Fingerstyle Guitar
A melody-driven course for intermediate and advanced players, music from Scotland, Ireland, and beyond — chosen for their melodic pull and harmonic color.
Start playingLesson - Diamond Joepreview
About this course
Fingerstyle Guitar with Tony McManus is a melody-driven course for intermediate and advanced players, built around tunes that really speak to Tony — music from Scotland, Ireland, and beyond — c...read more
Fingerstyle Guitar with Tony McManus is a melody-driven course for intermediate and advanced players, built around tunes that really speak to Tony — music from Scotland, Ireland, and beyond — chosen for their melodic pull and harmonic colour. The focus is on making traditional melodies sit beautifully on the guitar, so the instrument becomes a natural, legitimate carrier of this music: a real voice with edge, lift, and purpose.
Across the lessons, Tony shows the techniques he uses to shape melody, support it with tasteful harmony, and keep the tune feeling alive under the fingers. You’ll work mainly in DADGAD and also explore Drop D and low-C tunings, learning how each tuning opens up different ways to voice a melody and let it ring.
The guiding method is simple and relentless: keep playing, practice what’s difficult, and slow everything down to a crawl until the melody speaks clearly. The end goal is confidence — being able to take a tune and play it in a way that carries the tradition forward on guitar, with clarity, character, and conviction.
Strings: D’Addario EJ17. 13, 17, 26, 34, 45, 56
Fingerstyle Guitar with Tony McManus is a melody-driven course for intermediate and advanced players, built around tunes that really speak to Tony — music from Scotland, Ireland, and beyond — chosen for their melodic pull and harmonic colour. The focus is on making traditional melodies sit beautifully on the guitar, so the instrument becomes a natural, legitimate carrier of this music: a real voice with edge, lift, and purpose.
Across the lessons, Tony shows the techniques he uses to shape melody, support it with tasteful harmony, and keep the tune feeling alive under the fingers. You’ll work mainly in DADGAD and also explore Drop D and low-C tunings, learning how each tuning opens up different ways to voice a melody and let it ring.
The guiding method is simple and relentless: keep playing, practice what’s difficult, and slow everything down to a crawl until the melody speaks clearly. The end goal is confidence — being able to take a tune and play it in a way that carries the tradition forward on guitar, with clarity, character, and conviction.
Strings: D’Addario EJ17. 13, 17, 26, 34, 45, 56
Teacher: Tony McManus
Instrument: Guitar
Countries: Scotland, Ireland, United States, France
Browse the 15 lessons
- Performance
- DAGAD Tuning
- Geartalk
- Exilepreview
- Diamond Joepreview
- Humors of Tullapreview
- Declan
- Miss Campbell of Shiness
- Harmonics
- Irene Meldrum’s Welcome to Bon Accord
- Bloavez Mad
- David Glenn’s Jig
- Lea Rig
- Na Gossidich
- Casadh an t’Sugain
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About Tony McManus
Tony McManus is a world-renowned fingerstyle guitarist celebrated for bringing the lift, ornamentation, and phrasing of Celtic traditional music to the acoustic guitar. Drawing on traditions from across the Celtic diaspora and beyond, his playing is widely regarded as virtuosic, deeply musical, and unmistakably his own.
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About the Guitar
The guitar has been a popular instrument in folk music traditions for centuries. Its origins can be traced back to Spain in the 16th century, where it was known as the "guitarra." From there, it spread across Europe and eventually made its way to the Americas, where it became an essential part of various folk music styles such as blues, country, and bluegrass. The guitar's versatility and ability to accompany both vocals and other instruments made it a favorite among folk musicians. Today, the guitar remains an important part of many folk music traditions and continues to evolve with new players and styles emerging all the time.
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