HOMESPUN
Playing Celtic, Bluegrass and Contemporary Songs
Taught By Tim O'Brien.
Level 3
115 Minute DVD or VHS, Includes music and tab
Tim O’Brien’s course will be a boon to mandolin and bouzouki (octave mandolin) players who want to improve their technique, develop ideas and learn new repertoire. Whether he’s breaking down an Irish slip jig, an old time mountain ballad, a bluegrass tune or an original country/pop song, Tim brings his brilliant musicianship and formidable technique to bear, making these pieces fun and enlightening for learning players.
The tunes and techniques that Tim teaches can be played on either instrument. Switching between mandolin and bouzouki (they are tuned to the same notes one octave apart), he demonstrates right and left hand techniques and the advantages of each for soloing, song accompaniment and how to get the most out of their respective textures and tonalities.
Each song or instrumental that Tim teaches will bring you greater facility on your instrument. They include "Down in a Willow Garden," "The High Road," "Lay Down Your Weary Tune," "One Girl Cried," "More Love," "The Kid on the Mountain" and "Travelers."
Note: Even if you don’t have a bouzouki, there’s plenty of material on this
lesson to keep mandolinists busy for a long time!
Tim O'Brien has long been among the most respected and beloved singers, songwriters
and instrumentalists in the acoustic music world. Well known for his pitch-perfect
voice and amazing facility on multiple instruments, he’s been nominated for three
Grammys and was the winner of the 1993 IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year. Tim’s
songs have been covered by the Dixie Chicks, Garth Brooks, Kathy Mattea and Nickel
Creek, among others. He has toured and recorded with the popular bluegrass band
Hot Rize (winning the first IBMA Entertainer of the Year award in 1990), formed
his cross-cultural Irish/American group The Crossing, and can be heard on the
soundtrack of the film “Cold Mountain.”