An excellent beginner's book that teaches simple chord strumming. A companion CD and DVD are currently available and the use of one of these is highly recommended to insure accuracy of interpretation and ease in learning.
Evoke the traditional sounds of the Celtic lands with these instrumental arrangements of songs for solo Celtic harp. These 25 tunes are Manx, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, Cornish, Hebridean, and Bretton, including pieces by Turlough O'Carolan and Robert Burns. Notes at the end of the book give insights into the meanings of the texts of the songs, aiding interpretation and inviting you to experience the ambience of the Celtic lands through their music. Lyrics for selected songs are given in the notes in English.
The classic resonator guitar sound is currently popping up in all types of music ranging from country to bluegrass to blues to rock. Resonator Guitar is a fun instrument to play. Janet Davis has taught people of all ages to play resonator guitar and in her own words, They all have a good time pickin' and grinnin'. This is a very easy method to follow and it will teach you basics of resonator performance including both chording and single note playing using the slide bar. Also, you will play bluegrass, old-time country, blues, Hawaiian, fiddle tunes, folk songs and more. This method covers an extremely wide and diverse array of topics. If you want to play Dobro, this book will show you how! In tablature only.
This comprehensive two-volume set brings together all aspects of the blues from performers and musical styles to record labels and cultural issues, including regional evolution and history. Organized in an accessible A-to-Z format, the Encyclopedia of the Blues is an essential reference resource for information on this unique American music genre. For a full list of entries, contributors, and more, visit the Encyclopedia of the Blues website.
Want to get started playing the harp? This book will show you how. Written explanations and plenty of songs help you play right away. You're introduced to the symbols used in harp music, the basics of note reading, and fingering. There are new pieces, old pieces, silly pieces, and serious pieces for you to play. and there is a part showing you how to care for your harp and replace strings. Take this book home and learn on your own, or take it to a teacher and get some specialized help. It works both ways!
"Children's Song Favorites" is a collection of 75 songs for children of all ages, most of them from the folk tradition. They have been collected over more than fifty years by a professional folk singer, who is also a mother and grandmother. Each song has the melody line, complete lyrics and suggested accompaniment chords for guitar or other instrument. Many of them are unusual-- for example, all 13 verses of "The Three Blind Mice," "Hail to Britannia" (a British nursery rhyme song), and for older children, "Chopo, My Pony" (a cowboy song), "Old Thompson's Mule" (of minstrel origin) and "The Housewife's Lament." Audience requests have persuaded the author to include two pieces she has written--"The Doll Song" and "The Solution to Pollution." More than three-quarters of the songs involve audience participation, making this an ideal repertory resource for teachers and youth leaders. A few descriptive sentences, sometimes with suggestions for creative activity, precede each song. The songs are arranged alphabetically, and an extra table of contents lists the songs by categories: animals, cowboys and the West, creative activity, dance tunes, history, holidays, quiet time, and teaching. Although this book was designed primarily for children, the author regularly uses many of these songs with grown-up audiences.
In his preface, the author reminds the reader that this is not a book for the absolute beginner. Even the experienced player may not get it on first reading a given tune, but You can expect to enjoy the process of learning... [and experience] the joy of recreating a traditional tune, of making it your own. This is the teacher/ student pact in effect throughout this marvelous book, written for the literary as much as the musical connoisseur. Although no classical violin experience is needed, you will need to know how to hold the fiddle and bow, and be able to play at least simple tunes in the first position. Having the ability to read music will enable you to follow the bowing patterns and left-hand techniques which the author feels are crucial in grasping the playing style.