LOCAL HERO - Solo Fingerstyle Arrangement

LOCAL SOLO FINGERSTYLE ARRANGEMENT

In this second of four sessions we will be looking at Mark Knopfler’s iconic film score piece, ‘Going Home’ from the film score for ‘Local Hero’. The piece was the debut solo single by Knopfler, and charted at number 56 in the UK. Although it charted low, it remains one of Knopfler’s most known and loved pieces.

We will be taking the iconic guitar picking part and merging it with knopflers melody so that you have a stand alone solo guitar arrangement of the song. This arrangement sits perfectly alongside our Blitzing Your Fingerstyle Series.

Key techniques to focus on include:

• Fingerstyle independence – balancing bass, chord tones and melody so they sound like separate musical parts.
• Melody within chord shapes – finding voicings that allow the famous melody to sit naturally above the underlying harmony.
• Dynamics and touch – bringing the melody forward while keeping accompanying notes softer.
• Slides and position shifts – moving smoothly around the neck and connecting melodic phrases without breaking the flow.
• Hammer-ons and pull-offs – adding fluidity and expression to melodic passages.
• Vibrato – particularly important on sustained melody notes to capture some of Knopfler’s vocal-like phrasing.
• Arpeggiation – breaking chords into individual notes to fill out the arrangement without overpowering the melody.
• Note sustain and control – allowing important notes to ring into one another to create a bigger, more orchestral sound.
• Phrasing and space – Going Home is as much about how the melody is played as the notes themselves. Leaving space, shaping phrases and controlling dynamics are crucial.

Materials

You’ll receive:

• Lesson PDF
• Access to a video recording of the complete live session
• FOR THOSE BUYING THE COMPLETE SERIES, YOU WILL RECEIVE THE EXTRA PRE-RECORDED HD SULTANS OF SWING VIDEOS.

Who’s this session suitable for?

Intermediate to high intermediate levels of acoustic, electric  guitarists who can already fingerpick.

The level is ideal for players who want to:

• further their fingerpicking
• correct/tweak existing fingerpicking skills
• take fingerpicking to totally new levels

As a guide you should be familiar with:

• Fretboard knowledge – basics (E and A strings but all strings should be the target)
• Reading TAB Yes (including basic rhythm)
• Chords – Open and basic CAGED barres
• Ability to change between chords smoothly and play melody
• Scales – you should be comfortable with major and minor scale as well as your common pentatonic patterns

Things you won’t need to know (but you should definitely not ignore them):

• Theory – although it’s so useful to understand the essentials as it makes learning things much faster and better when playing with others
• Reading music – this is something to strive for as a long-term project

If you are a high beginner you will find this course a tricky, but that shouldn’t put you off. You can always buy the materials and then work through them at your own pace. Be focused and have a goal.

Materials

This online course includes:

• Lead sheet TAB/music PDF
• Access to a Zoom recording of the complete live lesson

Check out the whole series

• You can purchase all four lessons as one course for £70 which saves you £10 overall.

• Purchase lessons individually at £20 per lesson.

IMPORTANT POINTS

• You will receive the Lesson PDF and video link after your payment is confirmed. We will email it asap.
• The lesson video is a private link on YouTube. Please keep this and the Lesson PDF private. Don’t not share with others or online.