Acoustic Guitar - The Learning Issue

DANNY KORTCHMAR | HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF | DAN BERN

THE ENTERTAINER 4 SONGS
Scott Joplin

THE BODY ELECTRIC
Alynda Lee Segarra
FREIGHT TRAIN
Elizabeth Cotten

ODD FELLOWS MARCH
Duck Baker

JULY 2017 | ACOUSTICGUITAR.COM

GEAR
REVIEWS

GUILD
M-40E
TAYLOR
ACADEMY
SERIES
FENDER
ACOUSTIC
200 AMP

THELEARNING ISSUE
FIND THE RIGHT TEACHER FOR YOU • EVALUATE YOUR OWN PLAYING
DEVELOPYOUROWNFINGERSTYLE • PLAYTHEBLUESLIKEELIZABETHCOTTEN
GET THE MOST FROM SKYPE LESSONS • NAIL THE BASICS OF SOLOING







CONTENTS

TYLER ZOLLER

‘I practice every Features Special Focus Miscellany
single day. I’m The Learning Issue
always working 16 Radical Rhythms 10 The Front Porch
on stuff, I’m always With her acoustic in hand, 28 Find the Right Teacher 81 Marketplace
trying new things . . .’ Hurray for the Riff Raff’s 7 ways to find the best 81 Ad Index
Alynda Lee Segarra instructor for adult needs
REVEREND PEYTON is taking on the world By Louise Lee July 2017
By Pat Moran Volume 28, No.1, Issue 295
p. 18 30 Get the Most From Skype On the Cover
18 Bigger Than Life An online lesson is a great way F#7add6
Reverend Peyton can pull the to move beyond local teachers Photographer
blues out of just about anything By Louise Lee Joey Lusterman
By Kenny Berkowitz
32 How to Evaluate
22 Playing with Your Own Playing
and Through Pain YouTube is a great way to
Prevention, pain, and pick up some bad habits
recovery for guitarists By Jamie Stillway
By Nathan Bell

AcousticGuitar.com 5

CONTENTS

The Guild M-40E, p. 66

GuitarWeek, July 30-Aug. 5,with
Peppino D’Agostino, Clive Carroll,
Russ Barenberg, Patrick Landeza,
Sean McGowan, Jamie Stillway,
Steve Baughman, Pat Donohue,
Mike Dowling,
Robin Bullock, Folk Arts Workshops at

Vicki Genfan, Warren Wilson College
Mary Flower, PO Box 9000
Asheville NC 28815
Gerald Ross, 828.298.3434
Al Petteway, www.swangathering.com
Scott Ainslie,
Josh Goforth,
Greg Ruby SETUP AG TRADE
& more. 12 Guitar Talk 64 Ask the Expert
Danny Kortchmar finds his footing Is it time for a re-fret?
•Trad. SongWeek, July 9-15 performing with an acoustic guitar
• CelticWeek, July 16-22 66 Review: Guild M-40E
• Old-TimeWeek, July 23-29 14 The Beat A small-bodied guitar well suited
• Contemporary FolkWeek, July 30-Aug. 5 Johnny’s Cash & Charlie’s Pride reveals for performance
• Mando & BanjoWeek,August 6-12 great guitar stories and more; Paul Simon
• FiddleWeek,August 6-12 exhibit opens in LA; Jerry Reed joins the 68 Review: Taylor Academy
Country Music Hall of Fame 10e & 12e
Steve Kaufman Taylor’s new Academy line is ideal
PLAY for students
3 Time National Champ 34 The Basics
Building blocks for better solos 70 Review: Trance Amulet M Pickup
Flatpicking Lessons - Live Online No battery? No problem! This pickup
38 Weekly Workout runs on phantom power
Flatpicking Lessons from the How to find your own fingerstyle voice
World’s Flatpicking Instructor 72 Review: Boss Acoustic Singer Pro
42 Woodshed This two-channel amp offers extra
Lessons Live and Online Learn to play the blues like features for solo performers
Elizabeth Cotten
6 Week Course - 1 Hour Each Week 74 Review: Fender Acoustic 200
48 Woodshed Fender’s new amp has a lot to offer
Rhythm Guitar Beginner to Advanced Try your hand at Duck Baker’s for gigs or rehearsal
Lead Flatpicking Beginner to Advanced ‘Odd Fellows March’
76 Review: Elliott Elite
Choose from Eight Classes a Week 52 Songcraft & Integrity Capos
also..... Catching up with prolific Old-world craftsmanship meets
folk-rocker Dan Bern high design
Single Song Lesson Downloads
100’s to Choose From SONGS MIXED MEDIA
and Register For Kamp 54 The Entertainer 78 Playlist
Scott Joplin’s classic ragtime tune, Todd Albright pays homage to blues
................................................................................... arranged for guitar heroes on Detroit Twelve String: Blues
& Rags; Mount Eerie’s grief-stricken A
Flatpik.com 58 The Body Electric Crow Looked at Me; Grant Gordy &
Alynda Lee Segarra’s modern take Ross Martin team up for Year of the Dog
PO Box 1020 * Alcoa TN 37701 on the murder ballad
82 Great Acoustics
865-982-3808 - Register Today! 60 Freight Train Greg Brandt’s whimsical ‘Bubbles’ guitar
Elizabeth Cotten’s essential features intricate inlay work
6 July 2017 fingerstyle blues song

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THE FRONT PORCH

Alynda Lee Segarra of AcousticGuitar.com
Hurray for the Riff Raff
CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
is featured on p. 16. Editor David A. Lusterman
Managing Editor & Digital Content Editor
Y ou could say this magazine began with a 14-year-old. Pete wove stories, songs, and tech-
couple of herniated discs. It was the summer nique into a marvelous, idiosyncratic blend that Whitney Phaneuf
of 1988 when I felt my low back seize up like a captivated me at that time of life when the Senior Editor Greg Olwell
rusted bolt, and it was a year before I felt like written word (and musical note) are so key to Senior Editor Blair Jackson
myself again. During that year I could stand up connecting with and understanding the larger Contributing Music Editor Adam Perlmutter
and I could lie down, but sitting was pretty much world. When Jeff and I sat down to plan the Editor at Large Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
out of the question, which left me pondering first issues of Acoustic Guitar, we had that teen- Production Manager Hugh O’Connor
when I was ever going to play the cello again. ager in mind, and we keep striving to provide Contributing Editors Kenny Berkowitz,
glimpses, angles, and takes on the whole world
Since idle musical hands were out of the of acoustic music in every issue. David Hamburger, Steve James,
question, my friend David Leishman kindly Pauline France, Orville Johnson,
loaned me a Gibson J-45, and armed with a Flash forward 27 years and 294 issues, Strings Richard Johnston, Pete Madsen,
brand-new guitar strap, I reacquainted myself and Acoustic Guitar have been joined by Classical Sean McGowan, Mamie Minch,
with the instrument I’d played ardently as a Guitar, Drum, and Ukulele in our musical publish- Jane Miller, Doug Young
teenager, but lost touch with for a decade while ing enterprise. Jeff Rodgers is still contributing
obsessing over the cello. news, features, playing tips, and photos. The CREATIVE SERVICES
sounds of acoustic music are everywhere, Creative Director Joey Lusterman
My passion for the cello, along with my imbued and reinterpreted by younger players Art Director Bill Evans
professional experience in the publishing busi- and lovingly stewarded by my own generation.
ness, had already led me to found Strings And I’ve just moved full circle into the Acoustic SALES & MARKETING
magazine in 1986. As it happened, Frets maga- Guitar Editor’s chair, a spot with which I’m very Chief Revenue Officer Lyzy Lusterman
zine ceased publication three years later, just as familiar but have never before occupied. Sales Director Cindi Olwell
a new generation of singer-songwriters and Associate Sales Director Greg Sutton
instrumentalists were reviving acoustic music I’m eager to serve you. And to do that well, I Sales Managers Ref Sanchez,
and rockers were unplugging in earnest. So need to hear from you. So please be in touch. Tell
with my rekindled enthusiasm for the guitar, me about the songs you wish you could play, the Amy-Lynn Fischer
and a young, immensely talented editorial guitars you wish you could own, and the tales Marketing Services Manager Tanya Gonzalez
partner in the person of Jeffrey Pepper that inspire you to keep playing and growing and Marketing Designer Tricia Baxter
Rodgers, Acoustic Guitar magazine was born. sharing your love of music with others. Product Marketing Manager Kelsey Holt
Magazine Marketing Coordinator Lauren Boyd
If I could point to a single model for the Many thanks for the opportunity. Single Copy Sales Consultant Tom Ferruggia
original Acoustic Guitar, it would be Pete
Seeger’s book, How to Play the Five-String David A. Lusterman Stringletter.com
Banjo, from which I’d taught myself as a [email protected]
Publisher and Editorial Director
David A. Lusterman

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The Beat The Beat The Beat Danny Kortchmar
Johnny’s Cash Paul Simon exhibit Jerry Reed to join Country
& Charley’s Pride opens in LA Music Hall of Fame

GUITAR TALK ELISSA KLINE

New Tricks

Sideman and studio ace Danny Kortchmar is performing with an acoustic guitar for the first time

BY MELINDA NEWMAN

W hen Danny Kortchmar, a session musi- find more open strings, sympathetic strings, it with just big sound or big effects, you have
cian and songwriter best known for his more drone effects, as opposed to just blues to come up with something.
stellar guitar work with James Taylor, Carole licks, although I tend to revert back to the blues
King, Warren Zevon, and Jackson Browne, licks. That’s what I know. I’m not like Vince Do you have a new appreciation for acoustic
became one third of Kortchmar, Postell & [Gill] or these guys who are geniuses and play masters you’ve played with like James Taylor?
Navarro last year, it—remarkably—marked the great acoustic guitar. I’m still learning how to James is one of the greatest acoustic guitar
first time he’d played acoustic guitar in concert. play what I want to play on acoustic. players ever, ever, ever. I learned a lot from
The co-writer of such hits as Don Henley’s “Dirty listening to him. James covers everything. He
Laundry” and “New York Minute,” and Browne’s Did you write on an acoustic guitar previously? covers the bass parts with his thumb; harmony is
“Somebody’s Baby,” Kortchmar had used an When I’d write with Don [Henley], I’d write here; and it all sits right there. [Bassist] Lee Sklar
acoustic guitar plenty in the studio, but had on synthesizer, keyboards, drum machines, used to say, “I’m just playing James’ thumb.”
always plugged in when he hit the road. electric guitar—everything. “New York When James sits by himself, he works out all the
Minute” I wrote on piano, but I can only play parts. When I’m playing acoustic guitar, I’m trying
Kortchmar’s been on an enjoyable learning in two keys or something, so the whole thing to play with what everybody is doing. On electric
curve ever since he formed the trio with Steve had to be transposed and they had to get real guitar, I play fragments of what everyone’s
Postell and Dan Navarro in 2016. During a musicians in. doing—I don’t try to cover the whole thing.
break between the threesome’s many shows at
the 2017 Folk Alliance International confer- How is it different for you writing on acoustic What are the similarities between electric
ence, Kortchmar sat down to talk about learn- guitar now? and acoustic for you?
ing new tricks on acoustic guitar. The main difference is a lot of my music is There’s one thing that’s absolutely true about
based on beat. I’m very interested in rhythm, electric and acoustic guitar: The guitar tells you
What has been the biggest adjustment big beat, and always have been. With what it likes. It tells you what it wants you to do.
switching from electric to acoustic guitar live? acoustic guitar, I start thinking a little more Certain guitars like to be played a certain way
I’m used to playing solos on electric guitar, but melodically and harmonically. There’s no and there are other guitars that don’t. That’s the
you’ve got to find a different way when you place to hide on acoustic guitar. You can’t do thing—listen to the guitar, do what it wants. AG
play acoustic guitar. What I’m trying to do is

12 July 2017

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THE BEAT

JohnncyaCpatisohn tk
Charley Pride

Lasting Legends

New book Johnny’s Cash & Charley’s Pride reveals guitar stories and more

BY PAT MORAN

“I f I had Johnny’s cash & Charley’s pride, When Lynn received a better guitar on her Another frequently misunderstood artist’s
I wouldn’t have Buck Ow-en on my 18th birthday, she discovered herself as a career pivoted on an acoustic guitar, Cooper
car,” Mac Wiseman sang in the 1969 hit songwriter, Cooper adds. says. In 1986, after being dropped by his
“Johnny’s Cash & Charley’s Pride,” which longtime label Columbia Records, Johnny
lends a whimsical title to Peter Cooper’s new “Without those guitars, we would never Cash “wound up taking his acoustic guitar
book, Johnny’s Cash & Charley’s Pride: Lasting have gotten to know Loretta Lynn.” around music row, auditioning like a 20-year-
Legends and Untold Adventures in Country old just off the bus.”
Music (Spring House Press). Similarly, “an acoustic guitar allowed
Taylor Swift to express her feelings,” Cooper “When [rock and hip hop impresario] Rick
Cooper, a songwriter, producer, journalist, maintains. “She said, ‘I was the only girl Rubin approached Cash and asked him what
and director of the Country Music Hall of playing guitar and writing songs in my high he would most like to do, Cash said, ‘I want to
Fame's museum, understands music and the school, and I don’t want that to be the case play acoustic guitar and sing with nothing else
people who make it. They trust and confide in anymore for other girls.’” going on.’”
Cooper, often about the acoustic guitars that
changed their lives. Cooper believes many young women have With American Recordings in 1993, he did
picked up guitars because of Swift’s example, just that, and Cash went from broken down
“Guitars can be a lifeline,” Cooper says, and he condemns the vitriol often directed at country singer to revered icon. “Stripping down
citing a warped Kay from Loretta Lynn’s child- her. “I can’t figure out how she became such to just acoustic guitar set all of that in motion.”
hood home that “turned her heart to music.” an intelligent, empathetic, and generous hate
magnet,” he says, laughing. Cooper frequently passes Cash’s Martins,

14 July 2017

which are displayed in the Country Music Hall Jackson, and songwriter Don Schlitz. Hall of fingerpicking master, who showed off his
of Fame and Museum’s Precious Jewels exhibit, Fame member Vince Gill announced the
but the guitar in that collection that touches inductees, who are selected through a skills on songs such as “The Claw,” “Guitar
him most is Maybelle Carter’s Gibson L-5. committee appointed by the CMA, and
Jackson and Schlitz were in attendance. Reed Man,” and “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot,”
Given the primitive recording technology passed away in 2008 and will be inducted
of the 1920s, Carter knew she needed the posthumously. Jackson will enter in the was also a successful actor and appeared in a
L-5’s punch so her guitar wouldn’t get lost in Modern Artist category, Reed in the Veteran
the mix, Cooper says. Era Artist field, and Schlitz as Songwriter—an number of films, including the Smokey and
honor awarded every three years.
Though Carter came from poverty, she paid the Bandit series.
$275 for that guitar, which equals more than Chet Atkins dubbed Reed a “Certified
$4,000 today. “Throughout her life Carter Guitar Player,” one of four men he considered Jackson is a three-time CMA Entertainer
never parted with the guitar, even though it to be all-around great guitarists. The
would have fetched a pretty penny,” says of the Year winner and has more than 30
Cooper. “I look at the scratches her fingernails
made on the wood, and I think about how number one singles, and Schlitz is best
much sacrifice that guitar meant for her.”
known for writing Kenny Rogers’ signature
Knowing the stories behind these guitars,
Cooper adds, “makes you realize they’re such song, “The Gambler.” All three will be
powerful things.”
inducted during a ceremony at a date to be
‘Guitars can be a lifeline.
Without those guitars, we announced in the fall. —W.P.
would never have gotten
to know Loretta Lynn.’ Carbon Fiber Guitars

PAUL SIMON EXHIBIT OPENS IN LA Fine acoustics Starting at $1,299
Fresh from its run at the Rock and Roll Hall —unaffected
of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, the new by humidity. 1.800.788.5828
touring exhibit Paul Simon: Words & Music www.rainsong.com
has opened at the Skirball Cultural Center Say goodbye to
in Los Angeles—making its only West Coast cracking wood,
stop. On display through September 10, the warping necks,
exhibit chronicles Simon’s life and creative sharp fret-ends,
process through autobiographical films, bellying tops,
concert footage, and more than 80 artifacts. failing glue joints,
Simon helps tell his own story through exclu- and buzzing notes.
sive interviews—gathered by the show’s Say hello to
curators at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame RainSong.
and Museum—which aim to illustrate how
his music reflects social and cultural ideals. Anytime. Anywhere.
Several of Simon’s iconic guitars are on
display: his first-ever guitar, a beat-up
Stadium; the 1967 Guild F-30-NT that he
used to write and record most of Simon &
Garfunkel’s canon; a black Yamaha signa-
ture series custom acoustic; plus several ’60s-
era photographs of Simon holding acoustic
guitars, and handwritten lyrics to some of his
best-loved songs, including the final version
of “American Tune.” For more information,
visit skirball.org.

—Whitney Phaneuf

JERRY REED TO JOIN COUNTRY MUSIC
HALL OF FAME
The Country Music Association (CMA) has
announced the 2017 inductees into the
Country Music Hall of Fame: legendary
picker Jerry Reed, neotraditionalist Alan

AcousticGuitar.com 15

RHYRTAHDMICSAL

Acoustic guitar in hand, Hurray for the Riff Raff’s Alynda Lee Segarra
is taking on the world
BY PAT MORAN

16 July 2017

A lynda Lee Segarra isn’t sure what she washboard, then on banjo. Mastery of rhythm The 1957 Gibson is now Segarra’s prized
would print on her guitar. “I thought became her gateway to guitar.
about Woody Guthrie who had, ‘This possession, she says. “I used to play it live, but it
machine kills fascists,’ [painted] on his guitar, “Coming from a rhythmic place helped me
and then I thought about Pete Seeger’s banjo, break through my nervousness,” Segarra says. “I has so much resonance that it’s hard to play with
where he wrote, ‘This machine surrounds hate was confident that I knew how to groove. The
and forces it to surrender.’ I’ve been wondering, music of Maybelle Carter made me want to play a band. The bass travels into my guitar and stays
where’s my middle ground between those two?” guitar. She played with fingerpicks, but I would
try to recreate her style with a flatpick.” in there.” Live, Segarra has traded the Gibson for
Segarra, who writes and performs with a
rotating musical crew as Hurray for the Riff Segarra still adds hammer-ons to fill out the a Kay semi-acoustic archtop from the 1950s, but
Raff, has been examining that middle ground sound when she’s not singing, a technique she
since 2006. Honing her chops while busking attributes to Carter. the J-50 still defines the sound of her latest
on the streets of New Orleans, Segarra earned
accolades for her 2012 album Look Out Mama On a trip back to New York City, Segarra studio album.
(Born to Win) from NPR’s Ann Powers. Hurray picked up a Harmony archtop for $100 off of
for the Riff Raff’s breakout collection Small Craigslist. For a while, she continued to play The Navigator is an ambitious song cycle
Town Heroes (ATO), which featured “The Body traditional tunes on banjo in the French Quarter
Electric,” a feminist rejoinder to misogynist, while she practiced her own songs at home on inspired by Patti Smith’s street poetry and the
old-timey murder ballads, was Americana for guitar. When she got a second Harmony, an all-
the multicultural, all-inclusive 21st century. mahogany 1970s archtop with a built-in pickup, theatrical conceptualism of David Bowie’s Ziggy
(See music for “The Body Electric” on p. 58.) It she finally hit the street with guitar in hand.
earned rave reviews from Paste, Popmatters, Segarra’s guitar playing soon found a home on Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, but the
and Pitchfork, while landing in Rolling Stone’s Hurray for the Riff Raff’s albums.
Top 50 albums for 2014. bridge between the two is Detroit-based singer-
‘The music of Maybelle
Segarra’s latest release, The Navigator (ATO), Carter made me want songwriter Rodriguez, the subject of the 2012
continues in her populist, activist vein, but trades to play guitar.’
her adopted Southern focus for the polyglot documentary Searching for Sugar Man. The
melting pot of her native New York City. Songs ALYNDA LEE SEGARRA
like “Rican Beach” provide a voice for Americans resulting set is singer-songwriter music with a
marginalized by greed and gentrification, while “On the first two Hurray records [It Don’t
“Pa’lante” raises a Spanish-language rallying cry, Mean I Don’t Love You (2008) and Hurray for the bold concept and a Latin alternative sound. “My
which means “keep on going,” against politicians Riff Raff (2011)], I was still playing banjo, trying
who want to build a wall to divide us. to make it sound like an electric guitar. Finally, I Gibson helped me write ‘Nothing’s Gonna
switched to acoustic guitar.”
Given Segarra’s fiery commitment to speak Change That Girl.’ I wrote the lyrics stream-of-
truth to power, it’s surprising that she initially The turn to acoustic coincided with the
approached the guitar with trepidation. “Girls addition of guitarist Sam Doores to Segarra’s consciousness to the full bass sound that drones
are taught since we’re little that we’re all about band. Doores has since left to concentrate on
feelings, that we’re not technically minded,” his band the Deslondes, and for the past year through the fingerpicking,” Segarra recalls. “I
Segarra says. “When you hear incredibly gifted Segarra has shared guitar duties with Jordan
guitarists like St. Vincent and Brittany Howard, Hyde. “Sam taught me how hard it is to play was thinking a lot about Dylan because I was
you realize that’s not true. But I was insecure.” simply, and how perfect that can be,” Segarra
says. “We were listening to a lot of Gillian doing drop-D fingerpicking.”
At 17, the Puerto Rican-American Segarra Welch and David Rawlings, even though our
left her home in the Bronx to hitchhike and playing was much different. [Welch] plays a When Segarra wrote “Halfway There,” she
ride the rails, like her hero Woody Guthrie, [Gibson] J-50, so that inspired me to get one
before landing in New Orleans. She started because it fills out the sound so well.” emulated another one of her heroes, Elizabeth
playing music on Decatur Street, first on
Cotten. “I tried to make the guitar sound a

little crooked and play around with the

rhythm, like she did so well.”

For “Living in the City,” Segarra set aside

her J-50 and picked up her manager’s Gibson

J-45. “It wasn’t as big-sounding as my guitar,

but its smaller tone cut through,” Segarra says.

“The lyrics have a rhythm that I needed to

drive. It probably isn’t a steady rhythm, but it’s

fluid. We wanted the pace of somebody

walking through the city.”

The Navigator is Segarra’s urban-based

odyssey, a call for unity, and dream of a better

world. It has generated buzz for its sounds,

rhythms, and message.

“Our country faces a big question: Are we

going to stand for what we claim we stand for?”

Segarra asks. As an artist, she says she feels com-

pelled to “speak for equality, justice, and love.

“And I hope whatever I say encourages lots of

little girls to play guitar.” AG

WHAT ALYNDA LEE SEGARRA PLAYS

Alynda Lee Segarra’s 1957 Gibson J-50 is her “prized possession,” but it’s not her
first guitar. “When I was in middle school I had a really silly little Stratocaster that
I covered in punk stickers,” Segarra says laughing. “I actually still have it.”

Until recently, the J-50 was Segarra’s primary live guitar. She still plays it in the
studio. “I used a pickup live, a K&K Pure Western setup for a hot second, but then
I switched to an L.R. Baggs M1 that goes into the soundhole. I really like it because it
has a volume knob.

“In the studio with the Gibson, I just go acoustic. I go right into the mic.”
Live, Segarra plays her 1950s Kay archtop, which she can play amplified or unplugged.
On the Gibson, Segarra uses John Pearse light-gauge strings. On the archtop,
she uses Martin light-gauge strings.

AcousticGuitar.com 17

Reverend Peyton BIGGE
can pull the blues
from a vintage
resonator, a ham-can
axe, a cigar-box guitar,
or whatever is handy

BY KENNY
BERKOWITZ

DAMN

A t 12 years old, Josh Peyton, an India- the gut, that are so primal you can’t hardly On the recent, mostly solo Front Porch Ses-
napolis native, discovered Delta blues explain what it is that grabs you. That’s sions (Thirty Tigers), Peyton mixes covers of
legend Charlie Patton. “It floored me,” Charlie Patton. He’s my patron saint, and as gospel and blues—by Blind Willie Johnson,
says Peyton, 36, who’s called “Rev” or “Rever- far as American music is concerned, he’s the Furry Lewis, and Bob and Miles Pratcher—
end” by everyone he knows. “Charlie Patton’s root of the tree.” with four new songs and two new instrumen-
voice is so unique and powerful—and his gui- tals, playing fast, loud, and syncopated.
tar-picking, that country blues where you’re Peyton has been digging those roots ever There’s nothing quiet about these songs, and
literally playing two things at once, just blew since, both as a solo act and as the leader of there isn’t supposed to be, even if he is just
my mind. I was like, ‘How is this even possible?’ Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, where playing on his front porch. Peyton is a force
I became obsessed with it, like an insane he’s backed by his wife, Breezy, on washboard of nature, an old-fashioned shouter with a
person: ‘This is what I’m going to do. I’m going and Maxwell Senteney on suitcase percus- love of fingerstyle guitar and gutbucket
to learn how to play, and I’m going to play this.’ sion. Put them together and they’re as loud as country blues, and when he talks, which is
an acoustic trio can get, whether they’re often, the words pour out.
“Because his music is so full of life. In this playing with or without amplification. But
world, there’s a lot of songs for your heart, even on his own, shouting at the top of his “I wasn’t really planning on going into the
there’s a lot of songs for your mind. A lot. But lungs and banging on a 1934 National Trojan, studio,” he explains, during a phone interview,
there’s this third kind, songs that hit you in Peyton can get mighty loud. “I just had this itch to make a record.”

18 July 2017

Reverend Peyton,
Maxwell Senteney,
and Breezy Peyton

ER THAN LIFE

He has released ten albums, including Peyton The album opens with the singalong “We That’s Peyton, who loves his job and sounds
on Patton (2011) and the breakthrough So Deli- Deserve a Happy Ending,” which came to happiest when he’s playing for a crowd—
cious (2015). “I went in with no real plan, didn’t Peyton at 4:30 in the morning, full-formed, the anybody, any time, anywhere—and channeling
know if it was going to end up being a record, day before the recording session. “Writing the sound of early country blues.
just went in there and did it. When I booked the something so simple and beautiful and catchy
time, I was like, ‘Oh, man, I’ve got to figure out and fun to listen to, I think that’s the hardest He found his way to Patton through his
what I’m going to do.’ So I holed up in the house thing to do,” he says. The album closes in that father’s record collection, starting with Johnny
and absolutely started writing and writing and same spirit, singing the praises of eating, drink- Winter and moving back in time to Chicago
writing and writing and writing. And going ing, and making love in the hillbilly trad “Corn- blues, Chess Records, acoustic Muddy Waters,
through my notes, like, ‘If I’m going to do this, bread and Butterbeans,” first recorded by the Bukka White, and the first generation of record-
what are some songs I’ve always wanted to Carolina Sunshine Trio. In between, there are ing blues musicians.
cover?’ I started putting together a record with nine party-sized performances with seven
about three days’ notice, went in, did it, and was instantly hummable songs and two relentlessly When Peyton was 12, his father bought
just so happy with what I’d done. virtuosic, toe-tapping instrumentals driven by a him a Kay State of the Art guitar, and before
thumping right thumb and a swooping left- long, Rev and his kid brother were playing
“It all happened without thinking too much, handed slide. parties for their teenage friends. But all that
so it’s definitely not over-thought.” stopped on the morning after high-school
graduation, at which Peyton had performed

AcousticGuitar.com 19

REVEREND PEYTON

at a late-night party. Peyton woke up with so “Honeyboy” Edwards (1915–2011), who was Peyton is a show-off in the best possible
much pain in his right hand he couldn’t even with Robert Johnson the night that blues
pick up his guitar. A doctor told him he’d legend drank the poisoned whiskey that killed way, whether he’s playing a slide “Star-
never play again, and for a boy who loved him; and “T-Model” Ford (1923–2013), blues-
playing more than anything else in the world, men he calls “giants off-stage, giants of charac- Spangled Banner” before a hometown basket-
whose whole identity was tied up in being a ter. Kindhearted people. Belfour, I remember
guitar player, it was very, very bad news. he carried my amps into a show one time. ball game—after all, this is rural Indiana—or
T-Model, he was living, breathing proof that
“It was devastating,” Peyton says. “It when it comes to music, it’s way more impor- a marathon seven-minute solo version of
crushed me. I literally had a doctor say, ‘Kid, tant to have heart than to be a virtuoso.
find something else to do.’ For a year and a Honeyboy, I could ask him anything. ‘What “John Henry,” where he plays 17 instruments,
half, I was absolutely lost. It was just like before tuning is that? Tell me about Charlie Patton.
I started playing, when I felt I didn’t have a Tell me about Robert Johnson.’ one after another: a cigar-box guitar, har-
place, didn’t know what I was or what I was
gonna be. Then at 18, I was told I wasn’t going ‘No blues society is going monica, Gibson L-2 acoustic guitar, banjo,
to play again. I never gave up, but I had to try to come in and save blues
to make myself focus on other things. I actually music. That’s not how it wood-bodied 1934 National Trojan resonator
started going to seminary, trying to figure out works. The only thing that
who I was in the midst of this hand stuff. can save it is people guitar, mandolin, acoustic lap steel, melodica,
making good music that
“Finally, I found a specialist [at the other people want to hear.’ ukulele, stylophone, nine-string Danelectro
Indiana Hand Center ] who said, ‘I think I
know what’s wrong with your hand. But the REVEREND PEYTON electric guitar, axe handle, mountain dulci-
only way to know for sure, we’ll have to cut
your hand open.’ I was like, ‘Let’s do it.’ As “I got to be friends with these guys, and mer, upright bass, 1964 Silvertone electric
soon as we could, he cut my hand open [to once we started playing the same places, I
remove scar tissue that had formed around would just ask them anything I could. There guitar, ham-can guitar, and steel-bodied 1930
the tendons in his palm], and when I woke wasn’t anything formal, but I got to be around
up, he said, ‘I was right. You’ll be playing them, watch them, learn from them.” National Triolian. When the song is finished,
again in two weeks.’ And I was. I had to take
a little rust off, but something happened in T hese days, Peyton teaches, taking every he looks very, very tired. These performances
that year and a half. My right hand had opportunity to play in classrooms and
gotten smarter, like I had springs in it.” demonstrate the basics of fingerpicking are all on video, along with a double-time
guitar, where he starts slow and ends up playing
With the scar tissue removed, Peyton was really, really fast. For fun, he simultaneously picks instrumental played on a shotgun that’s been
suddenly able to fingerpick in ways he never “Yankee Doodle” (with his thumb) and “Dixie”
could before. All those months he’d spent (with his fingers), and if that’s not enough, he converted into a three-string slide guitar.
imagining himself playing began paying off, plays “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” as a round,
and while he was recovering, he met Breezy, picking one rhythm with his thumb and the other (During a one-bar rest, he shoulders his gun,
who loves the same kind of music. They with his fingers. And he makes it look easy.
started writing and touring together, driving explodes the target, and then keeps on
south from Indiana to Mississippi, and in all
the years since, they haven’t stopped. playing.)

Along the way, he’s studied with heroes Like Patton, he’s damn bigger than life,
Robert Belfour (1940–2015); David
and the only thing Peyton enjoys as much as

performing is practicing. “I love it,” he says.

“I practice every single day. I’m always

working on stuff, I’m always trying new

things. If I hear something I like, I have to

know how it was done. I may not commit it

100 percent to memory, note for note, but I

want to make sure I can do everything I hear,

and that’s the way I’ve been since I was a

little kid. Because we’ve got to keep moving

this music forward, you know?

“No blues society is going to come in and

save blues music,” he adds. “That’s not how it

works. The only thing that can save it is people

making good music that other people want to

hear. That’s it. That’s the short answer. You do

that by writing new stuff. You have a founda-

tion that’s rooted in the past, but you’re con-

stantly thinking about tomorrow.” AG

WHAT REVEREND PEYTON PLAYS

Reverend Peyton is happy to play anything that has strings, whether it’s a ham can, an axe
handle, a shotgun, or a cigar box. But when it comes to recording, he still reaches for his
favorite resonator guitar, a wood-bodied 1934 National Trojan. “I call it Brown,” he says. “The
problem is that about five years ago, it started really, really deteriorating, to the point where we
were worried it was going to completely come apart. My luthier said, ‘Rev, I can keep bringing
this thing back to life, but at some point, it’s going to be more glue than wood.’

“So we contacted the National Resophonic Guitar Co., and they recreated my Trojan,” he
adds. “It was a pain in the butt for them to do, but man, they did it, and that’s the guitar I
play now when I’m home. I reach for it a lot. That guitar is so tough and so well-built, and
right now, they’re working on building me something that’s going to be even more special.
It’s a resonator unlike any resonator anyone’s ever seen. It’s going to be very weird, and
when we unveil it, it’s going to be a big surprise. I don’t know when it’ll be done, but
whenever it is, it’ll be very, very cool.”

20 July 2017



A shattered glass coffee table almost
ended Glen Phillips’ career.
22 July 2017

PLAYING WITH AND THROUGH

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO
KNOW ABOUT PREVENTION,
MAINTENANCE & RECOVERY

BY NATHAN BELL

S inger, songwriter, and guitarist Glen wasn’t great at practicing,” he says, “so I hadn’t
Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket was thrown away those hours.”
sitting on a glass-topped coffee table in
the living room of Nickel Creek’s Sean Watkins, Then he tried to determine his next steps.
when the glass suddenly shattered, sending “I think of it in a ‘be careful what you wish
shards into the air and leaving Phillips with a for’ way,” he says. “I needed a challenge and
severe cut on his left arm and a badly damaged wanted to collaborate more.”
ulnar nerve. (That’s the long, unprotected Figuring out how to keep touring presented
nerve in your forearm that tingles painfully the challenge. Getting Watkins, who had rushed
when you hit your “funny bone.”) He also Phillips to the hospital, to take on guitar duties
damaged a muscle in the arm. for Phillips’s first post-injury tour provided the
collaboration. In fact, the pleasure of working
Surgery repaired most of the damage, but with Watkins turned out to have to an unexpect-
Phillips was left with a long road to recovery— edly positive effect on Phillips’s rehabilitation.
a road that he is still traveling. His injury has Phillips suffered the kind of trauma that can
had a lasting effect on what Phillips feels when leave permanent scars, both physical and emo-
he frets the strings. Nine years after the acci- tional. He could have chosen to escape into
dent, his fingers are often numb. At other times, medication or refused to face his changed cir-
they tingle like he is being lightly shocked, and cumstances. Instead, he addressed his situation
his little finger has yet to recover. This situation head on. “There is something you really learn
has forced him to permanently adjust the way from sitting with pain when you can’t escape
he approaches his playing. it,” he says, “having to learn how to deal with it
and keep your center. It was not the most fun
Realistic about his guitar chops, Phillips experience I ever had, but it was one of the
tries to deal with the blow through humor. “For most important.”
the first time in my life, I was grateful that I

10 WAYS TO WATCH GLEN PHILLIPS DISCUSS HIS INJURY & RECOVERY
PREVENT INJURIES ACOUSTICGUITAR.COM/TAG/JULY-2017

1 Stay fit: Staying healthy on the STARTING OVER been much longer than expected, with much
road can be difficult, but walking Phillips is not alone when it comes to guitar- more damage to repair than hoped for). I was
ists dealing with injuries. Say the name Django strapped into a shoulder sling and a foam pad
and stretching can be done almost and every serious guitarist knows you mean called an immobilizer that I would wear 24/7
Django Reinhardt, the legendary Gypsy-jazz for the next six weeks.
everywhere. You might even see player whose feats of guitar mastery with the
Quintette du Hot Club de France are even I went from being a hard-hitting flatpicker
something new on your walk. Yoga is more amazing when you consider that two of to playing primarily with my fingers, the result
the fingers on his left fretting hand had been of relearning the mechanics of playing guitar
terrific for those who spend a fair paralyzed in a childhood fire. There are other during and after the recovery from this 2010
well-known guitarists who have had life- surgery. A combination of patience, drive, and
amount of time in hotel rooms. changing injuries or health issues that chal- optimism, plus the guidance of a top-flight
lenged or changed the way they play guitar. surgical and rehab team, allowed me to not
2 Driving and riding in cars and Guitar legend Tony Iommi created Black Sab- only regain, but improve my abilities.
planes can be hard on a touring bath’s trademark sound as a result of an injury
that severed the tips of two fingers on his left What follows is a distillation of the lessons
musician. Pay attention to simple things hand. The late Nashville master picker Pete I and other players have learned in coping with,
Huttlinger recovered from multiple strokes and moving on from, what every guitarist
like posture. and sudden-death syndrome (a heart abnor- dreads most.
mality that threatens sufferers with cardiac
3 Play music at reasonable levels, failure) to rebuild his legendary playing before GETTING HURT IS EASY
both in your car and with his untimely death last year. You don’t have to be doing anything as risky
as coming between two snarling dogs to
headphones during air travel. Loud No one knows how many guitarists face suffer misfortune. Just having a carpet can be
physical setbacks that impact their playing. a dangerous thing.
noises can cause fatigue. Touring is hard But if you play long enough, you may have
multiple incidents. John Mock (Dixie Chicks, Maura O’Connell,
enough without self-inflicted miseries. Nashville fingerstyle guitarist, and multi-
I did. instrumental go-to studio picker) didn’t know
4 Get enough sleep. Skip the parties I’m well acquainted with the dire straits a that rubbing out a spot on his carpet with the tip
after the show and arrange your guitar player can find himself in during the of his left middle finger would lead to 12 months
first days of physical rehabilitation. I know of recovery and rehab and a temporary career as
morning so you aren’t in a rush. what comes next, and I’ve learned how to a tin-whistle player. Pushing his finger forward
avoid the situation in the first place. I’m right- along the carpet to dislodge a stubborn piece of
5 Food is one of the most important handed, yet I’m typing this piece with only my dirt resulted in a painless (and common) injury
parts of staying healthy. Some left. I’m typing with my non-dominant hand to the first joint, often called Mallet or Baseball
because, for the second time in ten years, I’ve Finger, in which the detachment of the tendon
foods like blueberries, strawberries, and broken up a fight between two large dogs. I on top of the finger makes it impossible to
got lucky. This time I only broke a small bone, control the digit. Fretting a stringed instrument
avocados appear to have a positive the first metacarpal above the knuckle, so in was out of the question.
about a month I’ll start the slow process of
effect on arthritis, whereas other foods reminding my right hand how to alternate the Mock started a yearlong recovery process in
bass, frail, and hold a pick. which playing the guitar was going to be almost
like dairy and tomatoes worsen impossible—he taught himself dobro and tin
A combination of patience, whistle, just in case the finger didn’t come back.
inflammation for some people. drive, and optimism, plus
the guidance of a top- His experience underscores an important
6 Use the lightest equipment flight surgical and rehab lesson: Musicians who immediately begin
possible. Learn proper lifting and team, allowed me to not working on a back-up plan recover faster and
only regain, but improve with less emotional stress. And his story has a
carrying techniques. my abilities. happy ending. Mock has returned to playing
the guitar, although he now requires longer
7 Choose your hobbies accordingly. This isn’t exactly starting over. I know— warm-ups and constant preventative therapy
A guitar player may need to I have started over. to play to his usual high level of competence.
And he’s added dobro to his bag of tricks!
reconsider whether taking a daily boxing Six-and-a-half years ago, I came out of
major surgery on my right shoulder, so doped The second lesson: You’re still a musician.
class or playing handball is a good idea up that I didn’t understand or even hear my Find an instrument that you can play while
surgeon give me a detailed 15-minute recovering from your injury. Not only will
(despite handball being the greatest description of the operation (the surgery had learning something new lift your spirits, you’ll
absorb interesting new ways to approach
sport ever invented). music making. Even if all you can do is use a
shaker to learn the virtually endless rhythmic
8 Beware of a firm handshake! variations of world music, you’ll still develop
Having a firm handshake is a good as an artist. It’s the ultimate win/win: better
recovery and a new skill.
quality, but not when it results in a

tweaked wrist or bruised arthritic

knuckle. Take up the European greeting

of two air kisses.

9 Control stress. Injuries are far more
likely to happen when you feel

pressured and take shortcuts. Meditating

doesn’t cost a dime and has been proven

to improve health and focus.

10 Think before you use your hands
for small tasks. Even home repairs

and woodworking projects might be too

risky if your livelihood would be

impacted by a minor injury.

24 July 2017

10 WAYS TO RECOVER
FROM AN INJURY

IF YOU CAN’T STOP recovery from a major stroke and upon learn- 1 Educate yourself. If you are injured
I know what happens when you can’t play your ing that he had sudden-death syndrome. A in a way that will impact your
instrument at all. Lost gigs, lost income, lost year before his death, he told AG, “I learned to
practice time. What if you need the money too let go and rebuild. So now I’m a different playing, it will be critical that you follow a
much to not play while injured? player. After four and a half years . . . I’m
working all the time and I’m a better person course of treatment and recovery that
Bassist Missy Raines is leader of the for all I’ve gone through. And being a better
acclaimed band the New Hip and seven-time person is by far the greater gift.” affords the best chance of full recovery.
IBMA Bassist of the Year. She has worked with
bluegrass vocalist Claire Lynch and five-string As for my own shoulder, after 12 months Ask questions and do internet research,
banjo phenom Eddie Adcock and also plays of rehab, it works better than ever. I was
banjo and guitar. After finally recovering from lucky to have a terrific group of doctors and but beware of fake cures and “holistic”
major hip surgery and a severe bout of tendini- physical therapists, including Dr. Brent
tis, she broke her upper arm while exercising. Sanders, whose experience working on ath- treatments that have no track record for
Raines knew she needed treatment, but found letes, along with his hobby of playing guitar
herself facing a stretch of gigs that she and her and other musical instruments, enabled him efficacy and safety.
band counted on for much-needed income. Her to conduct the extensive surgery and handle
first act after returning from the emergency my frustrating and painstaking recovery. 2 Prepare yourself mentally. A positive
room was to grab her bass and begin testing There was a silver lining, as well. I had never attitude goes a long way toward a
work-arounds. learned to fingerpick, so now, at an age when
many guitar players are slowing down, I’m full and prompt recovery.
By restraining her arm, and cutting back on still finding new things to learn.
such aggressive techniques as slapping and 3 If you’re going into surgery for your
popping, she was able to soldier on and play The way you approach dominant side, spend the days
her scheduled shows. But like a smart profes- rehab will play just as
sional, immediately after finishing the shows large a role in how well before the surgery practicing using your
she sought professional help. you recover and adapt
as any physical remedy. weaker hand—especially when it comes to
If you don’t live in Nashville, LA, or
Austin, where hospitals frequently treat typing, brushing your teeth, eating, and
injured musicians, you’ll encounter fewer
musician-aware emergency-room profession- critical personal sanitary functions.
als, so this is a good time to think about
being a proactive patient. Don’t allow your- 4 Prepare your body. The healthier
self to bleed to death, but insist on seeing a you are and the better you feel, the
specialist. If they don’t have one, and you
suspect that your injury could be life-altering, better you will handle long periods of
insist on a referral before further treatment.
Your recovery will be easier and more suc- convalescence.
cessful if you are confident that you have the
best resources and information available. 5 Do you have a pile of books in the
house that you always wanted to
ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING
Being injured is hard enough. But as the pain read? Have you always thought that you
of the injury recedes and the tasks ahead
come into focus, your imagination can should try to improve your sight reading
become your worst enemy. It may seem mys-
tical, but your mindset and the way you and music theory? Recovery time is an
approach rehab will play just as large a role
in how well you recover and adapt as any opportunity to do this without worrying
physical remedy.
about the time you should be spending
While recovering from my shoulder surgery,
it helped to accept that I would almost certainly practicing your instrument.
need to make changes to my playing technique
and my choice of equipment. But I knew that I 6 Go easy on yourself. It’s hard not to
was headed for a full recovery. worry about lost income and the
Ironically, it is the lesser injury, the broken
It can be more daunting for others. possibility of reduced physical capabilities.
Pete Huttlinger died of a stroke in 2016 at right hand, that will stay with me. Injuries to
age 56, but, despite a frightening diagnosis You’re staring into the great unknown, so
after an earlier stroke, he lived his life to the the hand often affect the tendons and the
fullest. His mantra was “Don’t just live, live don’t make things worse by mentally
well.” This positive approach served the studio sheaths that allow those tendons to move
ace and gifted fingerstylist well during his obsessing over what-ifs and might-have-

smoothly and facilitate fine motor functions. beens. There will be a way forward.

My minor break has left me with stiffness in 7 During recovery, pay attention and
listen to the professionals. Do the
my right index finger that is likely to remain.

But I’ve already begun adjusting, and the very most rehabilitation you can but don’t

recovery period has forced me to become a think you know more than they do. There

more efficient finger picker. is a reason that recovery has a timetable.

If you’re lucky and you avoid injuries, Play by the rules.

you’re still likely eventually to suffer some of 8 And when you get back to playing
again, these words from hand
the aches and pains of overuse and aging. Pro-

fessional musicians know that career longevity specialist Dr. Justin Arnold of the Center

is more than just practice—it involves exercise, for Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic

diet, and a measured approach to practice and Surgery in Chattanooga, Tennessee, may

playing. As you get older, you’ll need to warm help put your mind at ease: “As we age,

up more slowly and for a longer time. You also the cycles and pressures on joints add up.

may want to make equipment changes to ease This isn’t all bad news. X-rays taken

some of the discomfort of chronic issues such decades apart may show degeneration,

as tendinitis and arthritis. For example, you but that doesn’t necessarily translate to

pain or loss of function. I tell patients that

may find that a smaller-body guitar or a the best way to keep their hands moving

slimmer-neck profile is ideal. is to keep their hands moving.” And that

In the unlikely case that your guitar-playing leads to . . .

world turns upside down, listen to Django and 9 Practice. Play. Perform. Keep
moving, and . . .
remember that even if you’re reduced to fretting

with two fingers, you can still make beautiful 10 It can’t be said enough, “Don’t just
live, live well.”
music. And think of Huttlinger’s recovery. You

won’t know where you’re going, but you will

still get there—one note at a time. AG

AcousticGuitar.com 25

© 2015 PRS Guitars / photo by Marc Quigley What’s Your Story?

You have a story to tell and you need an
instrument that helps and inspires. The
SE Angelus line of acoustics from PRS
Guitars are a great tool for songwriters and
performing musicians. Choose from our
all-mahogany or spruce-top models – all of
which come standard with a high-quality
piezo system with discreet volume and tone
controls in the sound hole. Hear the full line
at www.prsguitars.com or check them out
at an authorized dealer near you.

PHOTO BY JOEY LUSTERMAN THELEARNING ISSUE

28 FIND THE RIGHT TEACHER AS AN ADULT STUDENT 30 5 WAYS TO GET THE
MOST OUT OF SKYPE LESSONS 32 HOW TO EVALUATE YOUR OWN PLAYING

AcousticGuitar.com 27

THELEARNING ISSUE

Finding the right
teacher can require

more than just
typing “guitar
teacher” into
your browser.

JOEY LUSTERMAN

A7 WNEAWYSGTUOITFAINRDTEACHER
GROWNUPS HAVE UNIQUE NEEDS AS GUITAR STUDENTS

BY LOUISE LEE

Y ou’ve just purchased an instrument or university—they’re likely to be experienced want lessons and how much time you want to
and have decided to take lessons. But teachers accustomed to working with adults. spend at each lesson. If your work schedule
finding the right teacher can require Neighborhood music schools, whether non- doesn’t allow weekly hour-long lessons (the
more than just typing “guitar teacher” into profits or mom-and-pop businesses, usually general rule of thumb for adult students),
your browser and contacting the first one that offer guitar lessons, but the majority of stu- think about twice-monthly lessons that run
pops up. As an adult, you have needs and dents at those schools are children, so unless for 90 minutes. Or perhaps your schedule
concerns that are different from a kid’s, you’re comfortable with wall decals of teddy allows for only sporadic lessons when you
ranging from tight work schedules to ergo- bears and toys in the waiting area, you’ll prob- have a spare few hours.
nomics (a 20 year old might be able to stretch ably want to go elsewhere. Some businesses,
to make those CAGED chord shapes, a 60 year which advertise largely online, specialize in Discuss your requirements up front with
old, not so much). teaching adults and use instructors willing to any teacher—be aware that most teachers
come to you to teach in your home or even prefer students willing to commit to some
Here are seven tips to help you locate and your workplace if you have a private, quiet regular schedule. Clarify the teacher’s policies
select an instructor: office. Some teachers might be willing to come on lesson cancellations, payment, and
to your office during your lunch break or refunds. Some teachers ask for each month’s
1 ASK AROUND before you head home in the evening. payment in advance, while others will accept
Start with word-of-mouth. Ask friends payment at each individual lesson. Some
who play the acoustic guitar for recommenda- 2 SYNC UP SCHEDULES teachers won’t schedule a make-up lesson
tions. Or look up the names of guitar teachers Have a good idea of how often you unless you give them at least 24 hours’ notice
on the faculty of your local community college that you can’t make it.

28 July 2017

3 ESTABLISH EXPECTATIONS 5 HONOR YOUR GOALS to learn to perform in front of an audience, ask
Ask the instructor about his or her Maybe you want to learn a specific the candidate if he arranges student recitals—
expectations regarding practice. Most teach- musical style, or perhaps you even have par- such events could be as simple as an end-of-
ers will tell you that it’s best to practice every ticular pieces that you’re determined to play. year gathering at someone’s house for informal
day, even if for just 10 to 15 minutes, but You’re not a kid, so you have some autonomy performances followed by drinks and snacks.
they’ll understand if you’re traveling for on this issue. Tell the teacher up front what
work and can’t practice for days on end. If a you’re interested in and what your goals are. 6 ASK ABOUT A METHOD BOOK
candidate makes you uncomfortable by Even if you don’t play the guitar (yet),
insisting on more practice than you can Many guitar instructors you want to show the teacher that you know
handle, look elsewhere. also teach children and the importance of learning good technique and
some of them, simply out don’t want to simply to crank out songs any old
4 DISCUSS ANY HEALTH ISSUES of habit, talk down to their way. Good technique and good posture will
Plenty of adults have chronic health adult students. Ask yourself help you avoid injury and set you up for learn-
conditions: back pain, shoulder pain, joint if you can tolerate it. ing all you want. So ask the teacher if he has
pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and on and on. certain method books, or other technique plans,
Ask the candidate how he or she helps stu- Who are the artists you want to emulate? in mind and if he plans to spend time working
dents with such health issues. Does he seem What are the songs you want to learn? If a with you on specific drills and exercises.
knowledgeable and concerned about posture teacher seems rigid or inflexible (“I won’t
and ergonomics? How does she address her teach X style, Y pieces, or Z songwriter”), 7 FEEL OUT BEDSIDE MANNER
own playing-related discomfort? Does she do that’s a red flag. If she listens and indicates Again, you’re not a kid. Many guitar
yoga or calisthenics? Does she have ideas she’ll help you achieve your goals and show
about exercises students can do or gear they you other interesting material as well, then instructors also teach children and some of
can use—a footstool, guitar lift, a beveled you’re on your way. And if one of your goals is
edge on your guitar, or a shoulder strap—to them, simply out of habit, talk down to their
avoid pain?
adult students. If he or she does this, ask your-

self if you can tolerate it. You’re probably too old

for gold stars and “good job” stickers. AG

TRI-ACTION ARTIST BANJO/MANDO

CAPO LITE CLASSICAL GUITAR &

NS CAPO UKULELE DROP TUNE daddario.com

AcousticGuitar.com 29

THELEARNING ISSUE

With Skype or another video
chat service, you can have
a lesson with any teacher
anywhere in the world.

5OUWTAOYFSSTOKYGPEET THE MOST

THE VIRTUAL LESSON IS AN IDEAL WAY TO MOVE BEYOND LOCAL TEACHERS

BY LOUISE LEE

T hanks to today’s technology, players than skill level is the mindset you bring and benefit from virtual lessons. However, says
don’t have to limit themselves to tradi- being excited to learn,” says Grant Gordy, a Gordy, playing for a camera instead of a live
tional face-to-face lessons. Whether or Brooklyn-based performer and guitar instructor. person can feel strange at first, so before your
not you have a local teacher whom you see first virtual lesson, practice playing in front of
regularly, you can still take advantage of video- ‘With a strong Internet your laptop or other device just to overcome
conferencing technologies, such as Skype or connection and high- any initial feelings of awkwardness.
FaceTime, to have a lesson with any teacher quality speakers, you
anywhere in the world. can even work on 2 BE PREPARED
improving your tone Make sure you have a reliable—that
Here are five ways to get the most out of and your intonation.’ means fast—internet connection. Otherwise,
virtual lessons. you and your teacher will waste a lot of time
GRANT GORDY struggling to hear and see each other, says
1 EMBRACE THE VIRTUAL WORLD Eric Skye, a recording artist and guitar
If you’re an absolute beginner, you’re As long as you don’t need someone physically instructor based in Portland, Oregon. While
likely to need an in-person teacher who can guiding you and you can play, at the very least, it’s possible to use just your smartphone and
literally reach out and physically help you with simple songs, chords, and scales, you can its built-in microphone and camera for your
the basics of posture, hand and body positions, virtual lesson, the sound and video quality
and other playing technique. But once you’re will be better if you use a laptop computer,
beyond that beginner stage, “more important

30 July 2017

especially one connected to an external the lesson—ideally, both the audio and video— work on improving your tone and your intona-
microphone and web camera. Get everything so that you can go back later and review what tion, says Gordy. “It’s not quite the same as
set up before your lesson starts. Turn up the you’ve learned. And before recording, be sure sitting in the same room, but it’s close,” he
microphone and speakers, and make sure to get the instructor’s permission. adds. However, because of transmission delays
there’s sufficient lighting. Position the com- and other technological limitations, you and
puter on a sturdy surface, so that your 3 ASK BIG-PICTURE QUESTIONS your instructor can’t both play at the same
teacher can see you and your hands. Have If you’re taking a virtual lesson with time, so a virtual lesson unfortunately doesn’t
your chair, instrument, music stand, and any someone whom you’re unlikely to encounter in lend itself to playing duos.
person, such as someone who’s halfway around
With the added skills the globe or who teaches infrequently, you 5 NOW REACH OUT TO OTHERS
you learn through virtual might want to skip questions about specific Once you’ve gotten comfortable with
lessons, you’re likely matters like the harmony and fingering for a
to get even more out of particular piece (things you could easily ask a virtual lessons, reach out to a range of teach-
your local get-togethers. local teacher). Rather, you might want to talk
to this virtual teacher about big-picture issues. ers to see if they’d be willing to teach just a
other gear all set up. Using a good set of “For instance,” says Skye, “you can ask, ‘How
headphones will help you focus and allow do you practice? How do you prepare for a per- one-off session. There’s value in playing for a
you to hear the instructor better. And ideally, formance?’ or ‘What are you listening to?’”
make sure your teacher has a copy of your variety of people, and videoconferencing
sheet music, so when you ask about “bar 25,” 4 CUSTOMIZE YOUR LESSON
you don’t have to pick up your score and If you do want to learn about specific technology lets you do that without the cost
flash it in front of the camera. techniques or musical concepts, you’re in luck,
because those matters lend themselves well to of travel. Because you’re saving on driving
Also, figure out in advance how to record a virtual lesson. With a strong internet connec-
tion and high-quality speakers, you can even time, gas, and parking fees, you might want

to take virtual lessons more frequently or

take longer lessons (or both). So if you regu-

larly see a local teacher or attend neighbor-

hood jam sessions, keep on going. With the

added skills you learn through virtual lessons,

you’re likely to get even more out of your

local get-togethers. AG

HAPPY FAMILYThienwsAtLormiXuridlE,mdtQdhlp'eeeasoncsnwfidhnitieglandrnlpe,yecaorcodsuhemdrtaaeonpadtmnlhece5teleo0p,r0hwpulmiiegisftdhAhitaleyDalisccrC.fuasopll.uafebtpaletuutretod

FcEhaLaninXdnan,eDtdlhIb,eswlteouintrnhdigniuniinnngagmlpamaruetadcachmioedpdpaldeivfirdeefoyrrs,r2aEmtQialitnyce. BiaXub,dtuihopterpwicneieetrhfwtohprabmatairawbenydilclwedmoiatahwskintethsecebovieegnxrgtayreoocrtlnssseaiabnhmlidanepgaps,y.

www.gracedesign.com

AcousticGuitar.com 31

THELEARNING ISSUE

Recording yourself playing
is an invaluable method for

working on your tone.

YHOOUWRTOOWENVAPLLUAAYTIENG

YOU CAN LEARN TO PLAY THE GUITAR FROM THE INTERNET, BUT YOU MIGHT BE LEFT
WITH SHODDY TECHNIQUE. HERE ARE 5 WAYS TO FIX THE FLAWS

BY JAMIE STILLWAY

F rom books to magazines, YouTube Here are five tips that can help alleviate will do in a pinch), a guitar support that rests on
videos to DVDs, there are no shortages commonly overlooked problems for the your leg (if you’re unfamiliar with these, a quick
of readily available materials to keep advancing self-taught guitarist: internet search will yield many choices), or the
the self-taught guitarist occupied for several tried-and-true method of sitting with your legs
lifetimes. However, there are important areas 1 LEARN TO HOLD crossed. Although sitting with the guitar in a
that can be overlooked, such as technique and THE GUITAR PROPERLY new position might seem awkward at first, you
practice routines, by using those sources. The guitar, while beautiful in its shape and sym- may eventually find it easier to fret certain
Without the observance of a teacher, for metry, can be cumbersome to hold. Figuring out chords and scales. The same idea can be applied
example, it can be fairly easy to develop ineffi- a comfortable way to play the guitar can be one when standing with the guitar. Of course, when
cient habits that you’re entirely unaware of, of the more frustrating elements when starting you watch videos of your favorite players, you
habits that can impede your playing and even out, but it’s worth spending some time on, may find that their technique doesn’t look any-
endanger your health. Remember that learning because how you hold the guitar affects how you thing like what I’ve just described (remember,
to play the guitar can be a lifelong endeavor, so play the guitar. I encourage students to make they might be doing it wrong). Experimentation
take your time to master the fundamentals and sure the neck of their guitar is angled away is key—be willing to put the time into finding a
pay attention to your technique—and make from, not parallel to, the floor. You can use a foot way of holding the guitar that seems comfort-
sure to enjoy the journey. stool (a hard-shell guitar case or stack of books able to you.

32 July 2017

VIDEO LESSON
ACOUSTICGUITAR.COM/TAG/JULY-2017

2 THE ANSWER LIES several hours a day, it’s easy to get overwhelmed record yourself playing a rhythm track. Of
IN BARRE CHORDS with the amount you want to practice and the course, there are programs and looping pedals
I believe barre chords are simply too much work demands upon your available time. The list of that can do that for you, but again, it’s all
for beginning guitarists. Nothing can be more items to practice grows long and unwieldy, so it’s about increasing your awareness of what you
frustrating than getting all four fingers in what a good idea to break your practice into segments actually sound like when you play.
you think is the correct shape only to be frus- or themes—and set a timer to help keep you on
trated by the sound of muffled strings. However, track. If you want unobstructed focus during 5 DON’T MISTAKE YOUR FOOT
in terms of moveable chord shapes, barre chords your practice time, make sure to keep your FOR A METRONOME
can prove valuable—they can be a helpful way to devices (phones and laptops) out of reach. Also,
start learning about the fretboard beyond open- ensure that your practicing is fun, and not Contrary to popular belief, tapping your foot is
position chords and scales. Please note, I’m monotonous. For example, if you’re practicing
speaking of the shape of the barre chord, and not scales, try to find familiar melodies, and don’t be not the same as playing along with a metro-
physically fretting the chord. As you get further afraid to make up your own melodies.
along in your studies, you may recognize that nome. Establishing a good relationship with your
playing just fragments of the shapes will suffice. 4 DON’T BELIEVE WHAT YOU THINK
Of course, there will be situations where the use YOU SOUND LIKE metronome is undoubtedly one of the best things
of a barre chord is inevitable, so it’s good to know With the ubiquity of smartphones, most people
them, but be patient with yourself if you’re have an easily accessible recording device you can do to improve your musicianship—it’s
having a hard time getting them to resonate fully. nearby. If you haven’t yet done a quick record-
ing of yourself playing the guitar, I recommend important to not be intimidated by the mechani-
3 ENGAGE IN MINDFUL PRACTICE you give it a try, as this is an invaluable method
Advancing guitarists often ask, “How for working on your tone. You may hear ele- cal honesty a metronome offers (again, a smart-
should I practice?” In time, each player will be ments of your playing that you didn’t even
able answer that question on their own, know were there, such as the sound of the pick phone app can provide the right tool). For some,
hopefully, but what follows are just a few sugges- hitting the pickguard, strings buzzing, or even
tions. As few people have the time to practice for heavy breathing. If you’re learning to solo, first just the mere mention of a metronome can be a

stressful moment, and trying to play along can

be exponentially more stressful. If this happens,

take time to clear your head of worrisome

thoughts, and give yourself a chance to just sit

and listen to the metronome. And relax. After

awhile, you may find inspiration in the metro-

nomic sounds of your everyday life, like the

sound of your automobile blinker while you’re

stopped at a light. AG

GUITAR FOUNDATION OF AMERICA Amadeus Duo F E AT U R E D

INTERNATIONAL Joaquin Clerch
CONVENTION & COMPETITIONS
Carlo Marchione
University of Louisville

LOUISVILLE, KY

JUNE 18–23, 2018

Hosted by Dr. Stephen Mattingly,
Associate Professor of Guitar

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AcousticGuitar.com 33

THE BASICS

Familiarize yourself with some
musical building blocks.

Taking the Lead

Learn to start soloing with these essential building blocks

BY GRETCHEN MENN

THE PROBLEM scale degrees. Alternatively, these can be step—creating musical phrases and melodies. I
viewed as the notes of the C major pentatonic suggest starting out sparingly. Pick one shape
You’re comfortable with chords and holding scale—see Ex. 1b. (C major and A minor are and focus on using the notes on only two
down rhythms, but when it comes to lead relative keys, meaning they share the same strings until they become not fingers at the
playing or taking a solo, you don’t know notes). To derive the relative major from a right spot on a fret, but sounds that are musical.
where to start. minor mode, go to the third scale degree. Con- Think of short phrases, or melodic or rhythmic
versely, the relative minor is found starting on motifs. Try bending, slurring, and sliding to
THE SOLUTION the sixth degree of a major scale. notes. Use different note durations and dynam-
ics. Use vibrato. And try to get a limited number
Familiarize yourself with some musical Exs. 2–7 show the sequence of notes start- of notes to sound expressive.
building blocks—scales, arpeggios, and ing on each note of the A minor/C major pen-
melodic approaches—to write and improvise tatonic scale as it moves up the neck into As smaller sections become comfortable
your own lead lines. different positions. To take these raw materi- both technically and musically, add notes
als and get started, I recommend two from adjacent strings until the whole pattern
1 START WITH PENTATONIC SCALES approaches: One is necessarily mechanical, feels familiar. Then work to connect to other
A pentatonic scale, as the name the other musical. For the technical aspect, shapes in the same way.
suggests, contains just five notes. Pentatonic memorize one scale pattern at a time, then
scales are an effective and generally manage- work to connect one position to the next. Get 2 TRY SOME DIATONIC SCALES
able way to get started, and many guitar familiar with the scales, their sounds, and how Diatonic scales are made up of seven
players derive much of their approach from they feel under your fingers. Work on playing notes, and give two more note options than a
this basic framework. them ascending and descending, then try dif- pentatonic scale. You may have heard of the
ferent sequences of notes so that you can skip various modes—Dorian, Phrygian,
Ex. 1a shows the A minor pentatonic scale comfortably between scale degrees. Mixolydian, and so on. While each of the
(A C D E G) starting on the root note of A. You modes has its characteristic sound and specific
can also think about this as an A minor scale Next comes the important musical
(A B C E F G) that omits the second and sixth

34 July 2017

VIDEO LESSON
ACOUSTICGUITAR.COM/TAG/JULY-2017

Ex. 1a Ex. 1b Ex. 2 Ex. 3

A minor pentatonic C major pentatonic œœœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœ

&œœœœœœ œœœœœœ

B 57 5 03 35
57 57 13 35
58 57 02 25
8 02 25
03 35
03 35

Ex. 4 œ œ œ œ Ex. 5 œ œ œ œ œ Ex. 6 œ œ œ œ œ œ

&œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ

58 8 10 10 12
58 8 10 10 13
57 79 9 12
7 10 10 12
B 57 7 10 10 12
57 8 10 10 12
58

Ex. 7 œ œ œ œ œ œ Ex. 8a Ex. 8b

&œ œ œ œ œ œ A minor C major

œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ

12 15 57 5
13 15 578 579
12 14 578 578
8
B 12 14
12 15
12 15

Ex. 9 Ex. 10
&œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ
etc. etc.

013 01310 3 35 13531 5

B 023 02 235 245
023
013 135 235

Ex. 11 Ex. 12

&œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ

etc. etc.

56 35753 6 568 57875 8

B 357 457 579 57
357
357 578 578

AcousticGuitar.com 35

THE BASICS

Ex. 13 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ex. 14 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

& œœœœ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ

etc. etc.

7 8 10 8 7 8 10 12 8 10 12 10 8 12
8 10 10
7 9 10 9 10
7 9 10 9 10 12
B7 7 8 10 8 10 12
8 10 8 10 12

Ex. 15 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ex. 16 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

& œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ

etc. etc.

10 12 13 10 12 13 12 10 13 12 13 15 12 13 15 13 12 15

B 10 12 14 10 12 12 14 15 12 14
10 12 14
10 12 13 12 13 15 12 14 15

Ex. 17 Ex. 18

### A œ œ œ œ œ ˙ D A œ œ œJ œ. œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œj

& 44 œ œœœœ œ œ ˙ œ

5 5
55
66 7 66 6
B7 7 47 74 77 767 4
5 5 7

Ex. 19 Ex. 20a Ex. 20b Ex. 20c

& ### D œ œœœ œœœœœœœ A A
œ
œ œ œ œJ œ. œ œ œ œ œJ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

5 75 5 55 5 55
64 6 64 6 64 67
7 77 66 77 77
467 747 7 7 77
B5

Ex. 21a Ex. 21b Ex. 21c Ex. 22a Ex. 22b Ex. 22c

A œ œ œ œœœ 3 A

& ### œ œ œ œ œ œœœœ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œJ œ. Jœ œ.

66 5 6 5 5 66 6 64 5 5
6 66 7 77 7 6 6
B7 7 7 7 77 7 77 7 7

36 July 2017

applications, I encourage guitarists to start ever-smaller section of the motif is Remember this lesson is only cracking
with what is most useful to the type of music compressed and repeated. open an enormous subject. But don’t let that
you play—in many cases, the major (a.k.a. deter you. The path of improvisation and
Ionian) and minor (Aeolian) modes. Of 5 HEAR, SING, PLAY composition is endless, and that’s part of
course, you should become versed in all the Something to work on, both as an imme- its beauty.
modes that apply to what you want to do. In diate and long-term goal, is creating melodies
any case, start with a manageable amount of in your mind before applying them to the fret- There is always more to learn. Start at the
material, learn it well, and then build upon board. Listen to the music over which you’ll be beginning, gather your tools along the way,
that strong foundation that you’ve created. soloing and try hearing a melody in your mind, and forge the path that is right for you.
even if it’s simple and uninspired at first. The
Ex. 8a shows the A minor scale, which, idea is to start encouraging your mind to think Gretchen Menn is a guitarist and composer
again, contains the same notes as in the of melodies. Sing the melody. Make it memo- based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She
C-major scale (Ex. 8b). Exs. 9–16 show the rable—so memorable that you can find it on writes, records, and performs original music
sequence of notes starting on the each note of the guitar and sing with your fingers. and is a member of the popular Led Zeppelin
the A minor/C major scale as it moves up the tribute band Zepparella. gretchenmenn.com
neck into different positions. As with the penta-
tonic scales, work on both the musical and
mechanical aspects in smaller sections, then
gradually build upon and extend to the entire
scale, eventually connecting all the positions.

3 WORK WITH CHORD TONES THE KYSER QUICK-CHANGE
An approach that can be quite effec-
tive, both melodically and harmonically, is to TWENTY COLORS. TAKE YOUR PICK.
plan your solos around not just the key of the
piece, but the chords over which you’re www.kysermusical.com
playing. You can use the correct scale and
still encounter dissonances as every note 100% MADE IN USA Guaranteed for life KYSER® MUSICAL PRODUCTS
relates to the underlying harmony. Take, for
example, the A major scale (A B CG D E FG GG)
over the chords A (A CG E) and D (D FG A). If
you play the fourth degree (D) over the A
chord, you’ll hear a harsh sound, as the D
creates the dissonant interval of a minor
second with the chord’s CG. Of course, great
improvisers can make any note work, but you
are focusing on the basics here.

Ex. 17 shows an A major arpeggio fol-
lowed by a D major arpeggio to outline a I–IV
progression (in this case, A–D). Ex. 18 moves
toward a more musical approach while stick-
ing mostly to the chord tones and incorporat-
ing only a few non-chord tones. These
passing tones are of shorter duration and
placed on weaker beats, which gives them
more of a connecting and color function—the
ear hears them as a step along the path to the
goal note, which is a chord tone.

4 PLAY THEMES AND VARIATIONS
With a foundation of some scales and
arpeggios, you can create comprehensible
lines. One effective way to do so is to take a
clear, concise theme—it can be melodic,
rhythmic, or both—and make variations to
develop it. Start with a skeletal motif, like in
Ex. 19 (which happens to be identical to the
first measure of Ex. 18). You can add notes to
embellish it, as in Exs. 20a–c. You can
change the rhythms, as in Exs. 21a–c. You
can fragment it, as in Exs. 22a–c, where an

AcousticGuitar.com 37

WEEKLY WORKOUT

Jamie Stillway

Creative Fingerstyle

How to discover your own voice on the guitar

BY JAMIE STILLWAY

J ust as the term “jazz” can be used to describe Start with an easy exercise, as shown in Ex. 1, every other note in unison with your pedal tone
a wealth of different musical styles, so too the ascending E-major scale, played in quarter (constant note), in this case, the open sixth string.
can the term “fingerstyle.” Many aspiring finger- notes on string 1. Use whatever picking-hand If those eighth notes seem too difficult, just stick
style guitarists start out by learning basic fingerings feel most natural—you might try with quarter notes for awhile; there’s no hurry.
picking-hand patterns or memorizing note-for- alternating between your index and middle
note arrangements of popular tunes. Some fingers, for instance. After you feel comfortable with the
spend their time ensconced in a particular eighth-note idea, try playing the E-major
genre, perhaps taking on a study of fingerstyle The next step is to practice pinching the open scale with the root on the third string, like in
blues or delving into the world of open tunings, sixth string with each of the scale notes. Try Ex. 2, Ex. 4. You’re playing the scale in the same
as in Hawaiian slack-key guitar. However, after picking the sixth-string E with your thumb and octave as before, just in a more efficient
some time, the advancing player might begin the higher notes with your index and/or middle manner. This will also make it easier when
wondering how to embellish the tunes in his or finger. Although this may seem like a simple task, playing 16th notes (Ex. 5) and eighth-note
her repertoire, or maybe even how to improvise it’s important to practice slowly, ideally with your triplets (Ex. 6).
freely, instead of always playing by rote. This trusty metronome accompanying you. In Ex. 3,
Weekly Workout is intended to give you some play the same scale, but in eighth notes. Pinch Considering the open bass notes available in
new ways to practice and to set your own path standard tuning, the keys of A and D major are
as a fingerstyle player. Beginners’ Tip #1 also good options for expanding on this concept.
And if your vocabulary extends beyond the major
WEEK ONE If you’re just getting started with scale, you can apply the same technique of pedal-
To get started, it’s important to have a solid fingerpicking, try to avoid resting ing a bass note and exploring the various subdivi-
understanding of the basic subdivisions of time your picking hand’s pinky on the top sions of time. Just remember to make everything
and how they apply to fingerpicking. Most of the guitar, and keep that hand as you play as musical as possible.
importantly, you want to work on developing relaxed as possible.
thumb-finger independence in your pick hand. WEEK TWO
After you’ve got the scale mastered on one
string, it should be easy to add a harmony note,

38 July 2017

VIDEO LESSON
ACOUSTICGUITAR.COM/TAG/JULY-2017

WeWeEkE1K 1 Ex. 2 œœœœ
Ex. 1
œœœœ œœœœ œœœœ
& #### 44 œ œ œ œ
œœœœ 7 9 11 12
0245
7 9 11 12 0245

B 0000 0000

Ex. 3 Ex. 4 Ex. 5

& #### œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ
œœœœ
œœœœ œœœœ

0 2 4 5 7 9 11 12 9 11 12 9 10 12 9 11 12 12 11 9 12 10 9
9 10 12
9 11 9 11 11 9

B 0000 0000 0 0 0 0

Ex. 6 WWeEeEkK22
3 Ex. 7
3 3

#### œ 3 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 3 œ œ 3 œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ

& œ œ œ

œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙

9 11 12 12 12 12 11 9 0245 7 9 11 12
9 10 12 12 10 9 1246 8 9 11 13
9 11 11 9 9 9

B 0 0 0 00 0 0 00 0 00

Ex. 8 œœ œœ œœ œœ
œœœœ
& #### œœj œœ.. œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ ˙˙ œœj œœ œœj ˙˙
œœ œœ œœœ
œ œœœ œ

00 4 5 54 24 0 12 7 4 0

11 4 6 64 24 1 13 8 4 1

B0 000 00 00 0 0 00 0000

Ex. 9 WWeEeEkK 3 Ex. 11
Ex. 10

& #### œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ nœ œ œ nœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

p i m p i m p i p i m p i m p i etc.

00 00 00
0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0
1 2 4 6 8 9 11 13 0 12
B 2 4 6 7 9 11 13 14 0 02 24 4

AcousticGuitar.com 39

WEEKLY WORKOUT

as in Ex. 7—the E-major scale played in sounds “right” or not. When played with a certain shed with each of the new techniques, the real
diatonic sixths. Again, pick the low E with your intent, even notes that are technically incorrect fun happens when you start to piece them all
thumb and each pair of sixths with your index can sound musical. Be sure to jot down any new together. In Ex. 12, you’ll find just one sugges-
and middle or ring fingers. The bass notes have harmonies or sounds that you discover, and use tion of how to do so. This is a great time to
switched to half notes; feel free to try this with them in your playing. After all, this lesson is all start incorporating the expressive elements
the examples from Week One as well. about helping you find your own style. available on the guitar. For example, you could
play the harmonized string pairs as written, but
You might recognize some of these shapes as WEEK THREE they sound great when you slide into them
fragments of chords you already know. If they Although the idea of banjo rolls on guitar might from a half step below. Also, you could add a
don’t seem familiar, not to worry: just enjoy the seem a bit strange, they really are quite easy to ritard (slowing of the tempo) when transi-
wonder of new and unknown areas on your fret- play and add a whole new sound. Rolls are just tioning between the techniques.
board. It’s the journey, not the destination. Using repeated picking-hand patterns, often played at
what you learned in Week One, you can create breakneck tempos. Try a forward roll, using a Beginners’ Tip #4
simple melodic ideas by varying the rhythm and combination of your thumb (p), index (i), and
phrasing of these harmonized pairs, as depicted middle (m) fingers—p–i–m–p–i–m–p–i— If you haven’t done so already, learn
in Ex. 8. Another option would be to harmonize as shown in Ex. 10. Here the pattern falls on the to love your metronome; keeping a
in thirds on adjacent strings, with the roots on open top four strings, allowing you to focus on steady groove is a must for any fin-
the fourth string (Ex. 9). These shapes will come your picking hand. Let each string ring freely gerstyle guitarist.
in handy for next week’s workout. throughout the rolls; play the pattern repeat-
e d l y, u n t i l i t i s w e l l - l o d g e d i n y o u r Again, this example is just to give you some
Beginners’ Tip #2 muscle memory. ideas, which you can transfer to different tech-
niques, keys, tunings, and more. It’s my sincere
If you feel your bass notes are ringing WEEK FOUR hope that some of these concepts will help spark
out too much, mute the string by lightly After you’ve spent some solid time in the wood- some creativity and encourage you to go out
resting the side of your pick hand just and explore that fretboard for yourself. Don’t
near the bridge; this technique, known Beginners’ Tip #3 forget: One of the most valuable things you can
as palm muting, comes in handy if always have with you is your beginner’s
you’re going for a more bluesy sound. As usual, slow and steady wins the mind—a willingness to embrace the unknown,
race. Although you may want to play without any preconceived notions.
It’s important to spend time moving your har- these as fast as you can, as soon as
monized string pairs around the neck and getting you can, make sure to concentrate Jamie Stillway is a fingerstyle soloist and
used to how they sound in conjunction with the on getting the pattern down solidly educator in Portland, Oregon. jamiestillway.com.
pedal tone. Don’t be afraid to experiment, and before speeding it up.
don’t worry too much if what you’re playing

&& ######## œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ

00 00 00 00
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00
0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 11 0 0 9 0 11 0
4 6 8 9
BB 6 6 6 6 7 7 9 9

77 99 11 11

Week 4
WWEexEe.Ek1K424
444Ex.œœ12
&& ######## œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ˙œœ˙ œœ œœœ œœ œœ ˙œœ˙œ œœ œ˙œ˙œ œœ œœ
˙˙

00 00 7 4 7 5 54 2 5 4 75
0 0 00 0 0 00
13 0 0 11 0 13 0 14 0 0 13 0 14 0 7 44 7 65 5 4 22 5 44 7 5
13 14 14
BB 13 11 13 46 24

00 00

00 00

40 July 2017 œœœœœ

œœœ

00 00 1111 00 00 00 00 00 1133 00 00 00 77 44 77 55 55 44 22 55 44 77 55
1133 1144 1144
B 1133 44 66 22 44

00 00 00 VIDEO LE00SSON

ACOUSTICGUITAR.COM/TAG/JULY-2017

& #### œœ œ œœ œ œ œœ œœ ˙˙ œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ

˙˙ ˙˙

44 77 55 55 44 22 44 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 1122 99 1111 1122 99 99 00 00 88 00 00 99 00
1111 1111 1111
44 66 22 44 11 99
00 00
B 00 00

& #### œ œœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ
J

99 1111 99 1100 1122 99 00 00 00 00 00 1122 1111 99 1122 99 99 00 00 88 00 00 99 00 77 00 00 66 00 00 77 00
1111 1111
B 99 99 1111

& #### œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œœ ˙
œ œ ˙

˙˙ ˙˙

B 66 00 00 44 00 00 66 00 44 00 00 22 00 00 44 00 44 00 00 22 00 55 44 44 77 55 55 44 22 44 00
44 66 22 44 11

00 00 00 00

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

As an added challenge, try an alternating bass pattern while working through the ideas in this Weekly Workout. For example,
in the key of A, alternate your thumb between the open fifth and sixth strings—the root and fifth, respectively, of the A chord.
These are common choices for alternating bass patterns in a variety of styles. If you move the bass notes to the open fourth
and fifth strings, the same techniques easily transfer to the key of D. Again, make sure to play slowly, ensuring that your
thumb is consistent in its rhythm and note choices, and make it musical!

A

& ### C œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ ˙˙ . œœœœœœœ w
. ˙˙ w

˙˙ ˙˙

5794 5 5420
320
6794 6 2
0 0
B0 0 0 0
0

AcousticGuitar.com 41

WOODSHED

Elizabeth Cotten was in her 60s
when she began her recording
and performing career.

OLIVIA WISE

How to Play the Blues
Like Elizabeth Cotten

Open tunings are key to sounding like the folk-blues fingerstyle legend

BY PETE MADSEN

F ew guitarists have had as much impact on remained unknown if not for moving to Wash- OPEN-G TUNING
fingerstyle folk and blues guitar as ington, D.C., where she found herself in the To get into open G, also known as Spanish
Elizabeth Cotten (1893–1987), the singer- employ of the folk-singing Seeger family tuning, lower strings 1 and 6 down a step, to D,
songwriter whose songs have been covered by (Charles and Ruth Crawford Seeger), who and string 5 down a step, to G. Cotten’s
Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, David Bromberg, the encouraged her to reconnect with the guitar. “Spanish Flang Dang” serves as a good intro-
Grateful Dead, and many others. Born in Cotten was in her 60s when she began her duction to this tuning, as the fretting-hand
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Cotten grew up in recording and performing career. fingerings are straightforward, with only three
a musical family. She started off on her broth- chords (G, C and D7), all shown in Ex. 1 .
er’s banjo and then scraped up enough money The folk crowd drew inspiration from Cotten’s
to buy her first guitar, a $3.75 Sears & Roebuck songs in standard tuning, like “Freight Train” and Libba had an idiosyncratic picking hand,
model, which, being left-handed, she played “Mama, Your Papa Loves You,” as well as her playing bass notes with her index finger and
upside down. Cotten wrote her first songs, instrumentals in alternate tunings, like “Spanish melody notes with her thumb (her alternating
including “Freight Train” (see transcription on Flang Dang” (in open G) and “Vastapol” (open D). bass lines are known as Cotten Picking).
p. 60), as a child, but gave up playing when she Unless you’re also playing upside down, you
married and had children. She would have Here's a look at some of the ideas and can use the more conventional picking pattern
phrases that Libba, as she was nicknamed, shown on the G chord in Ex. 2 and on D7 in
would play in open G and D.

42 July 2017

VIDEO LESSON
ACOUSTICGUITAR.COM/TAG/JULY-2017

Tuning: D G D G B D C D7 Ex. 2 œ Ex. 3 œ
Ex. 1
˙˙˙˙˙ ..... ˙˙˙˙ .... G D7
G ˙.
œœ œœ
& 43 ˙˙˙˙˙..... 0 ˙. ˙.
1
2 am i
0 p
0
5 5 5 0
0 5 #œ œ œ 0 1
0 5 ˙. 0 2
5
B0 5 4 0 0
0 0
Ex. 4 œ 0 Ex. 5a Ex. 5b
G œœ
0 G œ œœœ œ œ œ
˙. ˙.
œ œ œœ œ œœœ œ œ
& ˙. ˙.
˙. œ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
0 ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
5 7 0 a 05
0 0 m 00
0 0 0 i 00 0
p
B0 0 25 0
00
00

0

Ex. 6 D
C
œœœœ œ œ œ œœœ œœœ œ œ œ œ #œ
&œ ˙. ˙.

pppp pppp

05 5 0 0 0
55 5 0 0 7
5
55 7
5 7
B5 7
5

Ex. 7

œ #œ œ œ #œ œ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~D7 œœœ G œœœ
& ˙. ˙. ˙.
˙œœœ. œ œ œœœ
0
7 7 0 0 2 0 0
7 7 11 1 0 0
7 7 22 œ 0
0 0 0
B 7

Tuning: D A D Fs A D
Ex. 8 G
## ‰œ œj œœj œ œ œj œj œj œj œj D œj œj
& 44 Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ. œ œ.
œ ˙ œ
œ œœ
œ

2 00 2 0 02 0 0 0

B0 1 11
2 0 00 0 0 0 0
2 22 00 0 0

AcousticGuitar.com 43

WOODSHED

Ex. 3: Pick the bass notes with your thumb your fourth finger, and the fourth-fret FG with return to a normal fingerpicking pattern for the
and the notes on strings 1, 2, and 3 with your your first finger. quarter-note measures. In Ex. 7, apply a roll to
ring (a), middle (m), and index (i) finger, the V chord, which transitions back to the I (G).
respectively. But feel free to use any other fin- Some of Cotten’s more interesting touches
gerpicking pattern that works for you. came from her variations in picking and OPEN-D TUNING
phrasing, like those seen in Exs. 5a and 5b. Now try some ideas in open-D tuning (tuned
In “Spanish Flang Dang,” most of the Both figures start with a G chord that’s rolled low to high: D A D FG A D) taken from her
melodic movement occurs on the first string quickly, from lowest note to highest, with the popular song “Vastapol.” To get into open D
during the G-chord sequences. Ex. 4 com- thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers. But from open G, raise string 5 up a step, to A;
bines selected notes from the G-major scale while Ex. 5a follows the roll with a slide, lower string 3 a half step, to FG; and lower
(G A B C D E FG) with the fingerpicking Ex. 5b uses a hammer-on. string 2 a step, to B.
pattern from the previous examples. As for
your fretting hand, play the fifth-fret G with Ex. 6 shows some transitions through the In performance, Cotten almost always
your second finger, the seventh-fret A with IV (C) and V (D) chords. Drag your thumb (p) varied her phrasing, yet she followed the
through the eighth-note sequences and then basic chord structure. In the key of D major,
she might have started out on the IV chord
(C), like in Ex. 8. Notice that the G chord has
the third, B, in the bass, as this note is easier
to finger in open position than the root,
which is on string 6, fret 5.

Ex. 9 shows a variation that uses a slide
from E to FG, making for a quicker transition
back to the D chord. Use your second finger
for fretting both the slide and the following
hammer-on. The hammer-on-and-slide motif
is duplicated in Ex. 10, this time going from
the V chord (A7) to the I.

Cotten sometimes played “Vastapol” with a
center section similar to Ex. 11. The grace-note
slides and hammer-ons here create an infec-
tious groove. Play the slides and hammer-ons
with your second finger.

In a separate verse of “Vastapol,” for the
I chord, Cotten sometimes used a phrase like
Ex. 12, featuring a common blues motif: a bend
on string 2, paired with a stationary note on
string 1. Fret the bends with your second finger,
so that your other fingers are free to cover the
subsequent notes on string 1. Check your into-
nation by playing the ninth-fret FG on string 2
and listening carefully to the pitch. Then bend
the note at the eighth-fret F up a half step,
making sure to accurately hit the FG.

‘LIBBA-RATION’
In Ex. 13, you’ll find my tune “Libba-ration,”
inspired by “Vastapol.” “Vastapol” is loosely
built on 24-bar verses consisting of three
eight-bar sections. Since Cotten’s playing was
somewhat improvisational and could change
from performance to performance, I have
taken some liberty with the structure. Instead
of three eight-bar sections I’ve created one
four-bar section and two-eight bar sections.

The first four bars are all built on the
I chord. This section takes one of the motifs
from “Vastapol” and expands on it with
melody notes at frets 10 and 9 on the first
string. The next eight-bar section travels back
and forth between the IV (G) and I (D) chords.
It has a call-and-response flavor with the same

44 July 2017

melodic component played underneath the bass note being played at the same time can can take inspiration from her sheer will to
alternating bass for each chord. be tricky because the heavier-sounding bass learn the instrument. And—even without
notes can swallow up the hammered-on reversing the order of your stings—you can
The last eight-bar section echoes the pre- notes. Resist the urge to separate the learn a lot by trying to capture Cotten’s
vious eight bars but travels back and forth hammer-on from the bass. In measure 5 of sound, phrasing, and dynamic approach to
between the V (A7) and I (D) chords. Slurs— “Libba-ration,” for example, isolate the first the guitar.
bends, pull-offs, hammer-ons, and slides—are two beats and practice them until you’ve got
integral to the flavor of this piece. the timing correct. Pete Madsen is a San Francisco Bay Area–
based guitarist, author, and educator who
You can pick any of the phrases from Being a self-taught guitarist who played specializes in acoustic blues, ragtime, and slide
“Libba-ration” and use them as exercises for the guitar upside down certainly must have guitar. learnbluesguitarnow.com.
perfecting your technique. been a challenge for Elizabeth Cotten. You

Hammer-ons that land on the beat with a

Ex. 9 œj œœj œ œ œj D

G

& ## Œ ‰œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ ˙ œ œ œ œœ œ œ. œ œj œj œ.
œ œ œ œ œ
œœ œœ

0 240 02 00 0
2 02 0
1 00
B2 00 00 00
2 2 0
Ex. 10 00 0
0
A7
D
& ## Œ
œ ‰œ œj œj œ œ œj œœ œœœ œ œœ œ ˙ œ œ œ œœ œ œ. œ œj œj œ.
œ œ œœ œ œ œ
œœ

0 240 0 00
02 02 02
11
B2 2 00 0 0 0 0
0 0 00 00 0 0

Ex. 11
& ## œj Dœj œ œ œj œj œ œ œj œj œj œ œ œj œj œ œ œj œj œj œ œ œj œj œ œ œj w œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ

24 0 0 24 0 0 24 0 02 00
02 0 02 0 0

B 00 00 0 0 00
00 00 0 0 00

Ex. 12
D
œj œ nœj
## ‰ nœ #œ œ ˙ ‰ nœ #œ œ ˙ ‰ nœ #œ œ œ œj œ. ˙
œ œ œ œ
& œ œ œ

œ œœ œœ œ œœ

1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2

7 9 97 70
8 8 88

B0 0 0 0 0 00 00
00
Ex. 13 0 0 0 00
Cont.“oLnibpb. 4a6-ration”
D AcousticGuitar.com 45

jj

œœ œ œ œœ œœ
œœ œœ œ œ œœ
0
1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2

WOODSHED 7 9 97 70
8
8 88
0
BCont. from p. 45 0 0 00 00 00
0
Ex. 13 0 œ 0 0 00

“Libba-ration” 0
D
œj œ œj
## nœ #œ œ ˙ nœ #œ œ ˙ nœ #œ nœ œ œ nœ #œ œ ˙
œ œ œ œœœ
& ‰ ‰ œ ‰ œ #œ
1/2
œœ œœ œ

1/2 1/2 1/2

7 0 10 9 7 0
8 8 8 8

B0 00 0 0 0 01
00
0 00 00

G œj D œj œ.
œ œ
5 ## ‰ œ œœ œ ˙ ‰ œ œœ nœ œ œj ˙ œ œ œœ nœ œ œ œœ nœ
œ œ œ œ œ
& œ œ œ

œœ

0 3 00 3 3 0
02 02 0 02 02

B0 0 0 0 00 00
22 22 00
œ
00

G nœj œ œj œ D œj
œ œ œ
9 ## ‰ œ œœ œ ˙ œ œ œœ œ ˙ œ œ œ œœ œ ˙ œ œ œj
œ œ œ œ
& œ œ

0 0 30 2 02 0 0 0
2 02 0
0
B2 0 00 0 0 0 42
2 2 0
œ 0 0
0 ˙
D œ
A7 œj œ. œj
œ œ œ
13 ## œœ œ œœ œ ˙ ‰ œ œœ œ ˙ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œj
œ œ œ œœ
& œ

0 240 0 0
01 02 0
2 01 0 0 0 0
B2 2 0 0 0 42
00 œ 0 w
0 w

A7 D

17 ## œœ œ œœ œ ˙ ‰ œ œœ œ œj œ œj ˙ œ œ œ œœ œ
œ œ œœ œ œ
&

0 0 00 02 0
01
01
B22 2 00
00 0
42 0 0 0

46 July 2017

Designed to be your ideal acoustic guitar,
the new 2017 A Series is crafted from the
ground up to be perfectly suited to achieve

your sound in the studio and on stage.

WOODSHED

How to Play Duck Baker
‘The Odd
Fellows
March’

Duck Baker makes the most of
unconventional voicings in this
wonderfully off-center rag

BY STEVE BOISSON

W hen young, hot-shot fingerstylist Pink Panther. Baker is an eclectic player, in a spate of Baker releases of late. The Vouty
Richard “Duck” Baker first met Chet acclaimed for his work in both modern jazz version places the clarinet up front, but Baker
Atkins some 25 years ago, he picked a few and traditional folk, and this piece arose out of plays the song solo on a YouTube video
tunes for the legendary guitarist, who one of his recent preoccupations: exploring version. The arrangement printed here is an
remarked that he “plays like Jerry.” As in Jerry keys not usually associated with fingerstyle earlier, abridged rendition, but it does demon-
Reed, “which I took to be such a compliment,” guitar. “When you’re playing in the flat keys strate the dipsy-doodle feel of the song.
Baker says, “but I was shocked that anybody and put open strings in funny places, you find Though Baker plays a nylon-string guitar, this
would compare me to Jerry Reed.” all kinds of unexpected chord voicings,” Baker solo arrangement will sound good on any type
says. “If you were to do a serious survey of of guitar. It’s best played fingerstyle, with your
As a mutual friend explained, Reed often people playing modern jazz, fingerstyle, thumb covering strings 6–4, and your index,
chided Chet over his adherence to normal they’re all going to be into it.” middle, and ring fingers picking the higher
chord shapes. “That’s not the way Jerry strings. The picking-hand patterns are pretty
thought and it’s definitely not the way I think. Baker recently recorded the song with his straightforward, but the fretting hand’s role is
If I’m thinking of voicings, then I’ll move my trio—including Alex Ward on clarinet and John a little more demanding.
fingers around until I can get what I want. Edwards on bass—for Deja Vouty (Fulica), one
And that’s what’s going on in this tune.”

The tune is “The Odd Fellows March,” a
quirky original composition in the key of AH
major. The title recalls the early days of labor
guilds, when those who plied unusual trades
banded together as “odd fellows.” “I was
thinking, What is this? It’s like a march. This
is an odd kind of march. I’ll call it ‘The Odd
Fellows March.’”

It’s an intriguing, rag-like number, reminis-
cent of Henry Mancini’s comedic score to The

Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Ab7 Gmaj7 Ex. 3 bD 7 B7sus4 B7 A7sus4 A7
x0 3 0 4 x
bA maj7 Amaj7 231xxx 213xxx bD 7sus4 x1314 x 4 fr. x1314 x x1314x x0 3 0 4 x
13400x 4 fr. x1314 x 4 fr.
213 4 fr.

Ex. 4 Gb7 Ex. 5 Ex. 6 Ex. 7

Db7 x14320 E7 Gb7 bA 7alt

x231xx 3x142x 3x142 x 4 fr. 131204 4 fr.

48 July 2017

3
Swing (q q =q e)
%bA maj7
D7 Db7 F#7 E7 Amaj7 bA 7 Gmaj7
3 3
. .
& bbbb 44 nœj .. œœ n œn œœœJ ‰ œj n n œœœ œ œ œœ ‰ bœj nnœ˙ #œ œ #œ n#œ˙˙ nbbœœœ... n#nJœœœj n œj
œ œ # ‰ œ n # œœ œ Œ n˙ #œ œœœ ... ‰
Œ Œ # œJ .

.0 020 0 20
05 1 13 11 4
3 2 14
.0 6 4 4 2 0 64 32
65 4 23

B4 05

b b bA 7 D 7sus4 D 7 B7sus4 B7 A7sus4 A7 #E7 F 11 E7 A9

5 bbbb œ nœ œ nœ nbbœœ˙ œœ nœ n # œœ n n œœ n # œœ n n œœ #œ #œ n œœ œœ nœ œ œ n # œœ .. n #n œœœj œœœœ ‰ n œj
œ Œ n # ˙œ n˙ n˙ #˙ nœ. ‰ Œ
& n

57 467 6 5432 00 0
4 20 13 0 14
6 3 05 0
4 42 02
B4 20 4
02 05

A2 bA maj7 bD 7 3 F#7 Ab7 Db7
nnœœœ œ œ n # œœ nbbœœœ... nbbœœœJj œœœ...
D7 E7 Amaj7
. # Jœ . 3
9 œœ
bbbb b b œœ œ bœ n œ# nn œœœ ‰ œj œ œ ‰ bœj nnœ˙ #œ œ#œ n # ˙˙œ #œ œ‰j
& Œ . Œ . Œ n˙

0 020 020
0 51 13 11 1
B 64 32 13 3
65 4 0 64 32
4 4 2
2
05

bG 7 B7 3 E7 G7 C maj7 F7 #11 3 E7 A7

13 bbbb bb˙œ bœ œ bœ##n˙œ˙ nœ œnœ n œ ..n œ # œ œœ œœ #œ nœ #œ n n œœœ .. œ œ œ b œœ‰ œœ nœ œnœ n # œœ . n œ n œœœJ œœœ ‰ bœj
n œœ œJ ˙ n n˙ nœ . # n Œ
& # n

0 32 23 0 00 0 30 0
2 454 44 4 42 1
34 21 05 6
B 44 23 3
10 43 1 4
B 05
Ab7 E7 F#
D7 C9 B9

17 bbbb b n œœ bœ bœ œ nœ nœ #œ #œ # # œœ #œ #œ #œ nnœœ nœ œ n n www n ## ˙˙˙˙ œœœœ ... n ‰œj
bœ nœ nœ . #œ nœ n˙ n˙ n .
& . .

. #

71 20 2
47 0 7 3 2
5 7 62 3 12
B 6 8 40 2
69 96 03 3
407 2
AcousticGuitar.com 49

WOODSHED

E7 C9 D Bb7 Ab9 F7 Bb9 A9

21 bbbb n # œœ nœ nœ n œ n n œœ bœ œ n # œœ nœ nœ n œ b n œœ bœ œ œœ bœœœnnœœ œ œœ n œœœœ œ œœœœ nn#nœœœœ . ‰ œj
nœ nœ #œ nœ bœ œ œœœœ Œ
&
œ
.

03 3 3 1 3 1 1 31 6
1 03 2 332 2 5 54
B2 04 03 4 16 65 0
23 01 5 54
00 2 14 1 6 65

A3

bA maj7 D7 Db7 F#7 E7 Amaj7 Ab7 Db7
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50 July 2017