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  #16  
Old 03-31-2017, 08:39 PM
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I have both books as well, and have taken a workshop with him. His Travis picking book taught me fundamentals that I use to this day. I wish I could play Over and Out Rag better. This thread has inspired me to get back to it. I got bored with his exercises after a time but I could never really master that rag or the blues at the end of the first book.
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  #17  
Old 04-01-2017, 06:02 AM
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On some exercises and songs, Mark will provide left hand fingering tips. Since I take lessons from him I have the luxury of asking. I'm out of town this weekend but I'll try to see how I play the exercises Ella lists.

I agree with Tony on working through the book in order. I skipped Devil's Dream at Mark's suggestion and will come back to it later. Over the Waves just does not grab me as a tune I like to play and Mark told me just to go through the exercises pre- and post- and move on (actually Windy and Warm is a pretty good pinch hitter!). On White House Blues, there is the section of the song where it is not solo fingerstyle (the singing part) and I play the song with only the solo parts one of which Mark wrote and that was again a suggestion by Mark.

Freight Train and Fishin Blues are both very fun to play and a good workout for the left hand. I was impressed on how they stepped up my game when I got the mechanics and tempo flowin well. Even the wife noticed!
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  #18  
Old 04-01-2017, 07:18 AM
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Though I think Mark Hanson is a fine arranger and teacher (and I attended a concert of his and the seminar the next day some years ago), his arrangements have never really grabbed me. I am not saying there is anything particularly wrong with them - not at all. But for some reason, they just don't grab me enough to want to learn any of them. I have most of his materials and have dug into some things over the years, but always found something more to my liking.

As an example, he has a book of arrangements of tunes from The Wizard of Oz. He does a good job of arranging these, but I tend to be much more enamored of the arrangements of other folks. I really can't put my finger on why, so for me it is an odd thing that I don't understand intellectually, but is just my gut feel.

In his concert, I remember him playing "Misty" in the key of C. To me, it just sounded wrong. I play it in Eb or Bb as a chord melody, and that is the way I have always heard that tune, and is the way I learned it. Maybe that is it - his key choices to make the arrangements more playable in his teaching (?). I don't have perfect pitch, but do have good relative pitch, as does anybody who has been involved in music for any length of time - nothing special and very common. But there are certain tunes that sound "right" to me i certain keys and "wrong" in others.

The arrangers for guitar that "tickle my fancy" are Harold Streeter, Howard Heitmeyer, Laurindo Almeida, Stan Ayeroff, and others of that caliber and general style. These guys wrote arrangements and/or published books of these. Earl Klugh is a player whose solo guitar work really hits home for me. Unfortunately, he doesn't publish arrangements, so you get these by ear if you have the patience.

Don't get me wrong here, I think that Mark Hanson has provided a wonderful service to the guitar community as both a fantastic teacher and arranger. However, we all will find that there are some arrangers we are really drawn to, and others who we just are not. Regardless of what other people around us like or dislike, we have to give ourselves permission to follow our "musical noses" to what is at the core of our own musical soul. So if somebody here is not particularly enamored with Mark Hanson's books or arrangements, despite his high standing in the guitar community - that is perfectly OK. By identifying what you do and don't like, you begin to recognize your own musical voice, and Mark Hanson, being the nice guy (truly) that he is, won't mind.

Tony
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  #19  
Old 04-01-2017, 08:28 AM
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SprintBob, based on your comments, I think I will go back to the Travis picking book and at least put in some time on Freight Train, the version in the Travis book, before tackling the one in the Solo book.

And thanks for asking Mark about fingering on the exercises. He did such a great job of addressing how to fret the more difficult parts of Red, White and Blue Rag in the Solo book. I was really disappointed in the lack of that same information for the exercises. The whole point of the exercises gets derailed for me when I struggle with figuring out fingering, which isn't what the exercise is about!

Tony, I don't know about SprintBob, but I know that I am not yet to the point of deciding much about arrangements...which ones I prefer. Heck, I'm thrilled just to be able to figure out ANY arrangement at this point and be able to play it. Although I do know that I prefer chord-melody over Travis. But since Hanson is a Travis guy, it seems, and his books appear to be the most useful for me at this stage, then I'm a Hanson gal, at least for now. hehe
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Old 04-01-2017, 08:34 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EllaMom View Post
SprintBob, based on your comments, I think I will go back to the Travis picking book and at least put in some time on Freight Train, the version in the Travis book, before tackling the one in the Solo book.

And thanks for asking Mark about fingering on the exercises. He did such a great job of addressing how to fret the more difficult parts of Red, White and Blue Rag in the Solo book. I was really disappointed in the lack of that same information for the exercises. The whole point of the exercises gets derailed for me when I struggle with figuring out fingering, which isn't what the exercise is about!

Tony, I don't know about SprintBob, but I know that I am not yet to the point of deciding much about arrangements...which ones I prefer. Heck, I'm thrilled just to be able to figure out ANY arrangement at this point and be able to play it. Although I do know that I prefer chord-melody of Travis. But since Hanson is a Travis guy, it seems, and his books appear to be the most useful for me at this stage, then I'm a Hanson gal, at least for now. hehe
Maybe this will help with fingering...

Much of Travis picking comes out of chord shapes, whether the entire chord is being played or not. If you can determine the chord shape that is being used at any given point in time, you will often be able to also determine which fingers to use.

In addition, be prepared to experiment. Try going from what was played before, to what is being played after the trouble spot. usually, there will be fingerings that make the transition in and out of the trouble spot easier. Experiment! rarely is there one "right" answer because we all have different shaped hands, finger lengths, etc., though with simpler Travis style arrangements, there does seem to be general agreement on the fingerings because they rely so much on basic chord shapes.

Tony
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  #21  
Old 04-01-2017, 09:33 AM
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Page 14:

14A C Chord position with the pinky on that 3rd fret 2nd string note.

14B You can use index, middle then into a standard d chord fingering or use the middle ring and pinky. Isolated like this common sense says go with the standard d chord shape at the end (index middle ring) but sometimes you might have to use middle ring and pinky to play the d chord. Its good to be able to play the d chord both ways as its very quick to go into a C or F chord after middle ring pinky approach to a d chord.

Try doing a D chord played middle pinky ring, (middle on g string 2nd fret, pinky on b string, third fret and ring finger e string, second fret) then keep the middle finger planted on the 3rd string and rotate into an f chord. You'll see what I mean.
Anywhere there is a D/F or D7/F or similar shaped chord, I always play them with the thumb wrapped to grab the low E. I even play it this way on "Dust in the Wind."
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  #22  
Old 04-01-2017, 10:23 AM
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Fingering you can have specified in notation how that person does it and/or you can work it out for yourself what is best for you. The latter probably has the most long term benefit as situations vary, especially when playing a melody line over chords versus just strumming chords.
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  #23  
Old 04-01-2017, 11:15 AM
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Originally Posted by Blueser100 View Post
Anywhere there is a D/F or D7/F or similar shaped chord, I always play them with the thumb wrapped to grab the low E. I even play it this way on "Dust in the Wind."
I like to do that too, except that I can't on my classical guitar. so for those who don't want to do this, for whatever reason, there are alternatives. Figuring out alternatives is a good way to learn to find your own way around the guitar that is most comfortable for you.

With regard to wrapping the thumb around, don't listen to those who say that such practice is "wrong". The most interesting players are often those who are not bound by "the rules". In fact, music theory describes what has already been done that seems to be generally accepted. When somebody does something new that becomes accepted, the music theorists scramble to come up with a new theory for that.

Wrapping the thumb around is guitar technique, rather than music theory, but the process of acceptance is very similar. The important thing is to get the music out. Remember the song "The Mighty Quinn": "Some people are making monuments, others are jotting down notes".

Tony
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  #24  
Old 04-01-2017, 02:11 PM
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Anywhere there is a D/F or D7/F or similar shaped chord, I always play them with the thumb wrapped to grab the low E. I even play it this way on "Dust in the Wind."
I use the thumb wrap a lot, but many people can't do it.
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  #25  
Old 04-01-2017, 02:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Blueser100 View Post
I have both books as well, and have taken a workshop with him. His Travis picking book taught me fundamentals that I use to this day. I wish I could play Over and Out Rag better. This thread has inspired me to get back to it. I got bored with his exercises after a time but I could never really master that rag or the blues at the end of the first book.
Carol (EllaMom) got me thinking about his books also. I have more of his tabs from his Author's Notes CD as well.

For me a mix of Mark Hanson, Toby Walker, Woody Mann tunes will keep me really busy (and some TE thrown in)
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  #26  
Old 04-01-2017, 02:39 PM
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Barry, do you work primarily from books, or videos, or combo? Videos are really helpful in demonstrating a specific technique or exercise (I never would have been able to figure out the CAGED system without a video that was made specifically to walk me through it (thanks, Tony! ). Otherwise, I do best with books. If there are CDs with the books, so I can hear how a piece is supposed to sound, all the better!

I just got out Hanson's Travis picking book again, and am going to work my way back through it. Fundamentals!
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  #27  
Old 04-01-2017, 03:36 PM
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Originally Posted by EllaMom View Post
Barry, do you work primarily from books, or videos, or combo? Videos are really helpful in demonstrating a specific technique or exercise (I never would have been able to figure out the CAGED system without a video that was made specifically to walk me through it (thanks, Tony! ). Otherwise, I do best with books. If there are CDs with the books, so I can hear how a piece is supposed to sound, all the better!

I just got out Hanson's Travis picking book again, and am going to work my way back through it. Fundamentals!
I learn from various sources, but I always need to hear the song to learn it, either on cd, mp3 or video.
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  #28  
Old 04-02-2017, 04:41 AM
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Originally Posted by EllaMom View Post
SprintBob, based on your comments, I think I will go back to the Travis picking book and at least put in some time on Freight Train, the version in the Travis book, before tackling the one in the Solo book.

And thanks for asking Mark about fingering on the exercises. He did such a great job of addressing how to fret the more difficult parts of Red, White and Blue Rag in the Solo book. I was really disappointed in the lack of that same information for the exercises. The whole point of the exercises gets derailed for me when I struggle with figuring out fingering, which isn't what the exercise is about!

Tony, I don't know about SprintBob, but I know that I am not yet to the point of deciding much about arrangements...which ones I prefer. Heck, I'm thrilled just to be able to figure out ANY arrangement at this point and be able to play it. Although I do know that I prefer chord-melody over Travis. But since Hanson is a Travis guy, it seems, and his books appear to be the most useful for me at this stage, then I'm a Hanson gal, at least for now. hehe
While it's nice to have suggested left hand fingerings, sometimes it's equally as fun and challenging to figure out what will work best for you. If one is really stumping you, e-mail Mark. He will answer you back. Before I started taking lessons from him, I had a couple of questions in the Travis book and he responded to my e-mails within a day each time.

If you like the Freight Train arrangements in both books, I found that really getting the one down in the Travis picking book will jump start your learning curve on the more complicated (but very fun to play) version in the Solo picking material. I think you are doing the right thing there.

For sure the arrangements Mark chooses are not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but they do serve the purpose of teaching fundamental fingerstyle skills and I have found nearly all of them to be at the very least enjoyable to play. I've worked through close to 20 arrangements from both books and so far there are probably only 5-6 that I would want to continue to play for pleasure in the future. As I work through the Solo Fingerstyle material, I'm pretty sure Flier and Strawberry Curl are going to be two songs I will keep in my active playing list but they are ways off right now.
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  #29  
Old 04-02-2017, 07:56 AM
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It would be really helpful for those asking the questions, if those answering them would put up a video showing HOW they work out fingerings for these particular pieces. Verbal descriptions in posts can only go so far.

If somebody posts a scan of the part that is troublesome, I will do it if nobody else will. Copyright restrictions would not allow you to put up the whole piece. For educational purposes, if there are a couple of measures that are problematic, that should be permissible.

I truly believe that these threads can really be helpful to folks if we can show each other how we do what we do. Video cameras are not very expensive anymore, so getting one should not be a problem, and would be easily justifiable if it is used to help other folks on a regular basis. Many people have used the cameras on their cell phones, and that works. I just have a flip phone, so I have an inexpensive video camera instead.

Tony
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  #30  
Old 04-02-2017, 08:35 AM
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Originally Posted by SprintBob View Post
While it's nice to have suggested left hand fingerings, sometimes it's equally as fun and challenging to figure out what will work best for you. If one is really stumping you, e-mail Mark. He will answer you back. Before I started taking lessons from him, I had a couple of questions in the Travis book and he responded to my e-mails within a day each time.

If you like the Freight Train arrangements in both books, I found that really getting the one down in the Travis picking book will jump start your learning curve on the more complicated (but very fun to play) version in the Solo picking material. I think you are doing the right thing there.

For sure the arrangements Mark chooses are not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but they do serve the purpose of teaching fundamental fingerstyle skills and I have found nearly all of them to be at the very least enjoyable to play. I've worked through close to 20 arrangements from both books and so far there are probably only 5-6 that I would want to continue to play for pleasure in the future. As I work through the Solo Fingerstyle material, I'm pretty sure Flier and Strawberry Curl are going to be two songs I will keep in my active playing list but they are ways off right now.
Thanks, SprintBob. It's great to know that Mark would respond to questions. That's awesome! I don't mind Mark's arrangements, although ultimately Travis picking isn't where I want to go. What was stumping me a while back was how, if at all, Travis picking fit in to solo fingerstyle playing. And no matter whether it does or does not fit with solo fingerstyle, what will I gain in learning it anyway? Eventually, someone told me that it's worthwhile because it teaches dexterity and timing. After so many years of flailing around trying to learn fingerstyle, I just want to be sure I'm learning things that help my journey and don't sidetrack me. I actually enjoy playing the arrangements in Mark's books, although might ultimate goal is something different.
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