Friday, August 31, 2018
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Friday, August 17, 2018
How Are Tommy Emmanuel’s “Fingerstyle Milestones” Video Lessons? (Hint: They’re Good…)
Tommy Emmanuel is widely known as an apex acoustic guitar player – the top of the game, the cream of the crop, the man with the plan from the street with the beat. But everyone knows that.
What I did not know was that he’s also a phenomenal teacher.
Backstory
I’ve learned some Tommy Emmanuel tunes over the years and loved his music. His style appeals to me. It’s complicated, but always melodic. Energetic, but not frenetic. And, importantly for me, it’s realistic. I love Antoine Dufour, but his tunings and arrangements are so intensely intricate that they seem a world away (…nevermind the fingernail maintenance required). Tommy, though, feels like he’s one of us.
In order to learn his songs and style in the past, I’ve looked to YouTube of course. And you can find some videos, posted from his workshops by cell phone-wielding, third row fans. And you can find relevant fingerpicking lessons, like Don Ross’s series on JamPlay (or now Mike Dawes’ lessons).
But, alas, the path forward always felt patched together and sketchy. The material on YouTube was not well-ordered, and the video is not meant for close analysis of the playing. And other fingerstyle video lessons often don’t discuss thumb pick technique (a core part of Tommy’s style).
Back to Today
And then I found out: Tommy has a series of lesson videos up on TrueFire.
A dream come true. A chance to get insight and guidance from the man, himself. No more trying to adapt general fingerstyle lessons to a thumb pick mindset. No more guessing at his method for thumb independence. This felt like a chance to go straight for the goal of playing some amazing Chet Atkins-style acoustic guitar.
So. I finally had some time go through them and the verdict is….
I am really, really impressed.
The guy is a great teacher. I know, I know, when you do a blog review, you always want to present both sides: pros and cons. Give an even representation of the product or service. But I have to admit that I feel very biased on this. The teaching series is exactly what I needed.
A Few Reasons I’m a Fan
His positivity is infectious. I don’t if it’s because he’s Australian, or because he’s naturally a chill guy, but he just makes you feel better about life. And guitar. He’s funny, upbeat, and comfortable in front of the camera.
His explanations are clear and concise. Sometimes guitar instructional material feels very wordy. Like they keep repeating themselves. Not Tommy. He’s great at describing the key issues concisely, and then moving on. I love the efficiency.
He’s an experience teacher. He’s talked to a LOT of guitar players and it shows. He knows the typical obstacles guitarists face and provides insight for how to move forward. There’s no untested theories here. Everything has stood the test of time.
The three angle video. Because Tommy’s playing is complex, it can be difficult to see what’s going on. The video series uses three angles so that you get a clear view of the picking hand, and two different angles of the fretting hand. And you need them. I found myself consistently re-watching sections in order to focus on another angle.
Practice exercises. Particularly in the first series, Tommy provides his own unique exercises for building your both picking and fretting skills. And these are focused on fingerstyle guitar proficiency.
And in the final analysis, the teaching is great because it’s perfectly on track with what I want to play. If you want to learn basketball, go watch LeBron James. If you want to learn Chet Atkins-based fingerstyle guitar, go watch Tommy Emmanuel.
Recommended Order
There are several video series’ that Tommy has recorded. If you are new to playing Tommy’s style, I recommend you start with the first Fingerstyle Milestones. If you’re already up to speed, you might jump to Certified Gems in order to focus immediately on learning specific songs.
CLICK HERE for Tommy Emmanuel’s Fingerstyle Milestones >>
CLICK HERE Tommy Emmanuel’s Fingerstyle Breakthroughs >>
CLICK HERE for Tommy Emmanuel’s Certified Gems >>
CLICK HERE for Tommy Emmanuel’s Certified Gems 2 >>
CLICK HERE for Little by Little Songbook >>
CLICK HERE for It’s Never Too Late Songbook >>
One More Suggestion
If you like the Truefire lessons, they also offer a monthly subscription for $19.99 where you get access to everything. If you plan on ripping through the Tommy Emmanuel material, it’s a much cheaper way to go.
Click here to sign up for a monthly TrueFire account.
Got some other Tommy Emmanuel resources we should know about? Put ’em in the comments below!
The post How Are Tommy Emmanuel’s “Fingerstyle Milestones” Video Lessons? (Hint: They’re Good…) appeared first on The Guitar Journal.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
7 Popular Finger Picks to Clarify Your Fingerpicking
Finger picks brighten and clarify your fingerpicking. Using the flesh of your fingers to individually pick the strings usually creates a muted and muddy sound. But by attaching a plectrum to the end of each picking finger, each note is picked with added power and brightness – cutting through more clearly.
In classical guitar, guitarists often grow out their natural nails to achieve this type of power and clarity in their fingerstrokes. Or some use acrylic nails to extend and strengthen their nails.
For many players, though, long fingernails and acrylics are not a good day-to-day option. And, if you’re playing bluegrass, in particular, fingernails are not the traditional way to play guitar, banjo, or dobro.
For these players, finger picks are the best option.
There are a few types of fingerpicks – metal and nylon, traditional shape and some innovative designs. So here is a quick look at 7 popular finger picks that will clarify and brighten your fingerpicking.
(Thumb picks are usually used with finger picks, but have a different design. See this post for recommendations on thumb picks.)
1. Dunlop 33P.018 Nickel Silver Finger & Thumbpicks.018″
The Dunlop Nickel is the classic finger pick. If you’ve run into finger picks before, this probably what you picture.
These picks are metal, have a very bright sound, and can be molded easily to fit your finger size.
Note: At first glance, these picks look like you attach them as “claws” but they actually go the other way around. The curved metal pick should come up from the pad of your finger toward your nail, mirroring the curve of the flesh of your finger.
2. Dunlop 9020TP Shell Plastic Finger & Thumbpicks
The Dunlop plastic finger picks have the traditional shape, but are made of plastic. This gives a warmer sound and some flexibility. The flexibility in the plastic (relative to the Dunlop Nickels) means that these feel a bit more “organic” and “natural”.
3. National NP1-8B Thumb & Finger Pick Pack
The National finger picks are similar to the Dunlop Nickel in shape, and are made of stainless steel for that bright, crisp attack. It’s interesting to note, though, that National packages these with thumb picks made from ABS thermoplastic, which has a little warmer feel and sound. So you get brightness and punch from your fingers, and some softer warmth from you thumb (which is naturally stronger and louder).
4. Fred Kelly Picks D7FF-L-3 Delrin Freedom Finger Pick
Right away, you can see this pick looks different. It goes over the whole finger like a sheath, a more comfortable fit. The Fred Kelly pick is made from Delrin, a strong material with still a softer tone.
5. aLaska Pik Finger Picks
And these picks look even more different! The innovative design is aimed at classical guitarists. The pick comes over the top of the fingernail and the picking edge ends up sitting right below the fingernail. The picking attack can feel more natural with these, because the pick is oriented the way a normal finger nail is.
6. Open Design, Metal Finger Picks
With a minimalist approach, these finger picks allow the flesh of your finger tips to work with a thin, metal picking edge. The stainless steel metal can be shaped a bit to fit your finger size and desired position.
7. Ernie Ball Pickey Pickeys
The Ernie Ball model is similar to our first Dunlop Nickel – but it has a narrower plectrum. These are designed to be light, and yet still give that bright, clear attack. The narrower plectrum tip should also be tested by the player to see how attack and finger position are effected.
A Note About Size & Fit
Some finger picks (like the Dunlop Nickels) are adjustable. Others come in sizes, typically Small, Medium, and Large. Read the Q&A sections in the Amazon listing. There’s helpful comments there from folks who have tried different sizes.
Also, a commonly recommended trick for plastic thumb and finger picks is to heat them in hot water and then put them on your thumb/finger to shape them. The hot water softens the material and makes it pliable.
Next Up:
Beginner’s Kit for Dobro Guitar
Read Article >>
Have some more recommendations? Let us know in the comments below!
The post 7 Popular Finger Picks to Clarify Your Fingerpicking appeared first on The Guitar Journal.
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Gypsy Jazz Guitar Q & A: Part 3
A series of posts designed to answer common questions about gypsy jazz guitar. From Studygypsyjazz.com’s head tutor, Harry Edwards.
- Gypsy Jazz Guitar Q & A: Part 1
- Gypsy Jazz Guitar Q & A: Part 2
- Gypsy Jazz Guitar Q & A: Part 3
You may also want to start by reading Harry’s guest post, “An Introduction to Gypsy Jazz Guitar“.
Q1: What are some of the best amplification options for gypsy jazz guitars?
A1: This is a great question, and an important one to address for any gypsy jazz guitarist looking to perform live.
The best sound is of course always an acoustic performance, but there are many gig scenarios (noisy/big rooms) where this simply won’t work.
There are a number of different amplification options you can utilize. Here are the three most common scenarios for live performance, and the best amplification solution I have found available for each situation.
1. Noisy venue/bar – For noisy gigs, I often find that a magnetic pickup, in combination with an acoustic guitar amplifier, works well, and presents minimal if any feedback. There are a number of options available; I use a Peche a la Mouche pickup through an AER compact 60 amp.
2. Concert style/stage performance (without sound technician) – For this type of performance, where you are performing for a listening audience, but are not working with an audio technician, I often opt for a clip on microphone in combination with an acoustic guitar amplifier; I use an Audio Technica Pro 70 in conjunction with an AER compact 60 amp.
3. Concert style/stage performance (with sound technician) – In an instance where you are performing on stage for a listening audience, and you have a sound technician working with you, your best option is to ask for your guitar to be mic’d up.
Have a discussion with the sound technician in advance of the gig so that they can bring a microphone suitable for acoustic guitar to the performance. The technician can then sort out any feedback issues arising from this method of amplification during your sound check.
Q2: What is the meaning of the word ‘Manouche’ when referring to Jazz Manouche?
A2: Gypsy jazz (also known as Jazz Manouche, gypsy swing or hot club jazz) is a style of jazz music generally accepted to have been started by the gypsy guitarist Jean “Django” Reinhardt in and around Paris in the 1930’s.
Because its origins are in France and Django was from the Manouche Roma clan (although his frequent accompanists, and later solo performers/band leaders the Ferret brothers were not Manouches but Gitan Roma) it is often called by the French name, “jazz manouche”, or alternatively, “manouche jazz”, even in English language sources. This term, along with “gypsy jazz,” is now commonly used when referring to this style of music.
Romani people in France, generally known in spoken French as “gitans”, “tsiganes” or “manouches”, are an ethnic group which originated in Northern India.
Romani people are typically classified into three groups:
- “Roms”, referring to Romani who come from territories from eastern Europe.
- “Manouches”, also known as “Sinté”, who often have familial ties in Germany and Italy.
- “Gitans”, who trace their familial ties to Romani people in Spain.
Q3: What are the different rhythm guitar styles found in Jazz Manouche?
A3: Jazz Manouche has embraced and explored a lot of interesting sub-styles and rhythms since its inception in the early 20th Century.
Please find below a list of several common rhythms in this style. I’ll provide some examples of common tunes so you can follow up and have a listen:
- Swing rhythm – Minor Swing, Sweet Georgia Brown, Daphne
- Ballad rhythm – Danse Norvegienne, Anouman, Clair de Lune
- Waltz rhythm РMontagne Sainte Genevi̬ve, Chez Jacquet, Choti
- Rumba rhythm – Caravan, Made In France
- Bolero Rhythm – Bolero, Troublant Bolero
- Groove Rhythm – Sunny, Isn’t She Lovely
As you can see, this style of music explores a number of different and interesting rhythms! There are others too.
If you’d like to study gypsy jazz swing rhythm guitar, please consider checking out the online course Rhythm Guitar Fundamentals at Studygypsyjazz.com
All the best, I hope you found this month’s Q & A useful!
Harry Edwards (Head tutor @ Studygypsyjazz.com)
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