Beyond Basics: Introducing Alternate Tunings for Fingerstyle Guitar: Guitar DVD

This DVD cuts through the mystique surrounding alternate tunings by grounding them in the actual playing styles of artists your students already admire. Hanson's decision to teach his own compositions note-for-note gives learners immediate, playable material rather than abstract theory, which means students will stay engaged and motivated to practice these new tuning systems.

Opening a door to a completely different sonic palette. Alternate tunings reharmonize familiar chord shapes, create natural drone effects, and unlock bell-like overtones that standard tuning simply cannot produce. Working through these systems feels like discovering secret passages within an instrument you thought you already knew.

Intermediate to advanced fingerstyle players ready to expand beyond standard tuning and looking for concrete examples from recorded artists they respect. This works well for self-directed learners or studio instructors who want structured video guidance on a topic that's often scattered across books and online sources.

• Start with one tuning and spend a full week exploring it before introducing the next. Building muscle memory and ear training in a single tuning creates confidence and prevents the overwhelm of juggling multiple systems at once.
• Keep a reference chart of each tuning posted near your practice space. Alternate tunings require quick visual confirmation, especially when switching between pieces.
• Slow down the DVD playback to observe finger placement and string angles. Watching Mark's hands at reduced speed reveals voicing choices that are invisible at normal tempo.
• Record yourself playing the same passage in both standard and alternate tuning to hear how the timbre shifts. This ear training reinforces why artists like Joni Mitchell gravitated toward these tuning systems.

Assign this DVD to advanced students between October and December, when they have time to absorb new material without recital pressure. The four Hanson compositions work beautifully as recital pieces in winter or spring concerts, especially when programmed alongside more familiar fingerstyle standards to showcase stylistic range.

• Tuning guitar to four alternate tuning systems and understanding their intervallic relationships
• Voicing chords across the fretboard using unfamiliar fingering patterns
• Recognizing and adapting chord shapes when note positions shift due to alternate tunings
• Developing ear training to identify how alternate tunings change resonance and sustain
• Learning four complete fingerstyle compositions with attention to fingering efficiency and tone production