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Old 02-18-2001, 09:58 AM
mapletrees mapletrees is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2001
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Hey! While I'm at it...1997 was a very good year for Fingerstyle Magazine. Their January/Feb issue was very good, too.

A couple of highlights...

Stefan Grossman - Ragged and Dirty - There is nothing that compares to playing a Travis picked rollicking and thumpin' country blues in a guitar shop to make people think you're better than you really are. The pretty Irish tune I mentioned above is lovely - but people notice if you mess up! If you're playing Ragged and Dirty and you sound a little ragged.....you'll still impress people. It's good to have an arsenal of impressive but easy to play tunes for stores....the shop owner will let you play all the expensive guitars even if you're not that good!

He plays this tune by hooking the fretting hand thumb over the neck. If that's easy, go for it. I don't do that well at all. I'm too stretched to have any functional mobility left in my hand..... Grrrrrrrr.....But, If you detune all of the first 5 strings a whole step (2 frets' worth) and tune UP the sixth string a half step(one fret's worth) you get what might very well be the easiest blues tune to sound impressive on in existence. Cool. He capos way up - makes it easier and gives the tune a very lively jingle-jangle sound. Play it with your back to people, they'll think you're doing more than you are

There's also a Travis picked blues by Paul Yandell that has one of the coolest signature licks ever. A lesson in what's known as" implied harmony "that would make this issue worth $100.

Lots of other stuff, too. Mrs. Mapletrees thought one of the guys was cute....playing that romantic and sophiticated Latin stuff....he'll get bonked with a paintless Telecaster if he shows up 'round these here parts....
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