The Art of Fingerstyle Guitar

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Th e A r t o f F i n g e r s t y l e

G u i t a rf e a t u r i n g

J o h n R e n b o u r n

S t e fa n G r o s sm a n

P e p p i n o D ’ A g o s t i n o

Ma r t i n Ca r t h y

B ob B r o z m a n

Ma r t i n S im p s o n

Br a d J o n e sJ o e Mi l l er



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Th e A r t o f

F in ge r s t y le G u i t a rby Mark Humphrey

Art, the Oxford American Dictionary informs us, is “the pro-duction of something beautiful, skill or ability in such work.”Unlike other forms of art, which we experience as artifacts quitedetached from their creators, musical performance gives us theexperience of the artifact, the artist and in improvised music,the moment of creation all simultaneously. No wonder musi-cians get stagefright! They have a lot happening (and at stake)every time they perform. Imagine demanding other artists toreveal so many elements of their art all at once. It requires aspecial sort of concentration, a balanced sense of introspection

and extroversion to excel at such a pursuit. But, risk taking aside,being such a complete means of expression is what makes musica joy for performer and audience alike. “Music,” asserts criticEdmund Hildebrandt,“...in a man’s hands is his chief means of self-advertisement, and it unites even the lone figure with theworld around him...”

The performers in this DVD bear witness to that unitythrough their music. The music (and musicians) express differ-ent t raditions, personalities and stylistic approaches via their gui-tars. Yet there is a commonality, not only in the instrument andfundamental approach to it bu t also in the choice of these play-

ers to both take risks and to respect tradition. Bob Brozmanplays Moana Chimes (Hawaiian Greetings) unlike any of theHawaiian guitarists of the 1920s, yet his cheeky version over-flows with love of his sources. John Renbourn p lays renaissancelute music on a steel string guitar with a phase shifter. Joe Mil lerfeeds his guitar an American fiddle tune and Stefan Grossmanpicks one from the Irish harp repertoire of Turlough O'Carolan.Peppino D’Agostino uses unorthodox techniques to transformhis guitar into a Brazilian rhythm band. Brad Jones moves fromclassicism to fleet references to two of his major in fluences, jazzpianist/ composer Vince Guraldi and country guitarist Jerry Reed.

Martin Simpson deftly plays the spaces around notes in his solospot, while his duets with Brozman explore modal music, oneselection suggesting the Anglo-American The Cuckoo and theother the North Indian rag Yaman. The incomparable MartinCarthy shows what can be done with a mere five notes from apentatonic Mixolydian mode in Seven Yellow Gypsies .

For all the variety in these 14 performances, there is a unityof skill, passion and exploration. Starting from such unlikely in-



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spirations as the English ‘skiffle’ craze which brought us suchdim-witted delights as Does You r Chew ing Gum Lose Its Flavo r

on the Bedpost Overnigh t , these musicians have continuallyexplored new realms of sound until arriving at one which wasabsolutely personal and right and became the sound of theirown voice through the guitar.

The means of getting there are obviously different. Oneguitarist uses fingerpicks while another purely flesh and nails.Some play with a semiclassical right hand position and others

anchor the ‘p inky’ on the guitar’s face, as was recommended ina 17th century manual fo r lutenists: “set your Little Finger downupon the Belly of the Lute, just under the Bridge...it steadies theHand and gives a Certainty to the Grasp.” Various tunings andstyles of guitar - classical, flamenco, steel string, metal-bodied -express the musical personalities of these players. They tell uswho they are by these means. The art of fingerstyle guitar? It’splaying with such self-certainty that a musical phrase unfoldsinto something as unique and ident ifiable as a fingerprint. Hereare eight of the id iom’s finest artists clearly telling us who theyare.

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J o h n R e n b o u r n



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S t e fa n Gr o ss m a n

A remarkable career in teaching and performing began forBrooklyn-born Grossman as a teenaged pupil of the legendaryRev. Gary Davis. “I was absolutely enamored by him,” Grossmanrecalled in a Guitar Player feature. He spent as much time aspossible with Davis, documenting one of the most extraordi-nary repertoires in American folk music. This was the era of bluesrediscoveries and soon Grossman was meeting (and learningfrom) the likes of John Hurt, Skip James, and Son House. By

1965, his knack for transmitting what he had absorbed wasmanifest in an instructional album, How to Play Blues Guita r forthe Elektra label. A few years later, Grossman wrote an influen-tial series of books documenting varied blues and ragtime gui-tar styles for Oak Publications. By then he lived in England, wherehe soaked up the music of everyone from Eric Clapton to JohnRenbourn, with whom he has performed extensively. With theformation of the Kicking Mule label in 1973, Grossman becamethe nexus of an international crop of fingerstyle guitarists whooffered vital and varied music (as well as instructional mate-rial).

Today Grossman continues to perform, teach, and documentoutstanding guitar stylists. He has reissued the best material thathe produced for Kicking Mule on the Guitar Artistry Series forShanachie Records. As evidence of his own eclectic artistry, Gross-man the ‘Brooklyn blues boy’ here performs the lilt ing Irish tune,Sheebeg a nd Sheemore , attributed to the legendary blind harp-ist O’Carolan, as well as some hot acoustic funk in Danish Drone

with Duck Baker.

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Shining Shadows (Shan achie)

Love, Devi ls and the Blues (Shan achie)

Guitar Landscapes (Shan achie)

How to Play Blues Guitar (Shanachie)

Black Melodies on a Clear Afternoon (Shana chie)

Yazoo Basin Boog ie (Shana chie)

Shake That Thing ( Shanachie)

Snap A Litt le Owl with John Renbourn (Shanachie)

Keeper of the Vine with John Renbou rn (Shana chie)

Northern Skies, Southern Blues with Du ck Baker (Shanachie)

V i d e o s / D V D s

Stefan Grossman - A Retrospective (Vestapol 13 036 )

Fingerpicking Guitar Techniques (GW 966/ 7)

Bott leneck Blues Guitar ( GW 902)

How to Play Blues Guitar (( GW 903)

Country Blues Guitar Parts 1, 2 & 3 (GW 9045 6)

Advanced Fingerpicking Guitar/ Blues Guitar (GW 928 )

Advanced Fingerpicking Guitar/ Ragtim e Blues Guitar (GW 929)

Advanced Fingerp icking Guitar/ Hot Fiddle Tunes & Rags (GW 930)

Fingerpicking Country Blues Guitar (GW 931)

Bo b Br o zm a nNo player is moreclosely identified with hisinstrument (or instruments)than Bob Brozman, who hasspearheaded the revived in-terest in the National guitar.The Brooklyn-born Brozmancame to the instrument viahis discovery of such Na-tional-brandishing blues-

men as Son House andBukka White (House praisedthe metal-bodied guitar’sutility as both a shield andweapon in bar roombrawls). “I was into blues soheavily that I was buying ev-ery album with a picture of a Nat ional on i t , ” saysBrozman, who found onesuch album offering not

only blues but also the Ha-waiian music of Sol Hoopii.The discovery of Hoopii ’s as-tonishing technique promp-ted Brozman to seek outvintage Hawaiian 78s andreplicate their sounds on his ever-expanding collection of vin-tage National guitars.

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In the 1970s, Brozman was also honing his performing skillsas a street busker in Santa Cruz: “I learned yodeling, scat sing-ing and growling on the street,” says Brozman, who adds thatthe projection and visual appeal of National guitars helped stimu-late tips. By the early 1980s, Brozman had moved off the streets

and on to such coveted gigs as opening for the Grateful Deadand Bonnie Raitt . He has recorded and toured extensively since,authored the defini tive history of vintage Nationals and workedas consultant to the new National company in the developmentof their Tricone guitars. Brozman’s performances here demon-strate both his technical range and some of the varied soundsof the Tricone and style “O” m odel Nationals. Moana Chimes

(Hawaiian Greetings) becomes a showcase for Brozman’s useof harmonics on his Tricone, while his ragtime jaunt on h is style“O” suggests the forgotten splendors of vaudeville tenor banjo-ists.

A Trucklo ad o f Blues (Round er Records)

Devil's Slide (Rounde r Records)

Hello Centr al, Give Me Dr. Jazz (Roun der Records)


Bob Brozman in Concert (Vestapol 13047 )

Bott leneck Blues Guitar (Hom espun Tapes)

Tradit ion al Haw aiian Guitar (Hom espun Tapes)

Hot Guita r Techniq ues From Folk to Jazz Volum es 1 & 2 (Home spun Tapes)

Br a d J o n esBrad Jones grew up

surrounded by pickers.When his dad wasn’tworking on the Ames,Iowa police force, he wasstarring on one of thoseonce-ubiqui tous ‘ l ive ’country radio shows, TheBuster Jones Show. Olderbrother Ron was finger-picking a la Merle Travisand Chet Atkins, so i t wasnatural for Brad Jones tofollow in the family tradi-

tion. As is evident fromthe autographs on hisclassical-sty le guitar,Jones wears his inf lu-ences proudly, primarilythat of the wise guy whowrote, “To Brad, My Hero”

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- Jerry Reed. Also known as ‘the Claw,’ Reed took Atkins’ style toanother dimension in the 196Os and Jones says, “I went crazywith Jerry’s stuff. I do a lot of h is licks but I do ‘em different.” Theinfluence of left-handed brother Ron contributed: Ron played aright-handed guitar upside down, picking the bass notes (a la

Libba Cotten) with his fingers. “I just never learned to p lay right,”says Jones. “I double pick a whole lot on the bottom and get akind of funky sound.” (Not ice that he sometimes cross picks upand down with his thumbpick as if it were a flat pick.)

Jones has three albums out on the Virginia-based Flat Fivelabel, and in 1992 won the fingerstyle guitar competition inWinfield, Kansas. He has played in Europe in the company of such legends as Albert Lee, Larry Coryell and Marcel Dadi, butJones doesn’t lean on the guitar for his livelihood. “I move furni-ture,” he says. “I go on tour when I can, but I don’t take it all thatserious. I tried that a while, but I got severely overweight, so I

had to go back to work.”Live at Five ( Flat Five)

Backpo rch Boogi e (Flat Five)


Guitar Portraits (Vestapol 130 96)

Bag of Tricks, Pocketfu l of Licks (GW 92 5)

Styles & Techniq ues of Jerry Reed ( GW953 )

Hot Licks, Rhythm s & Grooves (GW95 5)

Legacy of Country Fingerstyle Guitar Volume On e & Two ( GW962 & GW963)

Back Porch Picking ( GW964)

Songs of Inspirat ion & Joy (GW965)

Ma r t in S im p s onWriters have t ied

themselves in knots of ad- ject ival ecstasy describingSimpson’s playing (“un-derstated beauty... ,”“breathtak ing musicalclarity,” “tunes..like glis-tening jewels”). Simpsonfirst inspired praise on theEnglish folk club circuit,where he trailed in thewake of the seminal1960s folk revival guitar-ists (Davey Graham, BertJansch, Martin Carthy,John Renbourn) and ab-sorbed a fair measure of American blues and ‘o ld-timey’ music in the bar-



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gain. He was sharing bills with the likes of Richard Thompsonand Steeleye Span while still in his teens and made a quantumartistic leap in 1977 when he embarked on a decade long ven-ture as accompanist to singer’s singer, June Tabor.

Simpson’s work w ith Tabor not only brought him greater

attention but focused his attitude towards interpreting traditionalsongs. (He became hooked on them when he learned BarbaraAllen at school in Scunthorpe at age seven.) “I started playingthe guitar because I wanted to tell stories like Marty Robbins,”says Simpson. “I still feel I’m much more influenced by singersand songs than I am by guitar players.” And that’s how Simpsonapproaches his arrangements of traditional songs: “ I don ’t learnthe tunes,” he says. “I learn the songs...I know exactly what thelyrics are about. If I don’t, I don’t play.”

Since moving to America in 1988, Simpson has found ampleopportunity to flaunt his blues chops as well, even performing

at blues festivals with pianist Henry Gray, onetime Howlin’ Wolf band member. “When the British became aware of black mu-sic,” says Simpson, who has played blues as long as he has bal-lads, “the effect was unbelievable.” His duets with Bob Brozmanare thus no great stretch for th is gifted multi -stylist. Simpson isthe author of The Acoustic Guita r of Marti n Simpson (Accent onMusic)

Leaves of Life (Shana chie)

When I Was On Horseback (Shanachie)

The Collect ion ( Shan achie)

A Closer Walk With Thee (Gourd Records)

Red Roses w/ Jessica Simp son (Rhian non Record s)


Mar tin Simpson In Concert (Vestapol 1304 6)

Acoustic Guitar Instrum entals/ Arrangem ents in Alternate Tunin gs (Homespun Tapes)

P e p p i n o D ’A g o st i n oMessina, Italy was the birthplace of Peppino D’Agostino, who

has since taken in much of the world’s music and become, ac-cording to San Francisco Examiner critic Phill ip Elwood, “a poeton acoustic guitar, handling the instrument as if it were a dancepartner...” D’Agostino took his first steps with guitar at age 11and was moving smoothly enough by age 18 to be performingacross Italy. Paco DeLucia was an early influence, but soon

D’Agostino was writing his own distinctive material incorporat-ing influences from across Europe as well as Brazil and NorthAmerica. His debut album, Bluerba, was a collaboration withEnzo Ponzio and Alfredo Morabito. 1983s Silk And Steel pre-sented D’Agostino in the company of Duck Baker as well as sev-eral noted Italian guitarists, among them Giovanni Unterberger.D’Agostino’s mastery of varied ‘attacks’ and repertoires came in



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handy that same year when Berben-Italy had him write a blue-grass and count ry guitar flat-picking instructional book.

In the decade since, D’Agostino’s reputation has gone in-ternational and he has expatriated to the West Coast. He hasshared stages with the likes of Doc Watson, Leo Kottke, ChetAtkins, John Lee Hooker and Michael Hedges Whimsically call-ing his style “minestrone music,” D’Agostino says of the guitar,“You embrace it. It’s intimate. Unlike a keyboard, the guitar canbe held close to the heart.”

Sparks ( Shan achie)

Acoustic Spir i t ( Shan achie) Close To The Heart (M esa/ Blue Moon )

Silk And Steel (Lizard Records)

Bluerba (Drums)

J o h n R en b o u r nLondon-born and nurtured on American folk music via

‘skiffle,’ Renbourn became deeply entrenched in the vibrant Lon-don music scene of the 1960s. Inspired by Ramblin’ Jack Elliott,Big Bill Broonzy and other seminal American influences,Renbourn played Jimmy Reed tunes with English R 'n' B bandsbefore absorbing the eclectic music of Davey Graham and the

jazz/ blues t inged traditionalism of Bert Jansch. Renbourn ’sfriendship w ith flat-mate Jansch produced some legendary gui-tar duets (Bert & John / After the Dan ce , Shanachie Records), andprovided the core for the uniquely adventurous ‘folk baroque’ensemble, Pentangle.

Since the dissolution of Pentangle in 1973, Renbourn hasmaintained an active solo career as well as performing and re-

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cording duets with Stefan Grossman (Snap a L i t t l e Owl ,Shanachie Records). Readers of Renbourn’s prose in Guitar Playerand elsewhere know he is also a passionate scholar of guitarmusic from varied genres and eras. Dick Weissman wrote of Renbourn in Acoustic Guitar: “He always has a clear vision of what can and cannot be done on the steel-string guitar and hecan coax an almost classical sound out of the instrument, wi thall the subtle gradations of tone that the best classical playerscan create.”

Renbourn’s performances here illustrate his expansive re-

naissance-to-rock artistry. “I think the m ost enjoyable approachto the guitar,” Renbourn told Stefan Grossman in a Frets maga-zine interview, “ is to regard it, if you can, as something like askeyboard instrument, with the possibility of playing the sepa-rate parts, rather than embracing a style of music which youthen have to fit all the music into...My concern is playing thetype of music I like. How it actually sounds is an accident.”

The Black Balloon ( Shan achie)

Sir John Alot... (Shan achie)

The Hermit (Shanachie)

The Lady And The Unicorn (Shanachie)

Snap a Litt le Owl w/ Stefan Grossman (Shana chie)

Live In Concert w/ Stefan Grossma n (Shana chie)

John Renbourn Group/ A Maid In Bedlam (Shanachie)

John Renbou rn's Ship Of Fools (Flying Fish)

The Nine M aidens (Flying Fish)


John Renbourn 196 5-199 5 (Vestapol 13032 )

Folk, Blues & Beyond (GW 9 07)

Celt ic Melodies & Open Tunin gs (GW 908 )

The Jazz Ting e (GW 917 )

Medieval & Renaissance M usic for Fingerstyle Guitar (GW947)

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Ma r t in S im p s on & Bo b Br o zm a n

How did this seemingly unlikely duo come to be? Simpsonand Brozman met at the 1993 NAMM (National Association of Music Merchandisers) Show in Los Angeles, testing and demon-strating instruments at the National guitar company display. “Itwas a seemingly telepathic relationship from the start,” saysBrozman, who admits to “ a prejudice against...Celtic stuff” priorto meeting Simpson. Common ground, however, was provided

by the blues. “What makes it work,” says Simpson, “is that Boband I are well grounded in traditional forms...We have a similarvocabulary of music and it works wonderfully.” Enough so that aSimpson/ Brozman album is in the works.

Ma r t i n Ca r t h yThe premier singer/ guitarist of Britain’s folk revival w as in-

spired to take up the guitar by Big Bill Broonzy and has quipped:“Basically, what I do is Travis picking trodden upon to make itwork for English music.” But there’s little mistaking Carthy’s ob-lique yet commanding attack on his lovably battered 000-18

Martin for any American antecedent. His triumph has been cre-ating a style which is uniquely personal and singularly right fortraditional English music. Carthy has been a mainstay of the English folk scene sincethe early 1960s, during which time he influenced such visitorsas Bob Dylan (Lord Fran klin came from Carthy) and Paul Simon(Scarbor ough Fair ). His punchy, angular playing and penchant



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for ballads rife with murder,myth and magic made hima sensation, and yielded sev-eral classic albums for theFontana label in the 1960s.

He was then just developinghis unique guitar tuning andrhythmically challenging ap-proach to such songs as thepentatonic Seven Ye l l ow

Gypsies.

The 1970s found Carthyoccasionally engaged in thefolk-rock bands of bass-play-ing enfant terrible AshleyHutchings (Steeleye Span

and Albion Country Band),sometimes solo as a singer-gui tar is t and others acappella in the traditionalvocal quartet the Watersons.The 199Os find Carthy againteamed with fiddler DaveSwarbrick, who accompa-nied him on many of his

most memorable 1960s recordings. Widely acclaimed as one of the most creative living acoustic guitarists (Musician magazine

once ranked him among the ‘Hundred Greatest Guitarists of AllTime’), Carthy dow nplays his achievement as an instrum entali stand says, “Your business is to transmit the song.”

The Collect ion ( Green Linnet)

Life and Limb w/ Dave Swarb rick (Green Linnet)

Mar t in Carthy (Topic Records)

V i d e o / D V D

Mar tin Carthy: Brit ish Fingerstyle Guitar (GW 927)

S t e fa n G r o ss m a n & Du ck Ba k e rFingerstyle funk on an acoustic guitar? No sweat for Duck

Baker, ably assisted by Stefan Grossman. Baker, it’s tempting to

say, took to music like his namesake to w ater. “The first musicalexperience I can recall,” he says, “was when I w as in kindergar-ten and one of the kids’ parents came in dressed up like a gypsyand played the fiddle. I thought it was the greatest thing in theworld.” Though violin lessons bored him, Baker later managedto become something of gypsy, living variously in Vancouver,Torino, London before recently returning to his native Virginia.

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In Gitano tradition, Baker embraced the flamenco guitar,though he’s more apt to play swing than soleraes on it, as wellas a potpourri of folk and jazz from Appalachia to Manhattan(and a few foreign ports besides). The guitar usurped theukulele’s place in Baker’s world when he was 15 and trying tolearn Doc Watson’s arrangement of the Delmore Brothers’sDeep River Blu es . But the influence of Richmond ragtime pianist BuckEvans plunged Baker headlong into a lifetime of arranging key-board music, principally jazz, for guitar. “The way you learn tocompose,” Baker told Michael Crane in an Acoustic Guitar fea-ture, “is to learn to arrange...The instrument w ill teach you what

you can and can’t do when it comes to arranging. Go out thereand try it.”Opening the Eyes of Love (Shan achie)

The Art of Fing erstyle Jazz Guita r (Shan achie)


Celtic Airs, Jigs, Reels & Horn pip es (GW 90 9)

Guitar Aerobics (GW 910)

Classic Ameri can Folk Blues Them es (GW 919)

Fing erstyle Jazz Guita r (GW 920, 921 & 92 2)

Introduction to Gospel Fingerstyle Guitar (GW312)

Introduction to Swing Guitar (GW313 )

J o e Mi ll e rThe Smothers Brothers aren’t often cited as seminal influ-

ences by virtuoso guitarists, but as a kid Joe Miller enjoyed thefun he saw them having and followed Tom’s example. But theguitar wasn’t the only instrument in Miller's world. Growing upin Toronto, which has a large Indian community, Miller studiedsitar with Shambhu Das, a student of Ravi Shankar’s . “It had abig effect on me,” Miller recalls of his sitar lessons, “learningabout rhythms and the way I think about scales.” Mandol in, clas-



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sical gui tar, electric bass, and even viola da gamba were amongthe succession of stringed instruments Miller explored beforedevoting himself to the acoustic steel-string guitar.

His move to Berkeley in 1978 put him in the midst of whatlocals deem ‘the music capital of the West,’ and opportunities

to play with the likes of mandolin virtuoso David Grisman andto teach Country Joe McDonald. Miller took hom e the gold fromthe Olympics of f ingerpicking at Winfield, Kansas in 1987. Activeon the American folk festival circuit, Miller has made two al-bum s on his Rising Sleeves label, which inspired England’s FolkRoots magazine to marvel at h is “rare combination of technique,hum or, and panache.”

West Coast Music for Guita r (Rising Sleeves)

Semi-Trad ition al Guita r Solos (Rising Sleeves)



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Jœ . Jœ .

Jœ .#

J¿ .0

5 57 7

7 6

X0

jœ . œ œ œ œ œ œJœ .n

Jœ . œ#

œ œ œ3 3 — 3 1

5 2 05 5 — 4 2

3 2

&

Repeat A to 3rd—Last time ending

jœ . ‰ j̊œ œ œ œ œ

Jœ .

J¿ . J¿ . œ

œ2 2 0

0 2 2

X X3 3 2

jœ . ‰ j̊œ œ œ jœ .Jœ .

J¿ . J¿ . œ œ2

0 2 2

X X3

0 3

Ô

Ô

Ô



20

C h a r m i n g

& ###44

ÔVERSE 1œ œ œ

2 42

œ œ

œ œœ œ œ œ2 3 2

42 2

00

œ œ ‰ j

œ œ œœ œ œ œ2

2 2 42 2

00

&

## #

Ô

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œ œn œ œ0

3 2 3

3 30

0

˙ ‰ .œœ œn œ œ

43 3

00

& ## #

Ô

Œ œœ ‰ .œ

œ œ#

œ œ

2 344 4

00

3œ œ œ œ œ jœ .œœ

œœ

œ

3 24 2 4

4 40

0

& ## #

Ô

Œ œœ ‰ jœœ œœ œ

œ

œn

œ

œ

02 2 32 2 45 5

00

œ œœ 3

œœ œœ œœ œœ

œ

œn

œ

œ

3 2 3 2 04 2 4 2 05 5

00



21

& # # #

Ô

.˙ jœ œœ

œ œ

œ œœ

2 32 2

0 00

2 2

œœ œœ 3œ œ œ œ œn

œ œ

œ Jœ

‰2 2 02 2

30 0

2 2

& # # #

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.œ jœ œ œ

œn œn

œ œ

0 22

3 3

3 3

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œn œn

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0 22

3 3

3 3

& # # #

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w

œ œ

œ œ

2 20

0

Œ œœ ‰ ..œœœ

œœ

œn

2 22 24 3

00

& # # #

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2 20

0

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œ œ# œ œ œ

2 41 2

0



22

& # # #

ÔVERSE 2

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œ œ

œ œ

2 3 3 24

2 20

0

œ ˙ œ

œ œ

œ œ

2 42 2

00

& # # #

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œ œ œ œ œ

œ œn

œ œ

02 3 2 3

3 30

0

.˙ œ

œ œn

œ œ

43 3

00

& # # #

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Œ œœ ‰ .œ

œ œ#

œ œ

2 344 4

00

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œ œ

œ œ

3 24 2 4

4 40

0

& # # #

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Œ œœ ‰ œœ jœ

œ œn

œœ

02 32 45 5

00

jœ œœ jœœ jœœ ..œœœ

œnœ

œ

3 2 04 2 0

5 50

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23

& ## #

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2 32 2

0 00

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2 2 02 20 0

2 2

& ## #

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œn œn

œ œ

0 22

3 3

3 3

.œ jœ jœ .œ

œn œn

œ œ

02

3 3

3 3

& ## #

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..˙̇ œœœ œ œ œ2 22 2

2 20

0

œœ œœ ‰ ..œœœ

œœ

œn

2 22 24 3

00

& ## #

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œ œ œ œ0

22 2

2 20

0

fi œ Ó .

œ œ œ œ œ

03

1 2

0



24

& # # #

ÔBRIDGE

œ œœ œ œ œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

2 232 24 4

2 2

Œ œ œ jœ .œ

œ

œ

œ

œœ

00

1 14 4

20

& # # #

Ô

Œ œœ jœœ ..œœ

œ œ

œ œn

2 22 24 3

00

œœ œ œœ œ

œ œ

œ œ

2 22 2 2 2

2 20 0

& # # #

Ô

..œœjœ jœ .œ

œ œ

œ œ

2 532

4 42 2

.œ jœn jœ .œ

œœ

œœ

47

56 6

0 0

& # # #

Ô

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œ œ

œœ

0 0

67 6

00

jœ œ jœ œ œœ œ œ œ

00

6 64 4

00



25

& # # #

Ô

œ œ œ jœ .œœ œ œ œ

2 23

24 4

2 2

Œ œ œ jœ .œ

œ

œ œ œœ

00

1 14 4

20

& # # #

Ô

œœ œ jœ jœ .œ

œ œ

œ œ

2 3 3 22 4

2 20

4

.œ jœ ˙

œ œ

œ œn2

22

4 32

& # # #

Ô

Œ œœ œ# œœnœ œ# œ œ

0 02 3 21 1

22

œœœ ˙˙˙ œœ#

œ œ# œ œ2 00 0 42 2 2

1 12

2

& # # #

Ô

œœœ œ œ œ œ œ#

œ œ ˙n

0 4 0 00 41 0

4

0

˙n œ œœ#.˙

03

11

0



26

& # # #

Ô

œ œ# œ œ

œ ˙n œ#0

2 3 4

2 3 4

œ Ó .

œ œ œ œ0 2 4

& # # #

Ôfi

œ œœ ‰ ..œœ

œ œ

œ œ

02 22 22 2

0 0

& # # #

Ô

..œœ jœœ œœ œ

œn œ

œ œ

0 22 2 2

0 0

3 3

œ ..˙̇

œn œ

œ œ

220 0

3 3

& # # #

Ô

..œœ jœœ œœ œ

œ œ

œ œ

0 22 2 2

0 0

2 2

w

œ œ

œ œ

0 0

2 2

Repeat:

VERSE 1

BRIDGE VERSE 2, to fi Then:



27



The performers in this collection expressdifferent traditi ons, personalities and sty-listic approaches via their guitars. Yetthere is a commonality, not only in theinstrument and fundamental approach toit but also in t he choice of these playersto both take risks and to respect tradi-

tion. Bob Brozman plays Moana Chimes

(Hawa i ian Greet ings) unlike any of theHawaiian guitarists of the 1920s, yet hischeeky version overflows with love of hissources. John Renbourn plays renais-sance lute music on a steel string guitarwith a phase shifter. Joe Miller feeds hisguitar an American fiddle tune and StefanGrossman picks one from the Irish harprepertoire of Turlough O'Carolan. PeppinoD’Agostino uses unorthodox techniquesto transform his guitar into a Brazilianrhythm band. Brad Jones moves from

classicism to fleet references to two of his major i nfluences, jazz pianist/ com-poser Vince Guraldi and country guitar-ist Jerry Reed. Martin Simpson deftlyplays the spaces around notes in his solospot, while his duets with Brozman ex-plore modal music, one selection sug-gesting the Anglo-American The Cucko o

and the other the North Indian ragYaman. The incomparable Marti n Carthy

shows what can be done with a mere five notes from a pentatonic Mixolydianmode in Seven Yello w Gyp sies.

For all t he variety in these 14 performances, there is a unit y of skill, passionand exploration. One guitarist uses fingerpicks while another purely flesh and

nails. Some play with a semiclassical right hand position and others anchor the‘pinky’ on the guitar’s face. Various tunings and styles of guitar - classical, fla-menco, steel string, metal-bodied - express the musical personalities of theseplayers. They tell us who they are by these means. The art of fingerstyle guitar?It’s playing with such self-certainty that a musical phrase unfolds into somethingas unique and identifiable as a fingerprint. Here are eight of the idiom’s finestartists clearly telling us who they are.

STEFAN GROSSM AN Sheebeg An Sheemore

BOB BROZM AN Haw aiian Greetings, Steel Guitar Stomp

JOHN RENBOURN Med ley: Lam ent For Ow en Roe O'Neil l / Mist Covered

Mou ntains Of Home/ The Orpha n, Sweet Potato BRAD JONES Fun ky Fing ers

M ARTIN SIM PSON Medley: Lord Gregory/ Bob's Song

JOE M I LLER Lime Rock M ARTIN CARTHY Seven Yellow Gypsies

PEPPINO D'AGOSTIN O Grand Canyon , Ponteio M ARTIN SIM PSON & BOB BROZMAN Bentonia, Chim es Of Timb uktu

STEFAN GROSSM AN & DUCK BAKER Dan ish Drone

V e st a p o l 1 3 0 2 1ISBN: 1-57940-996-2

Nationally distribu ted b y Rounder Records,One Camp Street, Cambridge, MA 02140

Representation to Music Stores byMel Bay Publications

© ® 2004 Vestapol Productions / A division of

Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop Inc. 0 1 1 6 7 1 3 02 1 9 5

The Art of Fingerstyle Guitar

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