This study program is straightforward and very effective. Work through each of the three courses sequentially: Fingerstyle Blues Guitar I, Fingerstyle Blues Guitar II and then Acoustic Slide Guitar. Take on one chapter at a time for at least an hour a day. You’ll quickly learn to master the tunings, fingerpicking styles and techniques of fingerstyle blues and acoustic slide guitar. Along the way, you’ll add a set’s worth of solo fingerstyle tunes to perk up your repertoire. But here’s the trick – give your regular play list a break and keep the five audio CDs cranked and playing...

The Acoustic Fingerstyle series of instructional programs will teach you all the skills needed to master the acoustic style. This first lesson, geared towards those beginning their study of this guitar style, will show how to take a handful of basic chords and turn them into the fingerpicking patterns of FOLK and AMERICANA. Common chord patterns are brought to life with chord extensions and the use of open string voicings. An ideal starter lesson if you are wishing to immerse yourself in the music of players like Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez throughout to James Taylor and John...

Written & presented by Mel Reeves this programme demonstrates the various techniques required to play fingerstyle blues suc h as monotonic & alternating bass slides hammer-ons pull-offs shuffles & fills. There are also five instrumentals to lear n each based on a different style of blues including ragtime West Coast & bottleneck. Each piece is played at performance speed & then broken down into individual sections providing clear yet detailed explanations of exactly what is happening. This is a great instructional dvd on blues playing on the acoustic guitar. It takes a look at techniques and style points that...

Martin Simpson Teaches Alternate Tunings is a fantastic book, with accompanying DVD, which explores a systematic approach to open and altered tunings. Martin Simpson teaches how the important tunings relate to standard tuning and to each other, and also explores available chords in each tuning. He explains open G, D and C tunings, DADGAD tuning, suspended modal tunings and covers everything from tunings used in popular nineteenth-century pieces to tunings used by today’s rock artists. The book includes diagrams and the music is presented using both traditional music and tablature notations.The accompanying DVD correlates with the examples and pieces...

Fred Sokolow The Cole Porter Songbook download. Cole Porter’s beautiful, witty songs have become timeless jazz standards, and they sound great on guitar. In this dvd, Fred plays and teaches six complete arrangements of Cole Porter gems, including guitar backup (for singing) and instrumental chord solos for each tune. Just for fun, Fred includes the rarely-heard introductory verses to three of the songs, as well as ad-lib instrumental solos. After playing each tune, Fred gives you a run-down on the arrangement, going over tricky spots and analyzing the chord progression and substitutions. Then he replays it, slower, on a...

Begin your adventure into the passionate and thrilling world of gypsy jazz guitar. The Gypsy Jazz Fast Track covers 6 tunes in hardcore depth – and there’s 14 lessons per tune. This course is self-paced, online and includes 84+ video lessons, backing tracks and chord charts. For each tune there’s lessons covering: Intros and Endings; The Tune; The Chords; Soloing Ideas (we’ll spend a lot of time working on soloing); Gypsy Jazz Ninja Moves (each tune has 5 of these lessons); Applying the Blues; And a bunch more stuff. The Gypsy Jazz Fast Track is designed for intermediate to...

When you hear someone say “Texas Blues Guitar,” you may immediately think of Steve Ray and Jimmie Vaughn or maybe Freddie King. The invisible presence, buried deep in everyone of their guitar riffs, is the true king of Texas blues, Lightnin’ Hopkins. Lightnin’, who knew Blind Lemon Jefferson as a child, is Jimmie Vaughn’s favorite guitarist. Offered here are all the basics, many of the secrets and tricks of Lightnin’s deeply accomplished, deceptively simple acoustic Texas boogie guitar style. This lesson features rare video footage from the 1950’s and 1960’s of Lightnin’ playing five tunes. Lightnin’ plays the tune...

Get ready to give your left hand a workout! Pete Huttlinger has created a “video chord library” that’s a must-have for every serious guitarist. This crash course is designed to show you all the important chords and fingerings you’ll need, from the easiest shapes to some challenging finger-twisters. Pete has developed a unique and effective study technique he calls “Say It and Play It”. This is an powerful way to memorize root notes by playing chromatic scales and applying chords to the root location. It’s like your personal GPS system on the fingerboard, helping you lock in exactly where...

The purpose of Jazz Mastery is to give the serious student an entry into the creative process as quickly as possible. Presented here is the necessary information, stated clearly and simply as possible, in the hope that motivation and inspiration will soon follow on the heels of comprehension. The responsibility of a teacher lies in getting students excited, as well as presenting the theory to them in an easily assimilated form. Jazz Mastery will certainly serve up equal portions of the requisite information and inspiration. This material was written and recorded in 1999 and looks like it’s been transferred...

The Little By Little Songbook breaks down sixteen songs from Tommy’s latest double album. Control your learning experience with interactive features and tools like looping, synching and zooming.  Viewing angles include wide, right-hand, front of left-hand and back of left hand.  A “tri-view” feature enables three angles to show simultaneosly. For each of the sixteen tracks: Tommy shares the background on his inspiration for the composition and performs the tune in its entirety. He then walks you through a detailed note-by-note breakdown covering every section of the arrangement and every technique he employs for the track. From intros to...