Any John Knowles fans ?

lw216316 · #1 06-28-2010, 10:06 AM

I'm studying finger style playing.
I noticed that John Knowles has a publication that can be subscribed to.

Can anyone recommend it ?

- Larry

Craig_H · #2 06-28-2010, 11:39 AM

I like John Knowles a lot. I met him at an annual Chet Atkins Society gathering in Nashville several years ago and sat in on a couple of clinics he taught. I'm probably a lower-end, intermediate player at best, and for me his arrangements are very accessable and playable (and fun) without being simplistic or dull. On the contrary, they always have passages in them that offer some little wrinkle or challange (for me, anyway) and that very much ad to the arrangement and sound cool once you get them nailed down. The arrangement of Boulevard that you can download from his site for free is a nice introduction to what you might expect from his other tunes.

One suggestion I'd make (sorry John, if you're listening) would be rather than commiting to a subscription, instead pick and choose from his archives of past issues. They cost exactly the same ($17 each) as the "cost per" for a year's quarterly subscription, and it gives you more control in selecting the pieces you'd like to learn -- I look at some back issues and think, "eh..." whereas in others, 2 or 3 of the 4 or 5 tunes are ones I'd really like to learn.

taylorcc · #3 06-28-2010, 11:42 AM

The booklets and CDs are nicely done. I have a couple of back issues I bought to work on tunes I saw on Youtube. Arrangements are challenging, finger-stretching! More for a determined intermediate player or an accomplished advanced player IMO. Browse their back issues and get one or two. If you find them difficult it will give you something to aim for

min7b5 · #4 06-28-2010, 12:05 PM

I got talk and play with John quite a bit at the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop Winter Retreat in February. He’s an absolute treasure. Deeply inspiring as a musician, and as a person.

Craig_H · #5 06-28-2010, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taylorcc

Arrangements are challenging, finger-stretching! More for a determined intermediate player or an accomplished advanced player IMO.

I'll defer to "taylorcc" for his (probably) accurate opinion on the arrangements. I'm really not very good and have maybe just stumbled into some of the easier ones

Craig_H · #6 06-28-2010, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by min7b5

I got talk and play with John quite a bit at the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop Winter Retreat in February. He’s an absolute treasure. Deeply inspiring as a musician, and as a person.

I'll second that -- even granted the relatively short time I spent with him. A very good player and arranger, and a very nice man.

lw216316 · #7 06-28-2010, 12:41 PM

thanks for the replies guys...
I'll try out Boulevard and see how that goes...
I'm an 'advanced beginner' aspiring to get to 'beginner intermediate' so I'm sure it will be a streeeeeeech for me.

..and I'll check those back issues for favorites...
....maybe subscribe if that's not too far over my head

- Larry

taylorcc · #8 06-28-2010, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig_H

I'll defer to "taylorcc" for his (probably) accurate opinion on the arrangements. I'm really not very good and have maybe just stumbled into some of the easier ones

Sorry if I implied it's all difficult.

I can only speak to the stuff I've seen, which is a very small bit of his catalog. The stretchy piece I referred to is Walking My Baby Back Home in Issue 21.

Hondo · #9 06-28-2010, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lw216316

I'm studying finger style playing.
I noticed that John Knowles has a publication that can be subscribed to.

Can anyone recommend it ?

- Larry

I took some lessons from John long ago in Dallas. He's an excellent teacher and guitar player and would recommend anything he would publish.

Craig_H · #10 06-28-2010, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taylorcc

Sorry if I implied it's all difficult.

I can only speak to the stuff I've seen, which is a very small bit of his catalog. The stretchy piece I referred to is Walking My Baby Back Home in Issue 21.

Absolutely no apologies necessary, as far as I'm concerned, and I didn't think your note implied that at all. I was more concerned that I may have misrepresented the average pieces as being easier than perhaps they are.

It's probably a good thing that we both replied as we did as it presents a good balanced assessment of what Mr Knowles offers. Sounds like we've both had exposure to a relatively small bit of his offerings and as I mentioned before, mine may have just happened to have been some of the easier ones while yours were the stretchier ones.