SKU: MB.31103M
ISBN 9781513468792. 8.75x11.75 inches.
Adam Granger self-published the first edition of Grangerâ??s Fiddle Tunes for Guitar in 1979. A second edition was published in 1994. Now Mel Bay Publications presents the third edition of the book.
This 236-page book is the most extensive and best-documented collection of fiddle tunes for the flatpicking guitar player in existence, and includes reels, hoedowns, hornpipes, rags, breakdowns, jigs and slip-jigs, presented in Southern, Northern, Irish, Canadian, Texas and Old-time styles.
There are 508 fiddle tunes referenced under 2500 titles and alternate titles. The titles are fully indexed, making the book doubly valuable as a reference book and a source book.
In this new edition, all tunes are typeset, instead of being handwritten as they were in the previous editions, making the tabs easier to read.
The tunes in Grangerâ??s Fiddle Tunes for Guitar are presented in Easytab, a streamlined tablature notation system designed by Adam specifically for fiddle tunes.
The book comes with a link which gives access to mp3 recordings by Adam of all 508 tunes, each played once at a moderate tempo, with rhythm on one channel and lead on the other.
Also included in Grangerâ??s Fiddle Tunes for Guitar are instructions for reading Easytab, descriptions of tune types presented in the book, and primers on traditional flatpicking and rhythm guitar. Additionally, there are sections on timing, ornamentation, technique, and fingering, as well as information on tune sources and a history of the collection.
Mel Bay also offers The Granger Collection, by Bill Nicholson, the same 508 tunes in standard music notation.
SKU: MB.30844M
ISBN 9781513464268. 8.75 x 11.75 inches.
Skip James was one of the most influential early Bluesmen, but his importance as a stylist remained undiscovered until he was brought out of a long retirement by the Folk/Blues revival of the early 1960â??s. Born in 1902 and raised in Bentonia, Nehemiah Curtis James was brought up in a religious family: his father was a bootlegger who reformed and became a Baptist preacher. Skip learned piano in school but picked up guitar from his friend Henry Stuckey. In 1931 Skip was picked up by a scout for Paramount Records and he cut 26 tracks, of which 18 were released, in a two day session at their Grafton, Wisconsin studios. These recordings presented a unique and haunting genius that influenced legendary bluesmen as Robert Johnson, Kansas Joe McCoy and Johnny Temple. But the recordings sold poorly, having been released during the Great Depression, and he drifted into obscurity.
We have included as online downloads Skipâ??s 1931 recordings. The crackling sound of these rare recordings cannot obscure the brilliance of this seminal Blues master.
After over 30 yearâ??s retirement from music, Skip was rediscovered by Blues enthusiasts Bill Barth, John Fahey and Henry Vestine. They persuaded Skip to appear at the Newport Folk Festival in 1964, where his renditions of his old songs were still powerful and moving. His performances as well as his old and new recordings influenced a generation of new musicians: Eric Clapton, Alan Wilson of Canned Heat, Cream, Deep Purple, Chris Thomas King, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Derek Trucks, Beck, Big Sugar, John Martyn, Lucinda Williams and Rory Block to name a few.
Books on legendary Blues musicians written by white musicologists tend to offer a subjective perspective on how the artists felt, thought or reacted. A tainted picture is captured that has more to do with the writerâ??s social and musical experiences. This autobiography is different. The words, thoughts and feelings come directly from the artistâ??s lips. This is the story of Nehemiah â??Skipâ? James told by Nehemiah â??Skipâ? James.
