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In the many years that I've
played guitar (30 and counting), I've pretty much acquired my skills
through self-study. Of the many books I've used over the years to
learn new music and techniques, there is really only a small handful
that I would say were of significant influence. The books written
by Happy Traum are among those. But to acquire new skills from
books can take you far longer than is necessary or desired; especially
books without CDs. To really absorb new techniques and styles, the
fastest way to learn is with a personal guitar teacher.
But of course many of us either
can't afford or don't have access to the kind of teacher necessary to
learn the styles we want to learn. Well, Happy Traum has
been providing an alternative to personal instruction for years in his
offering of Homespun Videos, CDs and Tapes.
As anybody who has taken lessons
from a personal guitar instructor knows, a teacher can show you
something in a second that would take pages to explain in text; and you
still might not properly grasp the concept as readily as actually seeing
it done. In fact, if you misinterpret the text, you could find
yourself playing the technique wrong for years before you discover the
error. This is the power
that videos have as a teaching mechanism. Happy recognized this
years ago when he started recording his lessons for his students.
He has been providing quality instructional tapes to us aspiring
musicians for years, and I'll be reviewing some of the videos/booklets
(Standard Notation/TAB) that I have and like a great deal.
Some General
Comments
All the videos described here
(except for the Concert Videos) include a booklet with the standard
notation and TAB of the music presented. These books are sized
specifically to fit into the sleeves of the video boxes (4 x 6 inches
folded, 8 x 6 inches unfolded). The booklets have minimal borders
to maximize the use of the space, and a large font size which makes the
music quite easy to read. I like the fact that I can store the
booklet with the tape; because I know they would become permanently
separated otherwise.
One thing to keep in mind about
the booklets is that there is a bare minimum of additional information.
In a book without an accompanying video, you would expect to get TAB
guides, artist bio information, pictures, chord charts, etc. This
type of information is left out of these booklets in exchange for the
video instruction. A reasonable tradeoff in general, but you
should be aware that the tradeoff is being made.
Adventures in Fingerstyle Guitar
The Techniques And Arrangements of Laurence Juber
Video 1, Standard Tunings
70 minute video, includes Standard Notation/TAB booklet
Skill Level: 5
As
a long time subscriber to Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine and Acoustic
Guitar Magazine, I have read about and heard the music of Laurence Juber.
As a result of that exposure to his music, I have become an avid fan.
I was quite excited to get this video and to get what I believe is as
close to individual instruction from one of the top contemporary guitar
players of the 90's.
This tape is tape 1 of a two-tape
series. All the compositions he discusses on this tape are in
standard tuning. The second tape in the series deals with his
compositions in alternate tunings. The TAB booklet has the music
for his intro piece "Maisie" which he doesn't discuss on the tape (but
is easier relative the others), and the TAB for all the music he does go
into detail on: "Solo Flight", "A Bit of a George", "In Your Arms", "To
New Amsterdam", and "Martha".
I would like to make a couple of
observations about Laurence's compositions. Besides being
brilliant compositions, they seem to carry a flavor and style that show
the degree of classical training he has in his background (he admits to
some lute playing in his background). Also quite apparent was the
large degree to which he uses rest strokes when playing single note
melody lines. This type of right hand technique is very common
amongst classically trained guitar players. I never learned it
myself until I took classical guitar lessons in college. I
found it interesting to see this technique employed to such a great
extent on a steel string guitar and the added strength to the melody it
provides. What's important to note is that without the video, this
little subtlety would have been missed.
There were other important
techniques that he employs in his compositions that are not evident in
just looking at the TAB. Before watching the tape, I tried to play
"In Your Arms" from just the TAB. There is a one measure section
that uses what he calls "cascading harmonics". I interpreted the
TAB completely wrong and only got it correct after watching him explain
it on tape; this is the power that these video have over regular TAB
books.
The last observation is that most
of these tunes move far up the neck, taking substantial advantage of the
extra room his cutaway Taylor provides. So if you want to play his
music, you should note that at the very minimum, you'll need to have a
14 fret guitar to play them; although I don't believe you'd be able to
play "To New Amsterdam" or "Martha My Dear" without a cutaway guitar.
There is no way you could play most of these on a standard classical
guitar (12 frets to the body).
I have
been a fan of Muriel Anderson since receiving a Narada Fingerstyle CD (highly
recommended by the way!) for Christmas which had two of
her tunes on it. Since then, I bought her Music book/CD (Hometown Live) and
was excited to get her video. I must say that the video is far
more useful than the book/CD because there are so many subtle techniques
she uses in her playing that just can't be properly captured in standard
or TAB notation. Having her show you how she plays each piece
makes all the difference.
On this tape she provides detailed
guidance on how to play 5 different tunes; "The Liberty Bell", "Foggy
Mountain Breakdown", "Peanuts Theme", "Rosalee", and "Angelina Baker".
In addition, the TAB booklet offers both an easy and complete versions
of her Peanuts Theme arrangement which makes mastering this piece much
easier. She also offers advice on proper nail care, posture and
guitar position, and right hand technique. She closed the lesson
with her performance of "Nola", a piece that has become a signature
piece for her. This piece, by the way, is in her "Hometown Live" music book. Like
all these videos, I felt like I had a private lesson with a widely
recognized master of acoustic guitar.
The thing that comes across in her playing
is the degree of dynamics and emotion she puts into her music.
This is most evident by watching her play "The Liberty Bell" were she
attempts to simulate the instruments in a piece that was written for a
brass band. As she goes through it, she explains all the subtle
techniques she uses to bring about the various instruments she's
attempting to emulate; from flutes to tubas.
The video proved itself to be totally
invaluable when she explained how to play the harmonics intro to "Rosalee".
The way in which she plays a D chord in artificial harmonics was
something I'd never seen before. She uses the back of her palm and
a strum stroke that traverses the chord form. This is something
that needs to be seen demonstrated to appreciate it; I don't think you
can textually describe it effectively. I found it to be an
amazing technique and something that, once mastered, could be used in my
own music.
Muriel plays a standard classical guitar,
so all these pieces should be playable on any type of nylon string or
steel string guitar. The skill level of this tape is set at level
4; which is a little easier than Juber's tape, although I think The
Liberty Bell is probably more of a level 5 piece.
Acoustic
Guitar Instrumentals
Arrangements In Alternate Tunings
Taught by: Martin Simpson
Video 1 of 3
75 minute video, includes Standard Notation/TAB booklet
Skill Level: 4
I
attended a Martin Simpson concert recently and was left with sense of
amazement at how he can extract such beautiful tonal quality from his
guitar. He plays what appear to be relatively simple pieces
without a great deal of ornamentation or fancy guitar work, but is able
to convey a tremendous sense of musicality from simple lines. I
was so enamoured with his music, I bought one of his CDs and now I have
the opportunity to learn more of his playing techniques through this
video.
This tape is one of a 3 part series
delving into Alternate Tunings. Martin is extremely well versed in
the theoretical details of the tunings he discusses. This tape
discusses the Dropped-D tuning and Altered G tuning (CGDGCD).
Because Dropped-D is so similar to standard, he effectively correlates
it to theoretical concepts normally talked about in standard tuning such
as the CAGED chord form patterns as it applies to Dropped-D. As
one who frequently plays and arranges in Dropped-D, I found extremely
useful.
Martin discusses 3 tunes in Dropped-D
(Rosie Anderson,The Shearing's Not For You, and Bogie's Bonny Belle) and
3 tunes in the Altered G-tuning (Pretty Saro, Long Steel Rail, and Santa
Cruz (Listen to a
Real Audio Clip of Pretty Saro and Long Steel Rail). These are
all Celtic style pieces, so if you aspire to play in this style, you'll
love these tunes. In fact this tape might also be placed in the
Traditional category.
The one thing I found most interesting was
how he arranges a piece and the techniques he uses to obtain those tonal
qualities I found so compelling in listening to him in concert.
He explains very effectively on the importance of where on the fretboard
you choose to play a note for the best tonal effect. I fully
expect the other two videos to be equally enjoyable and educational.
Acoustic Guitar Instrumentals
(DVD One: Arrangements in Alternate Tunings). By Martin Simpson. For Guitar. Instructional/Guitar/DVD. Fingerstyle. DVD. Homespun #DVDSIMGT21. Published by Homespun (HL.641817)
I don't have a lot of Celtic
music in my repertoire; mostly because time has not allowed me to
explore it. But I've always liked the sound of this style and was
excited to have a little "specialized instruction" by one of the most
prolific performers of the style: Al Petteway.
The tunes presented in this video are all
in the DADGAD tuning and seem appropriate for the skill level the tape
is rated at (3). But another reason they are easier is because of
the extensive use of the open strings in an Alternate Tuning such as
DADGAD. There just isn't as much left hand fingering required or
desired in Alternate Tunings. But the music presented is
wonderfully melodic and just plain fun to play. My favorite piece
is a Petteway composition called "Chesapeake". It has all the
stylistic wrappings of a Celtic piece but Al extends it to three
sections instead of the normal 2 which allows him to explore more
musical ideas in the piece. The other tunes on this tape are "Sligo
Creek", "Rise Up My Love", "New Year's Day", and "On Christmas Night".
If you want to learn music in the Celtic
style, it is important to get a grasp of how hammers and pull-offs are
employed to get that characteristic sound. As Al goes
through each piece, he talks about these stylistic aspects, and seeing it executed allows you to
visualize what needs to be done to "get that sound".
Celtic Instrumentals for Fingerstyle Guitar
(DVD I: DADGAD Tuning). For Guitar. Homespun Tapes. Instructional and Celtic. Instructional video: DVD. Guitar tablature. Duration 70m. Homespun #DVDALPGT21. Published by Homespun (HL.641740)
This tape is the first of a two-tape series. I found this
tape to be one of the more fascinating and entertaining of all those I
have because of wonderful laid back personality of Roy Book Binder and
the stories he relates about Rev. Gary Davis and the time he spent with
him. First of all, he has a plethora of blues licks that he weaves
into his songs almost at random. As he plays each section, he
never quite knows what's going to come out.
When watching this tape and the
way he shows you his licks, I just imagine that he is showing me these
licks in exactly the same way the Rev. Davis showed them to him.
He frequently isn't sure which chord he's playing and avoids much of the
theoretical aspects of the licks and just; "shows you how to do it".
In the TAB booklet, each tune is
presented in both easy and more complex versions. This I found
useful because I could get the basic progression down in the easy
version and then use the complex version to add the fancy licks that
adds the character to the piece.
The tape covers three blues tunes
in detail; "C Rag on the Black Dog Blues", "Hesitation Blues", and
"Ragtime Instrumental Medley". The medley was a 4-part medley
including "Buck Dance", "Devil's Dream", and "Merle Travis". The
medley is the only one that doesn't offer the easy/complex versions.
All the tunes are in standard tuning and in the keys of C or Am which is
appropriate for the Level 3 rating it carries.
If you want to learn piedmont
style blues in a way that the blues have been handed down for
generations, this is the series to get. After you're
through, you'll have mastered some great old blues tunes and feel like
you've had a lesson from Gary Davis himself.
Blues by the Book for Fingerstyle Guitar
(DVD 2). By Roy Book Binder. For Guitar. Instructional/Guitar/DVD. DVD. Guitar tablature. Homespun #DVDBOOGT22. Published by Homespun (HL.641652)
The
Blues Bag
Expanding Your Repertoire And Technique
Taught by: Happy Traum
One of the best blues books I ever owned
is "The Blues Bag" written by
Happy Traum. These tapes are based on this book. I had
been playing "In The Evening When The Sun
Goes Down" for many years and even have re-arranged it so I could
play it in Open-D. I also played "Bad Luck Blues" for years and
both of these are among my favorite blues tunes. But of course I
had to learn these from just the TAB alone, I didn't have the benefit of
some personal instruction by Happy himself ... until now. It
took me a long time to master Bad Luck Blues (and be able to sing the
lyrics at the same time), so I was very interested to see how Happy
played it, and what tips he had to offer on this tune and all the
others.
All the tunes in both tapes are presented
in the same manner as the book: vocal accompaniment section and an
instrumental break; which of course is how these tunes are meant to be
played. Most blues tunes use minimal guitar ornamentation while
the lyrics are being sung, and use "filler licks" between verses.
Somewhere between verses, an instrumental break is played that
duplicates the melody. Then the rest of the verses are sung.
The Blues Bag book originally provided
mostly just the chords and lyrics for the vocal section, leaving it to
you to find the appropriate accompaniment. With the video,
Happy demonstrates an appropriate accompaniment, but also emphasizes the
need to try different things and to seek your own approach.
These tapes are at level 3 and they assume
you have some fundamental knowledge of the guitar, finger-picking and
basic chord forms.
The Blues Bag - 2-DVD Set
(Eleven Classic Songs and Arrangements). For Guitar. Instructional/Guitar/DVD. DVD. Guitar tablature. Homespun #DVDHAPBA29. Published by Homespun (HL.641900)
The Blues Bag - Video 1
60 minutes, includes Standard Notation/TAB booklet
Skill Level: 3
On this tape he discusses Boogie
style blues, blues in the key of G, and blues in the key of C.
He also demonstrates a number of licks, bass-damping technique, bass
runs, and turn-arounds that can be applied, mixed, or matched to any of
the tunes. In fact he showed how the boogie rhythm could be used
as an accompaniment in at least two of the tunes.
Having a copy of the book, I was familiar
with all the tunes on this tape already. The thing Happy seems to
stress most on this tape is that the blues is a very free form style.
Arrangements are not meant to be rigidly followed, but used only as as
rough structure under which you use your own licks, preferences, and
techniques to weave "your sound".
This tape covers the following tunes:
"Boogie-Woogie Blues", "Careless Love", "C. C. Rider", "Step It Up and
Go", "Move to Kansas City", and "New Stranger Blues".
The Blues Bag - 2-DVD Set
(Eleven Classic Songs and Arrangements). For Guitar. Instructional/Guitar/DVD. DVD. Guitar tablature. Homespun #DVDHAPBA29. Published by Homespun (HL.641900)
The Blues Bag - Video 2
60 minutes,
includes Standard Notation/TAB booklet
Skill Level: 3
This tape has some of my
favorite blues tunes and two of the ones I had selected to be part of my
performing repertoire. If you aspire to play the blues, any one of
these (or all of these) would be excellent choices.
One of the complaints I had about the
Blues Bag book was that it only provided the first verse to "In the
Evening". It took quite a bit of digging to find the remaining
verses to that song. On the video, Happy sings the rest of the
verses... I needed this video 20 years ago!
The tunes covered on this tape are:
"You're Gonna Quit Me Baby", "Bad Luck Blues", "Diddy Way Diddy",
"Wandering", and "In The Evening When The Sun
Goes Down".
Besides the tunes themselves, Happy
provides more licks, turnarounds and progressions. But now he
includes the very important keys of A and E.
If you are thinking of getting these
tapes, I would recommend you get them both. Together, they provide
an outstanding overview of the blues in general, a compendium of blues
licks to add to your improvisational toolbox, as well as a set of tunes
that can be added to a performing repertoire.
The Blues Bag - 2-DVD Set
(Eleven Classic Songs and Arrangements). For Guitar. Instructional/Guitar/DVD. DVD. Guitar tablature. Homespun #DVDHAPBA29. Published by Homespun (HL.641900)
The Slide Guitar
of Kelly Joe Phelps
Techniques, Arrangements and Improvisation 80
minutes, includes Standard Notation/TAB booklet
Skill Level: 3
The first time I heard Kelly Joe
Phelps play the blues, I was addicted to this guy's music. In my
opinion, he's one of the best
slide players of the 90's. Listen to the Real Audio cuts below and
judge for yourself. Kelly Joe's slide technique and
expressive vocals will reinvigorate your love for the blues.
Kelly Joe plays lap style slide on a
standard acoustic guitar with the strings raised up 1/4". I've
always played bottleneck style, but after watching this video, I can see
some significant advantages to lap style; the ability to easily form
partial accompaniment chords by laying the slide over the bass strings,
and unconstrained access to the upper fretboard are key advantages of
approaching the strings from the top. On this video Kelly
Joe carefully goes through all the main aspects of playing guitar this
way. He covers the basics including information on the
Open D tuning, scales, muting techniques, and how to use capos on
guitars set up for lap style. He also clearly demonstrates a great
slide technique he calls "pushing" to add tension to melody notes.
In addition, he discusses "implied rhythm" and harmonic techniques to
keep the music from getting "locked down" as he calls it. These
last topics clearly show he has a strong command of music theory,
reflective of his Jazz guitar background.
Kelly Joe covers, in detail, the
traditional gospel song "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder," his funky
minor-key blues "Black Crow Keeps Flying" and the classic folk song
"Irene Goodnight" (as you've never heard it before!). He finishes
up by performing "Go There" (which is also provided in the TAB booklet).
The one thing not provided was the lyrics to the songs. But since
the songs are performed in their entirety on the tape, one simply has to
listen to the tape and write them down (it would just be nice if that
weren't necessary). One other thing that IS provided, that I
haven't seen on other tapes, is the scales he talked about in TAB for
later reference.
The Slide Guitar of Kelly Joe Phelps
(Techniques, Arrangements and Improvisation). By Kelly Joe Phelps. For Guitar. Instructional/Guitar/DVD. DVD. Homespun #DVDKJPGT21. Published by Homespun (HL.641554)
Mike Dowling, Bottleneck Blues and Beyond 110
minutes, includes Standard Notation/TAB booklet
Skill Level: 3
I first heard
Mike Dowling's music on
"A"-net Station which features cuts from various CDs including his
"Swamp Dog Blues" CD. I became instantly enamored with every
aspect of his music and went out bought the CD. But being a long
time bottleneck player, just listening to the music wasn't enough.
I had to learn more about his techniques and got this video as well.
I can tell you, this one is quite special and I learned a lot besides
having the TAB for some great new material; the tunes he demonstrates
are ALL excellent and every one would be a good addition to any
repertoire.
First of all, its obvious to me that Mike
is as good a teacher as he is a musician. Throughout this video
(which runs for 110
minutes) he had thought through what he wants to say and how. As a
result, every point is clearly presented and demonstrated on his old
National Style 'O' resonator. He covers a lot of material on this
video including bottleneck playing in general, damping techniques,
fretting chords while wearing a slide, and subtle vibrato techniques;
all of which I found very useful. In addition, Mike goes through a
bunch of licks, chord forms, turnarounds and techniques for playing in
Open D; all of which are tabbed out in the booklet. He also talks
about the similarities between Open G and Open D by playing an Open D
tune in Open G by moving everything down one string.
He shows how to play "Swamp Dog Blues",
Tampa Red's "Boogie Woogie Dance", "Stranger Here" (in both Open D
and Open G), the hauntingly beautiful original tune "Jan's Song", and
"Mean Ol' Frisco". He even plays a quick version of "Amazing
Grace"; but you'll have to pick that one up off the video.
All-in-all, I'd have to say that this
video is first-rate and
would be of great value to anyone who wants to learn to play bottleneck
slide guitar; I know I intend to learn every tune in this video, plus
pick up a few off the CD.
The two videos reviewed in this section
are "The Ultimate Beginners Series" from Accent On Music. This
two-video set together take you through a series of gradually more
difficult pieces that will allow you to improve your fingerstyle
playing. These videos, in conjunction with Mark's beginning fingerstyle books should
get you well on your way to playing in this exciting and versatile
style.
Fingerstyle Guitar
by Mark
Hanson, Warner Bros. Publications 70
minute video, TAB book included
This video is the first of a two-video
set. It starts by covering a series of basic first-position chords
with suggested picking patterns that can be used with them.
As you work your way through this video, Mark takes you through
gradually more challenging fingerpicking techniques and interesting
chord forms. You will learn to play simple arpeggio patterns, 3/4
time patterns, alternating bass patterns, and end up with a swing
shuffle blues.
One of the things I like most about this
video is that the tunes, while composed specifically for this video, are
all great fun to play and pleasing to the ear. Except for
the more conventional blues shuffle at the end, they are all very "new
age" sounding with a lot of open chord forms that are quite unique.
The first tune "Canyon Canon" is a great composition and one you'll
definitely enjoy learning to play.
Mark's presentation on the video was clear
and concise and the music demonstrations were well done and easy to
follow. The video uses split screen technology to allow you to see
both hands simultaneously.
The only real complaint I have with these
videos is the tiny size of the TAB book. The TAB book is a single
fold sheet of paper with the TAB for the songs compressed to fit in a
3.5" x 6.5" space. The resulting TAB numbering is quite tiny and
very difficult to read; the TAB line going through the number makes
discerning an 8, 9, 3, 6 or 0 a real challenge. They should have
at least changed TAB conventions and put the numbers between the lines.
Warner Bros. really needs to take a lesson from Homespun in this area.
The upside to this however is that these videos are less expensive than
would likely be the case with larger TAB and consequently more expensive
packaging.
This video and Mark's beginner book "The
Art of Contemporary Travis Picking" together form an excellent starting point for new fingerstyle
players. You won't get a bunch of theory in either, just
some great tunes and techniques to get you started playing with your
fingers. It's also important to note that the tunes and material
covered in the book and video are different, so you are getting new
information and new things to play in each.
Show me Accent On
Music's Description
Accent's Price: $14.95
Buy it Now from Accent On Music
Fingerstyle Solo Guitar
by Mark
Hanson, Warner Bros. Publications 70
minute video, TAB book included
This is the second video in the series and
the next step in your exploration of fingerstyle guitar.
This a companion video to Mark's Book "The
Art of Solo Fingerpicking".
This video picks up from the first one by
first getting you warmed up with alternating bass and "on the beat"
pinch techniques, which has some overlap from the first video. But
that gets you primed to move into more complex tunes that combine many
of the arpeggio and Travis techniques learned previously.
Key To The Kingdom is presented that has some picking patterns
reminiscent of Leo Kottke; so if you aspire to play like Leo, you ought
to like this tune. Then Mark delves into the blues and expands on
the blues shuffle presented in the first video. Taylor's Ferry
will get you moving up and down the neck with some great open chord
forms and 12th fret harmonics using some interesting new arpeggio
patterns. Finally a great arrangement to Brahms' Lullaby is
presented that you'll really enjoy learning to play.
The main complaint with this video as with
the first one is the tiny size of the included tablature. Warner
Bros really need to spend a little more on providing TAB books that are
readable; but then you do have to video there to see what is being
played.
This video and Mark's book "The
Art of Solo Fingerpicking"
together form an excellent next step for new fingerstyle players.
You won't get a bunch of theory, just some great tunes and techniques to
get you started playing with your fingers. It's important to note
that the tunes and material covered in the book and video are different,
so you are getting new information and new things to play in each.
Show me Accent On
Music's Description
Accent's Price: $14.95
Buy it Now from Accent On Music
I found it rather interesting that I have
books and/or recordings by many of these artists, but never saw them
perform. It's kind of a sad state that the opportunities to see
this type of talent live is so limited. So I think its great that
companies like Homespun Tapes and Vestapol Videos fill that void with
recorded performances. I was pleased to be able to finally see
many of the artists whose music I had been listening to and whose
compositions I was attempting to learn.
The All Star Night concerts have become a
kind of tradition that started back in 1993 after a Chet Atkins
Appreciation Society Convention. This concert, recorded live at Cafe Milano
Nashville in 1996, features incredible performances by Muriel Anderson,
Peppino D'Agostino, Alex DeGrassi, Ed Gerhard, Tommy Jones, Laurence
Juber, Phil Keaggy, Gayla Drake Paul, Preston Reed, Martin Taylor, and
the Richard Smith Trio.
These performances are a round-robin style
of performance, with each performing two pieces of their choice. I
particularly was blown away by the performance of Preston Reed and Tommy
Jones. I wasn't that familiar with their guitar work and was very
impressed. This is an excellent video and thoroughly enjoyable to
watch. What was also note worthy as a player, was that the camera
showed close ups of the their guitar work...so I could see what their
fingers were doing! The only problem is, now I have to go
out and get even more books and videos!
Back to Book Reviews
As
a long time subscriber to Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine and Acoustic
Guitar Magazine, I have read about and heard the music of Laurence Juber.
As a result of that exposure to his music, I have become an avid fan.
I was quite excited to get this video and to get what I believe is as
close to individual instruction from one of the top contemporary guitar
players of the 90's.
I have
been a fan of Muriel Anderson since receiving a Narada Fingerstyle CD (highly
recommended by the way!) for Christmas which had two of
her tunes on it. Since then, I bought her 
I
attended a Martin Simpson concert recently and was left with sense of
amazement at how he can extract such beautiful tonal quality from his
guitar. He plays what appear to be relatively simple pieces
without a great deal of ornamentation or fancy guitar work, but is able
to convey a tremendous sense of musicality from simple lines. I
was so enamoured with his music, I bought one of his CDs and now I have
the opportunity to learn more of his playing techniques through this
video.
I don't have a lot of Celtic
music in my repertoire; mostly because time has not allowed me to
explore it. But I've always liked the sound of this style and was
excited to have a little "specialized instruction" by one of the most
prolific performers of the style: Al Petteway. 
(1)
This tape is the first of a two-tape series. I found this
tape to be one of the more fascinating and entertaining of all those I
have because of wonderful laid back personality of Roy Book Binder and
the stories he relates about Rev. Gary Davis and the time he spent with
him. First of all, he has a plethora of blues licks that he weaves
into his songs almost at random. As he plays each section, he
never quite knows what's going to come out. 
On this tape he discusses Boogie
style blues, blues in the key of G, and blues in the key of C.
He also demonstrates a number of licks, bass-damping technique, bass
runs, and turn-arounds that can be applied, mixed, or matched to any of
the tunes. In fact he showed how the boogie rhythm could be used
as an accompaniment in at least two of the tunes.
This tape has some of my
favorite blues tunes and two of the ones I had selected to be part of my
performing repertoire. If you aspire to play the blues, any one of
these (or all of these) would be excellent choices.
