Sharpen Your Skills
New to this page? If you've landed here before reading about Sharpen Your Skills, no worries — click here to read the full course description, benefits, and testimonials. Or here to access the Installment Plan option.
If you have already purchased Sharpen Your Skills, click on the lessons below. We recommend that you take your time going through the lessons following our email reminders, but the entire course is now unlocked so that you can use it like a reference book to practice skills as you need them.
You will also find cross-reference links to classes in Mastering Theory so that you can practice a skill and then read more about the theory behind it easily.
149 Lessons
$297
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Welcome
Welcome to Sharpen Your Skills
How to Get the Most Out of This Class
Mastering Theory Resource
More Technical Bits and Useful Info
Habit & Study Trackers
Spreadsheet Habit Tracker
1. One Octave Scales and Arpeggios
Week 1-1: Ascending Scales / Descending Arpeggios
Week 1-2: Scales Down & Up / Arpeggios Up & Down - Treble Bridge
Week 1-3: Scales Up & Down / Arpeggios Down & Up - Bass Bridge
Week 1-4: Five Minute Practice: Random Scales & Arpeggios
2. Big Dipper / Little Dipper / Smooshed Nevada
Week 2-1: Big and Little Dippers
Week 2-2: Smooshed Nevada (3rd Inversion 7th Chords)
Week 2-3: Resolving 7th Chords / Chord Progressions Practice
Flashcards
Test Your Knowledge!
3. G Scale in Thirds (Left Hand)
Are you feeling overwhelmed?
Week 3-1: Descending G Scale in Thirds - One Octave at a Time; then Full Range
Week 3-2: Ascending G Scale - One Octave at a Time; then Full Range
Week 3-3: Turnaround; Then Full Range Up & Down
Week 3: Practice Track Increasing through 10 Speeds, 2 Times Each
4. 2 Octave G Arpeggios
Week 4-1: Slowly with Stops
Week 4-2: Up & Down without Stops; Down & Up with Stops
Week 4-3: Review
5-6. Review 1 (2 weeks)
Read This: More Encouraging Words
Week 5: Review 1-1
Week 6: Review 1-2
7. One Octave Dominant 7th Chords
Week 7-1: From a Marker & From One Above a Marker
Week 7-2: From Below a Marker
Week 7-3: Descending—See the Shapes Backwards
Week 7-4 Random Review and Practice
8. G Scale in Thirds (Right Hand)
Week 8-1: Descending G Scale in Thirds - One Octave at a Time; then Full Range
Week 8-2: Ascending G Scale in Thirds - One Octave at a Time; then Full Range
Week 8-3: Turnaround; Then Full Range Up & Down
Week 8 Practice Track Increasing through 10 Speeds, 2 Times Each
9. 2 Octave Am and Bm Arpeggios
Week 9-1: Up & Down Slowly With Stops
Week 9-2 Up & Down without Stops; Down & Up with Stops
Week 9-3: Up & Down AND Down & Up without Stops
10. Compact Pattern (Key of D)
Week 10-1: Introduction and Random Practice
Week 10-2: Play Compact Pattern with a Tune (slowed down)
Week 10-3: Play Along with a Tune (Full Speed)
11-12 Review 2 (2 weeks)
Week 11: Review 2-1
Week 12: Review 2-2
13. Derivation of 3 Note Chord Patterns
Week 13 Extra: Simon Speed (with Sticky Dots)
Week 13-1: See the Shapes
Week 13-2: Treble Bridge (Key of D)
Week 13-3: Bass Bridge (Key of G)
Week 13-4: Review
14. Intervals / dim7 Chords
Week 14-1: Intervals
Week 14-2: Intervals Across the Bridge; Extended Intervals
Week 14-Bonus Example: Abide With Me Using 10ths
Week 14-3: Diminished 7th Chords
15. Full Range D Arpeggios
Week 15-1: Down from Top With & Without Stops
Simon Says Slow Down!
Week 15-2: Down & Up With Stops (& Without)
Week 15-3: Up/Stop at Top; then Up & Down Without Stops
16. Roll Chords (RLR) into a Tune
Week 16-1: Learn the Melody of Sommarvals
Week 16-2: Walk-through of Three Note Chords and Shapes
Week 16-3: Practice Tracks
17-18. Review 3 (2 weeks)
Week 17: Review 3-1
Week 18: Review 3-2
19. Harmonizing a G Scale (RLR)
Week 19-Simon
Week 19-1: Play the Full Shape; then Play the Tops Only
Week 19-2: See How Your Hands Move to Play the Three Patterns
Week 19-3: Name the Chords
20. Inversion Patterns
Week 20-1: Stacking the Shapes
Week 20-2: Reading Intervals and Identifying Chords
Week 20-3: Random Practice
21. Valley Rolls
Week 21-1: Gravity Bounce, Catch After 3, Catch After 2
Week 21-2: Add Your Left Hand
Week 21-3: Play a Valley Roll
22. 2 Octave F#m and E7 Arpeggios
Week 22-1 Two Octave F#m Arpeggios - Up & Down
Week 22-2: F#m Arpeggios - Down & Up
Week 22-3: Two Octave E7 Arpeggios
23-24. Review 4 (2 weeks)
Week 23: Review 4-1
Week 24: Review 4-2
25. Full Range D7 Arpeggios / 2 Octave Scales
Week 25-1: Full Range D7 Arpeggios - Up & Down
Week 25-2: Full Range D7 Arpeggios - Down & Up
Week 25-3: Combine Patterns for Two Octave Scales
26. Harmonizing a G Scale (LRL)
Week 26-1: See How Your Hands Move to Play the Three Patterns
Week 26-2: Simon Wonders if Video #1 Was Too Fast For You
Week 26-3: Name the Chords as You Play
27. Full Range G Arpeggios
Week 27-1: From Top Down and Back Up with Stops
Week 27-2: From Bottom Up and Back Down With Stops
Week 27-3: From Bottom Up and Back Down with No Stops
28. Roll Chords LRL into a tune
Week 28-1: Learn the Melody of The Winter is Past
Week 28-2: Walk-through of Three Note Chords and Shapes
Week 28-3: Practice Track
29-30. Review 5 (2 weeks)
Week 29: Review 5-1
Week 30: Review 5-2
31. Secondary Dominants
Week 31-1: Key of G
Week 31-2: Key of D
Week 31-3: Random Practice
32. Full Range Em Arpeggios
Week 32-1: Em Arpeggios from Top to Bottom
Week 32-Simon Slows it Down!
Week 32-2 Em Arpeggios from Top to Bottom With Stops
Week 32-3 Em Arpeggios from Bottom to Top and Back Down
Week 32-Bonus: Three Octave E Major Arpeggios
33. Compact Pattern (Key of A)
Week 33-1: Practice the Compact Pattern & Listen for Chord Changes
Week 33-1B: Where Does the Chord Change?
Week 33-2: Dull Chisel Chord Progression
Week 33-3: Play along at Various Speeds
34. Octave Scales / Contrary Motion Scales / Chromatic Trick
Week 34-1: Octave Scales
Week 34-2: Contrary Motion Scales
Week 34-3: The Chromatic Trick
35-36. Review 6 (2 weeks)
Week 35: Review 6-1
Week 36: Review 6-2
37. Harmonizing a D Scale (RLR)
Week 37: Simon Previews the Skill
Week 37-1: Play the Full Shape; then Play the Tops Only
Week 37-2: See How Your Hands Move to Play the Three Patterns
Week 37-3: Name the Chords
38. 3 Octave D Scale
Week 38-1: 3 Octave D Scale-Pattern 1
Week 38-2: 3 Octave D Scale-Pattern 2
Week 38-3: 3 Octave D Scale-Pattern 3
Week 38-4: 3 Octave D Scale-Pattern 4
39. Tops & Bottoms of Shapes (Key of G) - Bass Bridge / Bass Bridge Lifts
Week 39-1: Play the Full Shape
Week 39-2: Divide Each Shape into 2 Three Note Rolled Chords
Week 39-3: Simon Pulls Out the Sticky Dots!
Week 39-4: This Week's Bonus: The "Lift"
40. Compact Pattern (Key of G)
Week 40-1: Practice the Compact Pattern & Listen for Chord Changes
Week 40-1B Where Does the Chord Change? (Answers)
Week 40-2: Old Chattanooga Chord Progression
Week 40-3: Play Along at Various Speeds
41-42. Review 7 (2 weeks)
Week 41: Review 7-1
Week 42: Review 7-2
43. Full Range Arpeggios for a Tune
Week 43-1: A Part for Archibald MacDonald of Keppoch
Week 43-Simon Says "Wait for Meeeee!!!"
Week 43-2: B Part for Archibald MacDonald of Keppoch
Week 43-3: C Part for Archibald MacDonald of Keppoch
44. Roll RLR & LRL Chords into a Tune
Week 44-1: Learn the Melody of Eleanor Plunket
Week 44-2: Simon
Week 44-3: Walk-through of Three Note Chords and Shapes
Week 44-4: Alternate RLR & LRL Chords Through the Tune
45. Harmonizing a D Scale (LRL)
Week 45-1: See How Your Hands Move to Play the Three Patterns
Week 45-2: Sloth Mode for Harmonizing a D Scale
Week 45-3: Name the Chords as You Play
46. Tops & Bottoms of Shapes (Key of D) - Treble Bridge, Treble Bridge Lifts
Week 46-1: Play the Full Shapes
Week 46-2: Divide Each Shape into 2 Three Note Rolled Chords
Week 46-3: Simon Pulls Out the Sticky Dots!
Week 46-4: This Week's Bonus: The "Lift"
47-48. Review 8
Week 47: Review 8-1
Week 48: Review 8-2
49. Duplicate 3 Note Chords
Week 49-1: Top of Shape = Bottom of Shape Above
Week 49-2: Key of D (Treble Bridge)
Week 49-3: Evening of Roses (Exercise)
50. Full Range Arpeggios for a Tune
Week 50-1: A Part for Morag's Waltz
Week 50-2: B Part for Morag's Waltz
Week 50-3: Challenge Yourself!
51-52. Review 9
Week 51: Review 9-1
Week 52: Review 9-2
Da Capo
