HOMESPUN
Taught By Happy Traum.
Level 2
60-minute DVD or VHS, Includes music and tab book
Learn to play five easy songs that should be in every fingerpicker's repertoire: "Railroad
Bill," "My Creole Belle," "Cocaine Blues," "Freight
Train," "Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor."
Happy plays each tune in its simplest form, then moves the appropriate notes off the beat (while the bass maintains its steady, on-the-beat rhythm) so you can clearly understand where the syncopated notes go. Finally, you'll add important techniques-hammer-ons, pull-offs, bass runs, jump notes, walk-ups, turnarounds-to make all your playing come alive. You'll soon be ready to create your own arrangements to any fingerpicking tune!
Student Review:
"The first thing I want to do is thank you for your fine lessons. I am
a self taught flatpicker and have played for over 15 years. I wanted to learn
fingerstyle, but was frustrated because it seemed too difficult and tedious to
learn on my own. After finally deciding that I could wait no longer, I found
a tablature book and a teacher. This still did not work well enough. In my desperation,
I bought Happy Traum's "Easy Fingerpicking Favorites." Thanks to his
incredible teaching style, I learned fingerstyle (alternating bass and melody)
in about two weeks. Since then, I have been able to incorporate my general guitar
knowledge into fingerstyle and have arranged several tunes. I now can learn Mississippi
John Hurt, Elizabeth Cotten or Etta Baker by ear. Thanks for the know how!" -
B. A. (by email)
During the past forty years, Happy Traum's avid interest in traditional and contemporary
music has brought him recognition as a performer, writer, editor, folklorist,
teacher and recording artist. He has performed extensively throughout the U.S.,
Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan, and has appeared on recordings as a featured
artist, as a member of various ensembles, and as an accompanist. He has played
and recorded with Bob Dylan, Chris Smither, Maria Muldaur, Eric Andersen, Rory
Block, Jerry Jeff Walker, Allen Ginsberg, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel
and innumerable others. Happy is the author of more than a dozen best-selling guitar instruction books, has written numerous magazine columns and articles, and for three years was editor of Sing Out! The Folksong Magazine. He and his brother, Artie Traum, have been playing as a duo since 1968. Their first two Capitol albums, "Happy And Artie Traum" and "Double Back," are widely considered to be classics. Long-time residents of Woodstock, NY, Happy and Artie co-produced several important records for Rounder, featuring some of the area's finest folk and rock musicians. These included "Mud Acres, Music Among Friends" and "Woodstock Mountains." Happy and Artie's album "Hard Times In The Country" featured liner notes by Allen Ginsberg. In 1993, Happy and Artie released their latest duet album, "The Test Of Time," featuring traditional and contemporary songs backed up by some of Woodstock's finest musicians.
Happy's solo albums include "Relax Your Mind," "American Stranger," "Bright Morning Stars" and "Friends And Neighbors." A compilation CD, "Buckets Of Songs," has been released by Shanachie Records. In 2001, “Bright Morning Stars” was reissued in CD format in the U.S. (Lark’s Nest Music) and in Japan (Slice of Life Records).
Perhaps Happy Traum's most important and lasting musical contribution has been Homespun Tapes, which he and his wife Jane founded in 1967. This dynamic and growing mail order company has a catalog of approximately 400 different music instruction lessons on audio cassette, CD and video tape, taught by top professional performing musicians. Happy produces all of the lessons, and brings to Homespun his many years of experience as a popular and productive member of the music community.