Travis Picking for Beginners - DVD

Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop-This two DVD set is for beginner and intermediate guitarists who want to start fingerpicking. Rev. Gary Davis used to tell his students that playing the guitar was easy. He would say that a piano player has only two hands (theleft keeps an alternating bass while the right plays a melody) but a guitarist has three hands! Our right hand thumb is one hand and plays the bass figures while our index finger is our second hand and plays the melody. Ourthird hand is our left hand which fingers chords. The results produce a full and orchestrated fingerstyle sound with a rhythmic bass played against melodic lines. This is the alternating bass technique which we sometimes jokinglyrefer to as 'bum-chick.' It is the most popular fingerpicking style played and has been used by legendary guitarists. Mississippi John Hurt Rev. Gary Davis Merle Travis Doc Watson Chet Atkins are but a few of the giantsof this style.On these two DVDs we will explore how to master the alternating bass style. Each tune is taught phrase by phrase and then played again slowly on a split-screen so that you can carefully see what both hands aredoing. A detailed 60 page tab/music PDF is included. As well you will see footage of some of the great fingerstyle players such as Rev. Gary Davis Lightnin' Hopkins Mance Lipscomb Merle Travis Brownie McGhee ElizabethCotten John Jackson Pink Anderson and Doc Watson.

Blues And Country Fingerpicking-This terrific compilation features lessons at a variety of levels from beginner to advanced by some of Homespun’s most celebrated pickers. Each segment covers a complete song or instrumental that will expand your repertoire improve your technique and enhance your musical knowledge. These lessons cover the steady bass and syncopated melody of the Piedmont blues players (Roy Book Binder and John Jackson); the muffled bass and swingy chords of Travis-style pickers (Thom Bresh and Doc Watson); the strumming and pounding of Delta blues stylists (Rory Block); and the banjo-like rolls and single-string approach of more bluegrass oriented fingerpickers (Eddie Adcock).