Technique For Bass Guitar Players

Whether your favourite blues guitarist is Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Blind Blake, John Lee Hooker, Big Bill Broonzy, or Mississippi John Hurt, studying the basic techniques presented in this program is the first step toward being able to capture the essence of their traditional styles. In The Basics Woody Mann shows you practical ways to develop fundamental technique and offers you insights into the musical logic of blues guitar.

Whether your favourite blues guitarist is Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Blind Blake, John Lee Hooker, Big Bill Broonzy, or Mississippi John Hurt, studying the basic techniques presented in this program is the first step toward being able to capture the essence of their traditional styles. In The Basics Woody Mann shows you practical ways to develop fundamental technique and offers you insights into the musical logic of blues guitar.

John Mayer thumps out a mean bass line with his thumb. Kelly Joe Phelps uses a pinky move on his pick guard. Tommy Emmanuel’s percussive techniques are nothing short of amazing. Dave Matthews, Tim Reynolds, James Taylor, Janis Ian, JJ Cale, Greg Brown, Rodney Crowell and dozens of other top caliber players Slap, Frail and Thump to spice up their performances and compositions. Slap, Frail and Thump covers three essential percussive techniques for singer-songwriters, accompanists and solo guitar performers; palm slaps (for percussion and melody), frailing (traditionally a banjo picking technique) and thumping (combo slap and frail).

This two DVD set is for the beginner and intermediate guitarists who want to start fingerpicking. Rev. Gary Davis use to tell his students that playing the guitar was easy. He would say that a piano player has only two hands (the left keeps an alternating bass while the right plays a melody) but a guitarist has three hands! Our right hand thumb is one hand and plays the bass figures while our index finger is our second hand and plays the melody. Our third hand is our left hand which fingers chords. The results produce a full and orchestrated fingerstyle sound with a rhythmic bass played against melodic lines. This is the alternating bass technique which we sometimes jokingly refer to as "bum-chick." It is the most popular fingerpicking style played and has been used by legendary guitarists. Mississippi John Hurt, Rev. Gary Davis, Merle Travis, Doc Watson, Chet Atkins are but a few of the giants of this style.