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Randall Williams explains and performs the song "Causeway" by Daithi Rua.
Taught by Randall Williams in Lessons with Randall Williams seriesLength: 8:24Difficulty: 3.0 of 5
Randall Williams is a dynamic, powerful, classically trained acoustic musician who interest is found in the dynamic and relevant world of folk. One of Randall's specialties includes the style of cut or partial capo.
Lesson 1
In his introductory lesson, Randall Williams discusses music theory in a useful and practical context. This knowledge will be required for his future lessons.
Length: 26:39 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 2
Randall Williams returns with the second part of his lesson on useful music theory. In this lesson, he talks about using a capo, ornamenting chords, and the minor scales.
Length: 36:38 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 3
In this lesson Randall introduces the concept of open tuning. He will talk about how open tunings work as well as how they alter your chords and scales.
Length: 31:48 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 4
Randall Williams returns to the world of open tunings to talk about open d, open g, and open c. He also give tips on slide guitar and playing in these tunings.
Length: 41:30 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 5
In this lesson Randall introduces the partial capo (using a short-cut capo by Kyser) and talks about how it can make the life of a beginner easier.
Length: 12:46 Difficulty: 0.5 FREELesson 6
In this lesson Randall returns to the world of the partial capo (or cut-capo). He covers additional right hand techniques and a few sample songs.
Length: 18:00 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 7
Randall returns to the world of the partial capo. In this lesson, he talks more about playing songs and chords. He also introduces a second capo.
Length: 9:41 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 8
Randall returns with the fourth part of his partial capo for total beginners lesson set. Randall introduces more right hand patterns and talks about playing with a disability.
Length: 11:28 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 9
Randall Williams shares his technique toolbox in this lesson. He explains over twenty different rhythmic patterns that can be applied to a chord progression.
Length: 27:38 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 10
Randall shares part two of his toolbox mini-series.
Length: 25:47 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 11
Randall Williams shares many new ideas in part one of his Partial Capo Techniques mini-series.
Length: 38:25 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 12
Randall Williams shares part two of his fantastic Partial Capo Techniques mini-series.
Length: 16:30 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 13
Randall shares part three of his Partial Capo Techniques mini-series.
Length: 19:29 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 14
Randall Williams continues on to part four of his exciting Partial Capo Techniques mini-series.
Length: 29:34 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 15
Randall concludes his Partial Capo Technique mini-series.
Length: 32:08 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 16
Randall Williams explains and performs the song "Causeway" by Daithi Rua.
Length: 8:24 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 17
Randall Williams takes a look at his original song "Stronger For Your Flame" and offers a wonderful performance.
Length: 10:18 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 18
Randall Williams shares an inspiring, original song called "Draw the Line."
Length: 6:06 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 19
Randall Williams shares his beautiful original tune, "Praying for Land" in this lesson.
Length: 7:50 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 20
Randall Williams teaches his original song "Ghost in the Machine."
Length: 9:37 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 21
Randall Williams shares his touching original song, "I Will Come For You."
Length: 8:38 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 22
After sharing many great tunes in his Exploring Songs mini-series, Randall Williams says a few words about performing.
Length: 10:29 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 23
Randall Williams creates a song with you from scratch in this fascinating lesson about short form songwriting.
Length: 31:18 Difficulty: 3.0 Members OnlyLesson 24
Randall Williams presents his introductory lesson on singing with the guitar.
Length: 10:36 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 25
Randall explores more singing topics in this lesson. He provides sample exercises and encourages you to sing along.
Length: 26:15 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 26
Randall Williams shares another beautiful original tune called "Guatemala" in this lesson.
Length: 6:55 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 27
Randall Williams continues his exploration on songwriting. In this particular lesson, he focuses on musicality and the creative process.
Length: 14:39 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 28
Randall Williams continues his discussion on musicality and creating songs.
Length: 23:34 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 29
Randall continues his discussion on songwriting in part 3 of his songwriting mini series.
Length: 21:06 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 30
Randall Williams concludes his mini-series on songwriting in this lesson.
Length: 13:24 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
About Randall Williams
View Full Biography
He felt that classical music lacked the inclusiveness of folk music, and that the inevitable division between performer and audience was unbearable. And so Randall returned to the world of traveling with his guitar, writing songs in train stations and sleeping on couches, then singing and playing on street corners, cafï, and pubs. For a time he lived aboard a 20' sailboat that he bought for $800, teaching himself how to sail by single-handing through the Baltic and North Seas with his guitar sleeping in the berth beside him at night. He wrote a book about the trip, which begins with the story of almost getting squashed by a tanker before dawn one morning in the North Sea.
He moved to North Africa, then set off across the Sahara by hitching with locals - bouncing through a minefield on the way that made his mother have bad dreams. He loved the adventure, but he missed the music.
In 2005, Randall returned stateside to scrounge up a career as a performing songwriter, hoping it wasn't too late. So far, it hasn't been. As the "Partial Capo Guy," Randall has written two books for Hal Leonard, recorded a DVD for Kyser Musical Products, and given workshops at some of the biggest festivals in United States. As a performer, Randall has been a finalist in the Founder's Title and Mid-Atlantic Song Contests, A regional finalist at Kerrville, a showcase artist at Northeast and Midwest Folk Alliance, and at the International Folk Alliance in Memphis, and an Audience Favorite at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. His 2007 live release, "One Night in Louisiana" made a respectable dent in the folk DJ charts (One single, "Lebanon," was #8 in May,) and he's generally a nice guy to have around, capos or not.
Randall is as much at home in a Bangkok slum or a Senegalese village, at the Kennedy Center in D.C. or the Fine Arts Palace in Brussels sandwiched between a twitchy orchestra and a full house, or shoeless on the floor of your living room. Randall has sung in a dozen languages in over 35 countries.
Lynne Andrews: "When Randall left the confines of classical music largely behind, they lost a great talent, but the world gained a good friend - a friend who will tell its stories with grace, compassion, humility and humor."
Randall began playing guitar seriously in 1988, and played his first open mic one year later. Randall kept playing and learning more and more. Randall began teaching guitar in 1992, while studying musical composition, analysis, and performance. Randall got his undergraduate music degree in 1996, then studied flamenco for about a year (1997) before beginning studies at the royal conservatory of music in mons, belgium.
From 1998 to 2001, Randall studied voice, analysis, and harmony at the conservatory, with classical guitar lessons on the side for about 6 months. Randall's undergraduate study and the conservatory courses added a degree of musical structure to his improvisational ability, and gave him a strong music theory base. He recieved the premier prix for concert singing from the conservatory in 2001.
Randall's most recent discoveries: how to build a structure for creating chords in open tunings, and learning how to structure placement of partial capos in standard and alternate tunings.
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.A hauntingly beautiful song. I would love a more detailed breakdown lesson for this one at some point in the future as it is hard to pick it up from the tab and just watching you play. Thank you.
Absolutely beautiful piece here Randall! Thanks for sharing. That tuning with the short cut capo put on makes it sound really special. Can't really describe what it sounds like to me but it's gorgeous!
You are obviously a VERY talented individual...would like to see/hear songs that we might know...seems much easier to learn a tune if you know what it sounds like??? Not sure how many folks want to learn a song like this?