This series presents guitar solos that I have enjoyed performing in concerts around the world. Country blues, classic ragtime, New Orleans marches, fiddle tunes and jazz standards are all discussed. For the intermediate to advanced student. 54 page tab/music book.

LESSON ONE: Three guitar arrangements from the 1920's are presented from the playing of Sam McGee, Big Bill Broonzy and Willie Brown. Sam McGee's Franklin Blues is a fine example of a square dance melody played in a fingerpicking technique. Willie Brown's Ragged And Dirty shows how complex fingerpicking can be adapted to a country blues theme. Big Bill's arrangement of the pop standard Glory Of Love shows how country blues can adapt a Tin Pan Alley hit!

LESSON TWO: It is a challenge to arrange and play American fiddle tunes or Celtic melodies on the guitar. This lesson presents several approaches. Dave Laibman's arrangement for Colored Aristocracy features a Chet Atkins approach. Midnight On The Water, a beautiful Texas waltz, was arranged by Duck Baker and features counterpoint lines and variations on the theme. The West Wind is an evocative Irish air played with a classical feel.

LESSON THREE: The dropped D tuning offers many interesting playing possibilities. In this lesson we first tackle the classic rag Powder Rag and then a sophisticated country blues - Tribute To Lonnie Johnson. Both your left and right hands will receive many challenging moments from blues vibrato to ragtime syncopation.

LESSON FOUR: Two New Orleans standards are presented in this lesson. Both are played in the key of C with a style that combines an alternating bass with single-string runs and counterpoint lines. Mabel's Dream was popularized by the King Oliver Band. I have tried to orchestrate this arrangement to capture the feel and lines of the original 1923 recording. High Society is a well known instrumental used at the Mardi Gras parades.

LESSON FIVE: Charles Mingus's Goodbye Porkpie Hat has become part of the repertoire of jazz, rock and folk guitarists. My arrangement was put together after Larry Coryell taught me the chart that Mingus had used in his recording in the 1970's for Atlantic Records. The theme, introduction and ideas for improvising are discussed.

LESSON SIX: We end this series with a true "fingerbuster". Originally written in the 1920's, Nola became popular in the 1950's on a recording by Les` Paul using multi-tracking techniques. Dave Laibman put all the "tracks" into one fingerstyle arrangement! Counterpoint, alternating bass, single string runs and unusual fingerings are all combined to produce this very complex and challenging guitar solo.

gw 1053   6 audio cassettes only   $49.95