[-Lk]

I'm working my way through this book called "beginning fingerstlye blues", and I'm doing alright with the technique exercises and getting the thumb doing it's thing. But I am starting to want to play some actual songs in the style, and all the songs in this book (Beekman blues, M&O blues etc..) are at the end, and seem a good deal more advanced than I think I can tackle yet. Can anyone point me to some easier tunes in the ame style?

[dadfad]

First, welcome to GTU. That book was written by an extremely close friend of mine, Mark Galbo! Mark and I have been good friends for well over twenty years. There are lots of tunes in that style (as in many hundreds) with varying degrees of difficulty. (Actually you'd probably find those tunes... "M & O" and "Beekman" not as difficult as you'd think once you get the basic hang of alternating-bass down to a reasonable level.)

If you're familiar with some of the tunes of Bowling Green John Cephas or Mississippi John Hurt, many of those tunes can be played in a slightly simplified style of alternating thumb but still sound great. The Elizebeth Cotten tune "Freight Train" is a good one to learn alternating thumb bass on (it's the one I used teaching my daughter when shen she was first learning the style and with other beginning alternating-bass students). When it comes down to it, there really is no way to get around practicing until using your thumb becomes second nature, and as it gets more and more familiar to you, adding more and more complex treble-line additions to it.

Anyway, again, welcome to GTU. And by the way, Mark instructs at several workshops in the US. I don't know where you're from, but one might not be too far away.

[-Lk]

Thanks dadfad. From some of your other posts I had the sneaking suspicion that you might know Mark Galbo. I was actually trying to decide if I should try to learn candy man or freight train first. I'm thinking I'll go for freight train. I just thought that it might not be a good idea to skip ahead to the end of the book without working my way throught the rest of it. It seems like this book is written so that each part builds on the last and I didn't want to start learning to do things wrong...

[dadfad]

I think you're right to go with "Freight Train" over "Candyman" first. I wouldn't worry about skipping ahead (but I would be sure to also keep reading and practicing start-to-finish as well). I'm pretty familiar with the book. I remember when Mark was working on it. When it was first published he gave me a copy for my daughter (came with a cassette back then, probably a CD now!). Mark is one of the best teachers I know. I know and have known many tremendous guitarists in country-blues, many were better guitarists than Mark (although he is extremely good), but I've never met a better teacher more dedicated to making sure his student(s) "gets it." I've been to workshops we've both attended together back when he lived in Vermont and sat in on a couple of classes he taught just to watch his teaching methods. Even in a class of fifteen or twenty beginners (he prefers to teach beginning-blues classes generally) he works with each one giving individualized attention as needed yet never "holding up" the rest of the class. He's also a pretty versatile guitarist and is proficient in other genres besides country-blues, including electric blues and rockabilly.

He lives in Colorado now and gives lessons and workshops in the Telluride area and occassionally during the summer in West Virginia or elsewhere. He also has a pretty good beginner's video out (a plug for a friend!). I haven't spoken to him for a couple of months (it was his son Samson's birthday). Your post has made me decide to pick up the phone and give him a call!

By the way, the tune "M & O Blues" isn't really difficult except for the timing, which is very unusual with its relatively simple licks flowing into one another in a fairly complex way from high-up to low on the neck and back. Practice it extremely slow at first and work up to speed gradually. When I learned that tune (I'm a big Tommy Johnson fan) it threw me for awhile too as I tried to figure it out from the original old recording. In any case, keep at it. You'll surprise yourself how alternating-thumb will come to you. Every time you sit down and watch TV or get a chance (even while reading!), pick up that guitar and get that thumb going back and forth until it has a mind of its own and you don't even have a thought about what it's doing. It'll soon fall into place.

[sunday_girl]

Hi Dadfad and Lk,
Been off for a while and hardly picked up my guitar(for shame on me) anyway,
started picking her up again and god am i rusty. cant do anything like i used too.
serves me right for stopping for so long.
anyway read this post and went to look at the tab for freight train and am going to give it a go.
looks really nice and something i can get my teeth into playing once more.
alternating bass is a weak point of mine but i am going to succeed this time.

hope you enjoy learning it too Lk.


sunday

[Mikky04]

aaahhhh!!!
too much too read!

[Claptonman]

Thats what ya get with john or Mr. hat.

[B.B. Hudson]

I'll have to look up that book. I don't play my acoustic enough these days due to band related duties

[raewyn]

Hey LK, I'm kind of in the same boat, learning fingerpicking from a book. I'm doing "fingerpicking guitar manual" by Brett Duncan and the very first bit in it is the alternating bass. It took a little while to get into it but it formed the base of about the next twenty lessons, covering all types of picking patterns which use the alternating base so you are practicing it without even realising.

I think what helped me the most is I was given a guitar stand for my birthday and my other present (which I bought myself, my beauuuutiful resonator - oh god, she's not going on about that damn thing again is she?) sits right in my dining room instead of being away in its case in the study. Now when I have a minute I just pick it up and play instead of thinking "I haven't got time now" or whatever. I reckon if I add all those little five minute practices together I've doubled my daily practice time. Also because I just pick it up and fiddle about and try things, I'm enjoying it a lot more.

Persevere, because it will come, and when it does you wont even realise you're doing it.

[B.B. Hudson]

It's a funny thing, but my old piano teacher always told me the best way to practise was to play for 5 minutes several times a day rather than playing for 45 minutes once a day. It was something to do with the brain having more time to absorb what you've learned.

[sunday_girl]

thats what i am doing to be honest. its funny i could practice for hours and hours before, but with a few weeks off. I am terrible.
so for freight train its five mins at a time and taking it easy.

sunday

[dadfad]

Hey LK, I'm kind of in the same boat, learning fingerpicking from a book.  I'm doing "fingerpicking guitar manual" by Brett Duncan and the very first bit in it is the alternating bass.  It took a little while to get into it but it formed the base of about the next twenty lessons, covering all types of picking patterns which use the alternating base so you are practicing it without even realising.

I think what helped me the most is I was given a guitar stand for my birthday and my other present (which I bought myself, my beauuuutiful resonator - oh god, she's not going on about that damn thing again is she?) sits right in my dining room instead of being away in its case in the study.  Now when I have a minute I just pick it up and play instead of thinking "I haven't got time now" or whatever.  I reckon if I add all those little five minute practices together I've doubled my daily practice time.  Also because I just pick it up and fiddle about and try things, I'm enjoying it a lot more.

Persevere, because it will come, and when it does you wont even realise you're doing it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, that's an excellent tip, Raewyn, that I learned myself long ago. Keep a guitar always as accessible as possible and you are much more likely to pick it up for a few minutes whenever you have the chance (I even used to have a cheap one on a stand in my basement bathroom until my wife finally convinced me that was as she put it "too gross for words!")

It also applies considerably when one begins to work in alternate tunings. If you already have a guitar in that tuning and don't have to change and re-tune every time you want to practice you are much more likely to practice in that new tuning.


(Notice I refrained from referring to the bathroom guitar as a "crappy one?" )