The bios of blues and ragtime greats show us the natural way to learn and master the art form is to be surrounded by it from a young age. These towering figures of acoustic roots music played and sang it with their families, at church, while working, while relaxing, and for some, while incarcerated. It was a life of near constant exposure, both to the sounds and the practitioners.

Needless to say, the vast majority of us modern-day enthusiasts have not had access to such a musical upbringing, and today we are left only with the recordings. But the recordings can take us a long way! Those with the patience and ability can use technology to slow the recordings down, repeat small sections, sometimes even one note, meditate on the sounds, and find the notes on their instruments.

For this collection great care has been taken to present accurate transcriptions of twelve instrumental gems from five of the most iconic, influential, and celebrated blues and ragtime guitarists of the early 20th century. The original recordings are included as downloads. Also included are video performances by Ben Gateno of each arrangement played slowly.

With the transcriptions to guide your fingers to the correct notes and the recordings to demonstrate the nuances that produce impactful blues and ragtime guitar playing, you can experience a bit of what it was to learn directly from the masters.

Titles include:
LONNIE JOHNSON Playing With The Strings, Swing Out Rhythm
BLIND BLAKE Home Town Skiffle - take 1 & 2, Southern Rag, Dry Bone Shuffle
BIG BILL BROONZY Stove Pipe Stomp, Brown Skin Shuffle
SCRAPPER BLACKWELL Soft Blues, Cherry
REV. GARY DAVIS Italian Rag, Wall Hollow Blues

Level 3/4 • 132 pages • Direct download link to audio & video files