"Eric Thompson is a virtual encyclopedia of flatpicking" – Frets Magazine

Eric Thompson will have you flatpicking lead breaks in styles from Maybelle Carter to Doc Watson. You’ll learn to pick out the melody to songs like East Virginia Blues, Sad and Lonesome Day and Shady Grove. You will learn to embellish your playing with "hammer-ons" and "pull-offs" for the real old-time country sound. You’ll build a solid technique, advancing step-by-step through single note arrangements of Thompson’s Rag, fiddle hoedowns Arkansas Traveler and Soldier’s Joy, and a bluesy bluegrass break for Good Old Mountain Dew (employing slippery slides and hot runs). Eric’s invaluable tips on left hand fingering and right hand pick technique are clearly illustrated in split-screen close-ups.

73 minutes • Level 1/2 • Detailed tab/music PDF file on the DVD

Review: Great for beginning to learn basic bluegrass lead guitar. I have been learning guitar for almost a year, with a strong interest in traditional American music. I was getting the hang of basic “boom-chuck” accompaniment with bass lines, and wanted to take the next step. A friend recommended this DVD. It's great because Thompson first plays the songs at full speed, and you can see and hear that you'll be learning real music; then he breaks the songs into parts and slowly works through them, with helpful demonstrations of techniques and suggestions for how to stop and practice the individual techniques and song sections as you go. Then once you've practiced the parts, he plays the song again at a manageable speed so you can play along. I have found this a great way to learn both some very nice songs and some important techniques. If you're brand new to playing, or are already somewhat advanced, this won't be right for you. But if you're in between, (have been playing basic accompaniment) and are ready to move into a fuller style of playing, this is a great DVD. – John M. Miller/Amazon Customer Review