear so you can jam better, or make your playing more interesting on bluegrass, folk or swing, I can help you. If you want to do slap bass, or are already an established player and are looking for high-level jazz techniques, I’m not your guy.

What I Don't Teach

Electric guitar styles. I did play electric guitar in a prior life, but there are many better players and teachers of electric styles out there.

Classical guitar. I’ve studied classical guitar, use many classical techniques, and advocate them for all players, but again, there are many better classical players and teachers out there for real classical guitar playing.

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