The legendary Josh White (1914-1969) is widely considered to be one of the most influential blues and folk artists of all time. His singing and guitar playing electrified a generation of fans with his dazzling technique and passionate renditions of blues, folk songs and ballads. We’re delighted to present this DVD on the songs and guitar of Josh White by his son, Josh White, Jr., an accomplished actor, singer, performer and teacher. He knows his father’s repertoire intimately and can replicate it with great accuracy. On this lesson he skillfully communicates Josh White’s unique guitar style in a way...

The fingerpicking style is one of the most popular and engaging ways of playing the guitar. It’s especially good for song accompaniment, and has been favored by folk, blues and country pickers, especially singer-songwriters such as James Taylor, Paul Simon, Shawn Colvin and Nanci Griffith. This lesson de-mystifies the right-hand technique by breaking it down into patterns that can be learned quickly and easily. Once these are mastered, a world of wonderful sounds will be available on the guitar, and you’ll be able to apply them to some all-time favorite folk and traditional songs such as Nine Hundred Miles,...

World of Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar: Ramble to Cashel Vol. 1 and The Blarney Pilgrim Vol. 2. This collection of traditional music from Ireland and Scotland arranged for solo guitar is the result of a passionate study of the tradition by some of the finest musicians playing in this genre. The idea of arranging this music for solo guitar is still relatively new. Looking back less than a century, you would find this music performed on fiddle, pipes, button accordion, flutes and whistles, in solo and ensemble settings, but never guitar, even in its basic role of providing rhythm. The...

Make your solo guitar sound like an ensemble with this complete guide to bass runs and how to use them! Renowned guitarist and celebrated tutor Happy Traum takes a handful of traditional songs and shows you how to add ‘walking’ bass parts and bring your chord playing to life. Learn the notes of a scale in several keys and apply them between chords to create a smooth harmonic transition and an effective counter-melody that will enrich your arrangements. Happy teaches a variety of patterns from simple bass moves to more complex chromatic runs. By breaking the technique down into...

Barre chords are a vitally important part of your ability to move beyond the third fret, play solid rhythm in all keys and get a wide variety of sounds through chord inversions. Happy de-mystifies these powerful chord shapes, providing tips on how toplay them cleanly and easily. You’ll learn basic chord theory, how to transpose from one key to another and how to play several chord progressions and songs, including Abilene and Stagolee. This dvd is a great beginning approach to learning the basics of guitar. Teacher decodes the myths surrounding barre chords and how they can be used...

If you love old standards like Autumn Leaves and Moonglow, but always thought only advanced guitarists could play jazz, you’ll love Fred’s easy-to-play jazz chord solos. In this lesson, you’ll learn six timeless tunes from start to finish: how to play backup while you sing them, and how to play a beautiful chord melody solo/instrumental for each song. The tunes are arranged for beginners, with very few difficult chords. Fred plays and sings each song, then goes over the tricky spots in each tune before playing it slower, on a split screen with close-ups of both hands. Best of...

Brazil has produced some of the most vibrant and exciting guitar music in the instrument’s history. In this lesson, Rick Udler discusses and demonstrates styles, techniques, and rhythms of Brazil’s great players. This is a unique opportunity for guitarists to delve into the beautiful sounds of this musical land. Rick begins by going over chords that are commonly used by Brazilian guitarists. He then teaches the accompaniment to singer/songwriter Gilberto Gil’s beautiful composition, A Paz, to illustrate the use of chords with open strings. A step-by-step analysis of Bossa Nova accompaniment in the Joao Gilberto style follows along with...

With a Jazz-Rock sound that is highly unique and widely appreciated, Steely Dan are one of the few bands to enjoy great commercial success with a brand of music that is anything but. Their style attracts listeners of all genres and is heralded by musicians of all backgrounds. One of the biggest indicators of their success has been their staying power as evidenced by the grammy they won almost thirty years since their debut. SongXpress is the fastest and easiest way to learn your favorite songs on guitar. It’s like having a good friend teach you in the comfort...

Johnny Cash left us a wonderful country songbook, and in this one-hour and twenty minute lesson Fred shows you how to play and sing eight of Cash’s most popular gems.You’ll learn to back yourself up singing, using basic fingerpicking patterns and first position chords, with lots of bass runs thrown in. You’ll also learn to fingerpick a solo for each tune. Fred grew up with Johnny Cash’s music, and his natural, easy arrangements suit the material and are easy to learn. After playing and singing each song, Fred goes over any tricky techniques or runs, then he plays the...

Master blues guitar with lessons from international recording artist Charles Sedlak. Sedlak, who holds a Ph.D. in music education and teaches guitar classes between tours, walks you through the essentials of blues guitar with this step-by-step instructional program for beginners. Starting with basics such as strumming simple chords, Sedlak moves on to playing in a variety of keys, fingerpicking and other blues techniques. Learn the techniques made famous by blues greats such as: B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy and many others! Charles Sedlak is an international recording and touring artist, having logged fifteen albums to...