Tag Archives: Americana

Free Guitar Lesson: Freight Train

Here is the tab for the first part of my  lesson on Elizabeth Cotten’s Freight Train. Here is the video, also available on Youtube. The notations for the second and third variations are available to subscribers to my newsletter. These are … Continue reading

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Chet Atkins’ “Maybelle”

Just uploaded my 2007 performance of the Chet Atkins’ tune “Maybelle,” dedicated to the great Maybelle Carter. The song uses the Chet Atkins fingerstyle techniques, his take on “banjo” rolls for guitar, and Carter-style strumming.

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Music Lessons in Koh Samui

I am currently teaching from two locations on Koh Samui. I am available every day in Ban  Lamai and every Wednesday and Friday in Ban Maenam. I teach private guitar, banjo, and mandolin lessons, as well as music theory, jazz … Continue reading

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A Link Between Country Music and Jazz

A couple of recent articles / reviews from The Atlantic and All About Jazz touch on some of the interesting overlap between country music and jazz over the last century. Skip Heller’s review of Chet Atkins’ and Les Paul’s album Guitar Monsters and Noah … Continue reading

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New Book! Guitar: A Course for Adult Beginners

I just finished printing my new book Guitar: A Course for Adult Beginners. The content is related to that found in my Beginner Guitar Series. However, the book is more focused as a workbook/songbook, emphasizing the methods for building a basic vocabulary … Continue reading

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“Banjo! The All-American Instrument” Radio Program

I just found an archived radio program well worth checking out: the Illinois Humanities Council and WBEZ 91.5 radio website provide access to a lovely talk on the banjo and American folk music by banjo player mark Dvorak (Banjo! The … Continue reading

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