The Six String Fingerpicking Method: Preliminary Grade

Where your journey begins. Develop the essential skills and confidence to become a capable and well-rounded fingerstyle guitarist.

Learn fingerstyle guitar the right way

One of the hardest parts about learning guitar is simply knowing where to start. Most beginners spend months jumping between random YouTube videos, learning little bits of songs here and there and ultimately feeling confused, frustrated and overwhelmed.

Instead of making steady progress, it often feels like you’re constantly guessing what to learn next. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

This course is the very first step of The Six String Fingerpicking Method - a clear and inspiring step-by-step pathway designed to develop aspiring guitarists into the fingerstyle players they've always wanted to be.

You’ll build the true foundations that every great fingerstyle guitarist needs. The kind of foundations that give you confidence, control and a genuine understanding of what you’re doing.

Along the way you’ll develop essential fingerpicking technique, learn foundational patterns, improve your rhythm and coordination, begin to understand the fretboard and start playing real music with greater confidence and flow.

And because this course also teaches important wider guitar and musicianship skills, you won’t simply get better at fingerpicking, you’ll also become a more complete and well-rounded guitarist overall.

By the end of the Preliminary Grade, you’ll feel like you’ve truly begun your fingerstyle journey on the right foot, with strong foundations underneath you and a clear path forward as you continue progressing through the grades. All whilst developing your overall musicianship.

No previous experience is required. You just need a guitar, a willingness to practise and the desire to improve one step at a time.

If you’re ready to stop feeling lost and finally begin building real fingerstyle foundations with clarity, structure and confidence, you can begin your journey today with The Six String Fingerpicking Method: Preliminary Grade.

More than just another online guitar course

By the end of the course you'll...

- Fingerpick with far more confidence and control.
- Understand the core foundations of fingerstyle guitar.
- Feel more comfortable changing chords whilst fingerpicking.
- Develop stronger rhythm and timing.
- Begin to understand how fingerstyle patterns work musically.
- Have a clear understanding of how to continue progressing forward.
- Feel like a genuine fingerstyle guitarist rather than someone randomly playing patterns.

This course is perfect for you if...

- You're completely new to guitar and want to learn with a focus on fingerstyle.
- You feel overwhelmed by the number of available online lessons.
- You've tried fingerpicking before but never properly stuck with it.
- You want to build strong foundations properly from the start.
- You're serious about becoming a confident fingerstyle guitarist over time.


Included in the Preliminary Grade...

- Step-by-step video lessons.
- Downloadable TAB and pdf course materials.
- On-screen TABs throughout.
- Beautiful and fun musical study pieces.
- Structured exercises and practice studies.
- Guided chord progression practice.
- Ear training and rhythm development.
- A professional assessment of your performance (optional).
- Certificate of achievement upon passing.
- Lifetime access.

Your Instructor

Chris Murrin

The founder of Six String Fingerpicking, Chris, has dedicated his entire adult life to helping students master fingerstyle guitar. Now, he helps hundreds of thousands of subscribers on his YouTube channel and students at the Six String Fingerpicking Academy to reach their guitar goals every day.

He has a relaxed and supportive teaching style, putting students at ease. Learning new techniques and topics is broken down into bite-sized chunks, all with a logical progression so that the courses are easy to follow and students can learn at their own pace.

Get your playing assessed

One of the biggest reasons guitarists struggle to improve consistently is because it's all too easy to practise without any real direction or purpose.

That’s why each grade within The Six String Fingerpicking Method also has an optional performance assessment. By working towards a real musical goal, many students find themselves practising more consistently, staying more motivated and progressing far more confidently.

Upon completion you’ll receive a final grade, personalised feedback from Chris and an official Six String Fingerpicking certificate of achievement should you pass.

It’s not about perfection - it's about having a goal to steadily work towards, reassurance, confidence-building and encouragement.

The assessment is a meaningful goal to work towards as you continue your fingerstyle journey.

Turn your practice into real progress. Start today!

Preliminary Grade
(Without Assessment)

$39.00

Single Payment (or $13 over 3 months)

  • Instant lifetime access
  • Option to pay in instalments
  • Email support
  • 30 day money back guarantee

Preliminary Grade
(with Assessment)

$68.00

Single Payment (or $22.67 over 3 months)

  • Instant lifetime access
  • Option to pay in instalments
  • Includes assessment by Chris
  • 30 day money back guarantee

Take the first 30 days to dive in, risk-free.

If you're not satisfied with the course, we'll refund your investment - no questions asked.  It's my commitment to your musical journey.

Still have a question? We're here to help.

Course Curriculum

What our students are saying

The way he breaks it down and slowly adds to your plate without overwhelming you is key to his effectiveness. The videos with on screen tabs or the option to download them and work at your own pace is also great.

I’m not sure you’re going to find many other people out there who are as humble and approachable as Chris. I can email him a question or comment and he gets back rather quickly. All around just a great guy and a great teacher.

Joe

I have purchased so many books and online lessons, without a lot of success. I want you to know I wish I had had an instructor like you long ago. Of all the lessons I have purchased, yours are absolutely the best. I appreciate how you break everything down.

Christy

My main interest in learning guitar was to be able to play fingerstyle. There is some instruction out there but much of it is spotty and disjointed.

Chris also takes the time to actually email you back if you have a question not already addressed in any of his lessons. I recommend you give it a try.

Barry

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Anyone who wants a clear and inspiring step-by-step path designed to develop fingerstyle technique alongside the fundamentals of general guitar playing. You can be at any level and find a suitable grade for your needs. If you have any questions about your specific circumstances then get in touch via hello@sixstringfingerpicking.com and we'll be more than happy to advise you on the best option for you.

No! You can start with no experience of fingerpicking or guitar at all. The Preliminary Grade only requires that you have a guitar and willingness to learn.

If you can already play guitar competently and now just want to learn fingerpicking, then I'd recommend you join the Complete Guide to Fingerstyle Guitar courses as these focus purely on the techniques of this style.

No. Course materials and on-screen written music is both in standard notation and guitar TAB. The course materials teach you how to read both at a level appropriate for this course.

It's suitable for any age so long as you can guide yourself through the course.

It's never too late to start learning something new so whether you're picking up the guitar for the first time or returning after many years away, fingerstyle guitar is a skill that can absolutely be learnt at any age.

That's great! The Six String Fingerpicking Method is designed to go from Preliminary all the way to Grade 8 so they'll be a suitable place for you to join. Take a look at the overview of all the grades and if you need any advice, please do get in touch.

This is up to you - always go at your own pace and be realistic about the amount of time and practice you can commit daily/weekly. There's no time limit in which to take and complete the course.

If you're taking the assessment, please make sure you feel ready before triggering the start because this element is time limited.

The more you can practise, the better. However, everyone has other demands on their time so it's best to be realistic with how much practice you can do. As a minimum, for this grade, we would recommend at least four 30-minute practice sessions per week. It's always better to have this spread out across the week rather than in one two-hour block on the weekend to maximise your progress.

This course is designed for a steel strung acoustic guitar but everything contained in the course could be learnt on a nylon strung classical guitar if this is all you have available. However, this course will not teach you how to play classical guitar.

No you cannot download the courses (i.e. video lessons) but you can download a pdf of the course materials so you can work on that away from the computer.

You have two options. You can either do the Preliminary Grade assessment to make sure that you've met the required standard, or you can immediately move on to Grade One if assessment isn't something you're looking to do.

The course materials include a detailed description of how the assessment works and the criteria for achieving the best marks. In the Preliminary Grade, you'll need to play 3 open chords, 1 fingerpicking pattern over a chord progression, 1 short performance piece and be tested on your ear training. But don't worry - all of this is taught clearly and concisely in the course. There's even an example assessment submission so you know how to film it.

Your video will be reviewed and assessed by Chris. You'll then receive your final score and the grade achieved (fail/pass/merit/distinction).

It's really important that you feel confident enough to take the assessment before submitting anything because there is no option to re-take without paying for a second assessment fee. Currently, for the Preliminary Grade this is $29.

Yes you will receive a certificate when you pass the grade. The version of the course without being assessed will not issue a certificate.

When you enrol in the course you'll be able to set up your account and password. If you need any help, email hello@sixstringfingerpicking.com.

If you have a problem or any questions then just use the Support link at the bottom of the page or email hello@sixstringfingerpicking.com.

I hope you really enjoy my courses but if you find it's not right for you then I offer a 30 day money back guarantee. To request a refund use the 'Support' link at the bottom of the page or email hello@sixstringfingerpicking.com. Please note that if you buy the assessment and submit your video, you will not be eligible for a refund even if you are within the 30 days as you will be deemed to have been satisfied with the course.

No, purchasing a course does not include access to popular song TABS due to copyright. This is also why the song lessons do not include TABS but there are links on the song lesson pages so you can buy the tabs separately, which ensures that the royalties are paid to the rights holders. You can also get a discount on TABS with Musicnotes if you join my email newsletter.

Begin your fingerstyle guitar journey today

Preliminary Grade
(Without Assessment)

$39.00

Single Payment (or $13 over 3 months)

  • Instant lifetime access
  • Option to pay in instalments
  • Email support
  • 30 day money back guarantee

Preliminary Grade
(with Assessment)

$68.00

Single Payment (or $22.67 over 3 months)

  • Instant lifetime access
  • Option to pay in instalments
  • Includes assessment by Chris
  • 30 day money back guarantee

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