ISBN 9781609742249. Jerry Garcia, the lead guitarist, singer, and alleged leader of the Grateful Dead, became an icon of the 60s youth movement. It was well-known that Jerry was a huge fan, and probably considered himself a player, of old-time American music, from mountain fiddle and banjo music, to English ballads, to jug band music to bluegrass and blues, and more. On the "Shady Grove" recordings one can hear the deep commitment, respect, and love Jerry had for this traditional American music. He's very faithful to the original artists' music. That may be surprising if you expect more of an ego-driven "my version" approach from one the biggest rock stars ever. What you have here is a vibrant collection of wonderful traditional American songs, from a great variety of genres, played in a style closely based on their traditional sources. Of course within those parameters we hear wonderful and personal readings of the tunes from both Jerry and mandolinist David Grisman. Dix Bruce has carefully transcribed many of Jerry's solos from the album, trying to determine not just what he was playing but how he was playing it. Melodies, tablature, lyrics, and chords are included in arrangements designed to be playable on the guitar while presenting the melodies as closely as possible. Jerry's banjo solos are transcribed here for guitar.

ISBN 9781610656849. This volume is intended as a folio of arrangements from the repertoire of a working musician. As such, there is only a minimum of discussion about the technical aspects of playing. Students who have already dealt with the American style called fingerpicking or fingerstyle guitar, which is quite distinct from other kinds of guitar playing, will be at an advantage. The easiest arrangements here are early intermediate level, while the other end of the scale includes pieces that may challenge even a professional. Tunes within each section are presented generally in order of difficulty. The bulk of the tunes presented are fiddle tunes, with a couple of banjo tunes and several songs as well as tunes originally played on other instruments such as harp, pipes, or accordion. There are even a small number composed for the guitar. For the most part, differences in approach among the tunes here are unrelated to the instrumental sources. All the tunes are presented in notation and tablature. Audio available for download online.