Have a question?
shyam@musicianself.com OR Whatsapp (Sreenath): +91 828 1234 828
A basic decent guitar costs INR10,000. The BEST guitar education from THE expert costs just a fraction – a student exclaimed!
Ragacourses PRIME Membership
1 month or 1 year access to 100s of focused lessons. The number is increasing:
(scroll down to see ALL modules, how you can join and access)
- Learn to play music that interests you, want to play finally. Don’t force yourself with unfamiliar western lessons.
- What are the wrong techniques that hold back beginners and experienced players alike? How to get rid of them while playing what matters to you?
- How to play your favorite songs, even if you are a beginner? How to make variations to match your skill?
- Youtube whirlpool: sucked in, wasted time, no focus, no results. Instead, get custom lesson plans along with access to ALL courses.
- Quality before quantity. Which is better? Playing 10 songs imperfectly, embarassed to play even 1 properly, or learning how to perfect your playing and then increase in number? Use our checklists.
- Error based practice – not just notes. Practice makes perfect ONLY if you know exactly what to change. Our lessons will show you the usual mistakes based on my decades of playing and teaching experience.
If playing like me (Shyam) is your goal, you will need my specific methods.
The usual school classes will not get you an IIT JEE rank, neither will the usual guitar teaching/learning methods get you to fluency.
Your Interest:
- you are interested in playing Indian raga (carnatic) or film songs the way it is sung
- you want to play Chords and rhythm for your favorite songs fluently and efficiently
- fingerstyle and chord melody, finding chords and notes on your own, raga improvisation…
- Are your notes correct, are they connected? How good is your finger logic and phrasing? What does posture, strokes, wrist and thumb have to do with avoiding bad technique?
- Why is the paint brush method of rhythm playing essential? Which patterns matter before theory? How to play fluently by making your fingers stick to the fretboard? What is the real theory that practical performing musicians know that others don’t?
- How to practice for results? Why are mistakes your path to success? How to use methods from teaching science, behavioural change & project management to your advantage?
Avoid one-size-fit-all Guitar Teaching
You won’t make South Indian Tali by learning how to make a fast food burger.
Want to play Indian music? don’t waste time on generic exercises.
Know your real goal, chart a GPS-like path directly to the results you want. We will do that.
Every person is unique. Music learning is not about mindless repetition that makes you numb and frustrated. You need a specific mix of lessons, corrections, mindset & focus. I will give you that.
Focused, learning project The better your teacher is at problem solving, the better your results.
You need a list of the exact changes you can make, for your specific need, even if you have only 5 minutes practice time.
Like a project or exam preparation, we plan and practice for clear results.
Learn the underlying skills and competencies for a lifelong musical journey, while learning towards REAL LIFE music that matter to you.
Most of my students are 35+. Some are 50+. I have a student who is 80+ and enjoying the progress.
You need to know the movements inside out. Playing well is often about correctness, removing delays – physical aspects, before questioning your musicality.
The exactness of steps matter – I will give that to you.
What you get
- Notes, tabs, chords – for different skill leves – beginner to fluency
- Usual mistakes, finger and phrasing details, needed theory
- Carnatic and other song lessons
- For clarity, us chat access to Sreenath (associate teacher) anytime you need help with finding the material or want to know how to plan your practice
- Fundamentals, best practices, check lists:
- for beginners or been playing for sometime
- to play slides and other fluency techniques
- for rhythm and chord correctness and connectedness
- finger style, sing with chords
- carnatic and film song playing
- ear training
- Exercises and practical theory
- Note clarity, fluency
- Rhythm connectedness, efficiency
- Chord patterns, logical approaches
- Finding chords, notes, rhythms
- Singing with rhythm
- Carnatic and film song playing
Get access to all of them under a single login. Mix and match based on your need.
Based on decades of real life teaching experience and student feedback.
Note: the library is VERY BIG. Like in big real life libraries, we will assist you and get you the exact lesson. You can ask us anytime for help.(We will help you create your own unique lesson plan and learner path.)
- instant access to core videos and material: The moment you join, login and password is created automatically and emailed to you
- get your unique learner path for the next few months. No wasted time, energy, money.
- chat access to associate teachers any time
Who am I?
- no more youtube whirlpool, guessing, frustration or quitting
- no more adjusting and struggling with generic material that doesn’t cater to Indian style of playing
- Instead, freedom, without doubting your skills and talent.
Gain your access & start Playing better
In less than 2 months… This is more progress than i have ever made in the several years of trying to figure things out myself or trying to learn from other resources.” – Sarvesh, San Jose
One month access
One month access to all courses.
Get learner path.
Teacher (Sreenath) chat support.
Try this unique method.
Click to choose ONE TIME payment
or Subscription
One year access
All courses + TWO 1-1 calls with Shyam (25minutes)
Get learner path.
Teacher (Sreenath) chat support.
Save $71 – 2 months+. One time payment. No automatic renewal
4 months access
All courses – 4 months access.
ONE 1-1 Call with Shyam
Get learner path.
Teacher (Sreenath) chat support.
Save $17. One time payment.
No automatic renewal
Whatsapp +91 828 1234 828 (googlepay) for INR transfer (INR2400), bank details and doubts.
Immediate access. Your Login and password are automatically created and email within 2 minutes of joining.
Shyam’s videos are very detailed. Sometimes you may not identify your mistakes. Usual mistakes are anticipated, extremely useful corrections given within the lessons – student
Email me your goals to shyam@musicianself@gmail.com once you have joined. I will send your unique learner path for best long term and short term results.
Chat with Sreenath teacher You may have seen his youtube videos. Ask him for guidance – what to practice first, how…
Not sure if it is right for you? Maybe we are NOT the right fit. Maybe we are the best. Till we test it, these are just hypotheses. Try it!
Is it worth it?
- you don’t want to waste time, trying to figure out what you should practice, second guessing your path.
- you don’t want to keep playing more notes, instead want to start sounding musical.
- Get a plan and support from someone who has walked the path themselves, and guided 100s of others. Confidently reach your goals.
- this is not generic guitar instruction – it is directly for your goals in Indian guitar playing or rhythm chord playing.
- No waste of time effort and money – you are using it to the best with focused, deliberate practice methods.
- My students learn in a few months what I couldn’t do in 3 years as I started. If I had this course when I started, I could build on them without confusion.
- That is why I am offering this course to you. So that you don’t have to struggle and suffer with confusion instead can gain clarity and focus on what matters. 🙂
Teaching/learning success is in the details
I have been playing the guitar for 33 years. Most learning methods blame lack of progress on talent. In reality the problem is the lack of structured science based teaching. Imagine if we were told that we didn’t have the talent to write with a pencil… We are here to help created actual change in your playing.
Convenient MODULES of Focused lessons
Just a few recent lesson examples, out of 100s…:
Basics to advanced exercises and topics for every day practice
- no more youtube whirlpool; focused material
- have 5 minutes? just sit, practice, knowing you are progressing in the right direction
- want to play Indian music? Learn guitar playing towards what you are really interested in instead of generic exercises that make you quit
Guitar fundamentals
- how to hold the guitar? What is the best angle and position?
- plectrum or hand? what is the angle of contact? up and down or other?
- what to start with? What is sustain and connected playing? Why is it important to play music instead of notes?
- follow the best practices and be confident about your guitar playing
- fingering exercises, finger freedom
Indian guitar basics
- Progressing from being a note player to Indian style fluency techniques
- sustained and connected playing techniques
- checklists and best practices on executing the 3 basic indian guitar playing elements successfully
- finger level exercises, fundamentals like thumb use for efficient playing
Rhythm Chord basics
- smooth transitions using underlying mechanics
- finger change priority to prevent stuck chord change
- common finger and finger group movement
- automation of rhythm hand
- conscious playing connecting the chord shapes to the root notes
- pattern based understanding of chords – how you need to practice only 3 chords to generate all the other chords. Don’t waste your time learning different chords when they are all the same pattern.
- basic chord theory. the patterns on paper
Guitar skill growth & Fluency
- scales, notes, exercises
- slide exercises
- 2 notes, 3 notes different directions etc
- hammer on pull off phrases and exercises,
- combination slide, hammer on, pull off exercises
- real song phrases practice from simple to advanced
- raga phrases
- techniques to remove delay and bring the song together
.
Rhythm chord exercises, patterns, methods
- varied rhythm exercises in different timings and patterns. e.g. Detailed Rumba & other fingestyle + pick rhythm exercises
- obsess on fluency, clarity, accent, regularity using underlying techniques
- Monk style snare sound rhythm techniques, fret hand accenting
- automated rhythm hand freedom exercises
- Chord knowledge. e.g. using 4 note chords instead of basic triads
- minor 7 instead of minor, major 7th or minor 7th instead of major and minor chords and more
Sing while rhythm
- skills and subskills
- why downstroke consistency matters
- automated rhythm, lyrics entry points
- dividing the basic to more rhythm patterns
- syllable matching to downstrokes: what is lyrics offset, continuing rhythm after words, how to start singing before rhythm
- simple rhythm variations to start syncing words and playing. improve independence and sync
- the usual mistakes and corrections
- time and rhythm division exercises to understand container rhythm and content phrases
Fingerstyle and Chord Melody exercises
- thumb and finger freedom and independence exercises
- TIMI RIMI method
- speed development exercises
- melody playing and then strumming, connecting the melody and rhythm chord
- understanding melody and bassline relation
- basic exercises extending chord to melody
- harmony and melody connection and execution
- rhythm and chord melody exercises
- bass movements based on simple chords and fingerpicking
- melody and bass line changing exercises
Chord knowledge and practice
- Smart chords – the only three patterns
- deriving barre chords from open chords
- 7th and other chords using basic pattern
- root to chord connection to avoid rote memorization
- more updates on the topic including various exercises to cover numerous situations
Ear training exercises
- Understanding intervals, interval training with assessments and quiz
- Get rid of mechanical interval training, instead use real life song situations
- Graded from 0 to more complex
- Can also be used to train your singing
- Separates relative note finding (relevant) from random absolute first note finding
- Training using relevant phrases, note groups, immediate memory and recall
Carnatic lessons
- Major to mayamalavagowla
- level 01 Sreegananatha
- Level 02 swara sreegananatha
- Level 03 Lyrics version
- Level 04 full Lyrics version with slide
- Padumanabha, kereyaneeranu, Kundagowra, Varaveena, Kamalajathala, Mahaganapathim.
- Further learning is better done with a teacher – request when time.
and more…