Sharpen Your Skills

Are you new here? Click the button and purchase Sharpen Your Skills! (if you have somehow missed the description of the class, please read the full description here first).

If you have already purchased Sharpen Your Skills, the lesson list below will unlock for you on a weekly schedule. Watch your email inbox for reminders.


148 Lessons

Already Joined? Login

Welcome

Welcome to Sharpen Your Skills

How to Get the Most Out of This Class

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: A Few Changes in the Class

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: Pattern 1

Week 38-2: Pattern 2

Week 38-3: Pattern 3

Week 38-4: 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

Da Capo: You Made it... Now Start Over!