Tag Archives: Music lessons

Review: Coursera Introduction to Improvisation – Final Thoughts

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Mike

Having completed the 5-week Introduction to Improvisation course on Coursera, I do have a few thoughts to share for those considering trying the same course. First, though it is marketed as an introductory course, it does assume facility with one’s … Continue reading →

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Review: Coursera Introduction to Improvisation

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Mike

Sorry for the delay on these reviews, I’ll be posting about Weeks 3, 4, and 5 of Gary Burton’s Introduction to Improvisation class this week. Week 3 deals with the application of scales to harmonies in a vertical manner, i.e., … Continue reading →

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Free Guitar Lesson: Freight Train

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Mike

Here is the tab for the first part of my  lesson on Elizabeth Cotten’s Freight Train. Here is the video, also available on Youtube. The notations for the second and third variations are available to subscribers to my newsletter. These are … Continue reading →

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Review: Coursera Introduction to Improvisation

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Mike

I’ve just completed the assignments for Week 1 of Gary Burton’s introductory improvisation class. I think it’s off to a good start, and he really throws you right into the thick of things. The first lectures address music as a … Continue reading →

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Review: Coursera Introduction to Improvisation

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Mike

Today I had my first glimpse of the online Introduction to Improvisation course offered by Berklee College of Music. It is a five-week class presenting some of the fundamentals of jazz improvisation. I’ll be giving a week-by-week review as a … Continue reading →

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Music Lessons in Koh Samui

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Mike

I am currently teaching from two locations on Koh Samui. I am available every day in Ban  Lamai and every Wednesday and Friday in Ban Maenam. I teach private guitar, banjo, and mandolin lessons, as well as music theory, jazz … Continue reading →

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New Book! Guitar: A Course for Adult Beginners

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Mike

I just finished printing my new book Guitar: A Course for Adult Beginners. The content is related to that found in my Beginner Guitar Series. However, the book is more focused as a workbook/songbook, emphasizing the methods for building a basic vocabulary … Continue reading →

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Michelle Video

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Mike

This is a video slideshow for my chord melody arrangement of the Beatles’ classic “Michelle.” A transcription of the chord melody is available here.

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Mike Op Music Newsletter

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Mike

Last month the first edition of the Mike Op Music Newsletter went out, and received a great response! Thank you to all of the subscribers for your thoughts and feedback. If you didn’t receive it, here is a link to … Continue reading →

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Michelle Chord Melody

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Mike

Here’s a new chord melody arrangement of Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s “Michelle” for solo guitar. In addition to being a pop tune, it has become a standard in the jazz repertoire.

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