Archive for April, 2009
The Difference Between Country Blues & Folk Blues
The Blues, and roots acoustic blues in particular, covers a lot of ground. With so many regional styles and so much history, its a complex landscape to describe.
If someone were to ask me ‘what’s the difference between Country Blues and Folk Blues?‘ I’d say ‘Woah, don’t let classifying the music be a distraction [...]
Guitar Obsession
I’m obsessed with acoustic guitars.
Not ‘the acoustic guitar,’ or ‘acoustic guitar music,’ I mean I’m obsessed with acoustic guitars themselves. Not just playing them, but handling them. Not just the craftmanship, or just the beauty of the object (that too,) but I’m enchanted by the wood itself, mesmerized by the shine of the varnish. [...]
The Best Guitar for Fingerstyle
Discussions of guitars and guitar styles have gone on for so long they’ve probably contributed to global warming. But for guitarists, this is just the kind of discussion we’ll never finish.
The question of which guitars are best for fingerstyle is one of these eternal subjects, and as always, with so many variables, it ultimately [...]
Dave Van Ronk, the Real Folk Blues
In my early teens, a friend gave me a Dave Van Ronk album. Seeing that I was into guitar, this young wiseman wanted to assure himself I understood what the combination of Acoustic Guitar and Voice was really capable of. Through Van Ronk I quickly found Blind Lemon Jefferson, Reverend Gary Davis and Leadbelly. My [...]
