Vicki Genfan's - Rhythm Makeover

In this Rhythm Makeover edition, Vicki Genfan presents her signature acoustic rhythm guitar techniques and creative approaches. Crowned champion of Guitar Player magazine's Guitar Superstar competition, Vicki plays all the big international stages from Montreal's Jazz Festival to Germany's Open Strings Guitar Festival to Italy's Soave Guitar Festival.

Expand your acoustic rhythm guitar prowess with Vicki Genfan’s Rhythm Makeover and be sure to check out Adam Levy’s Rhythm Makeover for electric guitar, and Muriel Anderson’s Rhythm Makeover for fingerstyle guitar.

Thousands of #1 hit records use the same handful of chord progressions. So, what makes those songs so distinctive from one another? Melody, lyrics and production values are all very important of course, but rhythm is what gets the feet tapping, the bodies moving and the lips smiling.

Whether they perform in bands, duos or solo as a singer-songwriter, guitarists play rhythm 95% of the time supporting the vocalist and/or soloist. A pretty big responsibility, and a pretty big challenge making those common chord progressions sound original and interesting.

TrueFire’s Rhythm Makeover series focuses on the art of crafting compelling, original and interesting rhythm guitar parts by equipping players with the harmonic skills, playing techniques, chord vocabulary and creative approaches for breathing fresh life into any chord progression.

Rhythm Makeover courses are presented by educators with vast experience composing, arranging, recording and performing songs for audiences world-wide. Each edition is presented a single educator, but all of the educators examine the same 15 chord progressions.

The 15 chord progressions were specifically selected because they have each powered hundreds of hit records, across a variety of popular styles. All of the educators also work with the very same bass and drum tracks to emphasize just how much influence the guitar part has on the distinctive qualities of a song. The progressions and tracks cover a variety of keys:

I-V-vi-IV progression in the key of C major

I-vi-ii-V progression in the key of G major

Descending IV-iii-ii-I progression in the key of E major

ii-V-I-IV progression in the key of A major

I-Imaj7-I7-IV progression in the key of G major

iii-vi-ii-V progression in the key of C major

I-vi-iii-IV progression in the key of G major

I-IV-V-I in the key of E major

Ascending I-ii-iii-IV progression in the key of A major

vi-V-VI progression in the key of D

i-bVII-bVI-V progression in the key of C minor

I-iii-IV-V progression in the key of G major

vi-ii-V-I-IV-iv-I chord progression in the key of E major

I-II-V-I progression in the key of A major

I-bVII-IV progression in the key of D

Bringing his or her unique perspective and skill set to the table, the educator presents two distinct creative and technical approaches for each of the 15 chord progressions (30 approaches in all).

As you work through the 30 different approaches, you’ll learn new chord voicings, strumming and fingerstyle patterns, harmonic approaches, creative ideas, right and left-hand techniques and much more, all of which can be applied to any progression that you might encounter, in any key.