HOMESPUNTaught By Steve Kaufman.
Level 3
60-minute DVD or VHS, includes music and tab
With John Herald, vocals and rhythm guitar
One of the most frequent questions we get is "What do I do when it's time to take a solo in a bluegrass song?" If you're ready to acquire all the skills needed to step out and take a break, Steve Kaufman's lesson is tailor-made for you!
Steve is joined by veteran singer and guitarist John Herald, best known for his work with the legendary band, the Greenbriar Boys, who lends his bluegrass vocals to six classic tunes. Their in-depth hour of performance and analysis prepares you to create your own distinctive guitar solos, tasteful rhythmic backups, and full arrangements to complement any bluegrass singer.
"Blue Ridge Mountain Blues" sets the stage for Steve's study method. As with each tune, he slows it down and takes it apart section-by-section, showing you how to find, arrange and embellish melodies while working off the tune's basic chord structure.
Steve covers a wide variety of picking devices -- licks, runs, rolls, endings, triplets, hammer-ons -- the true benchmark of an in-demand accompanist. In "Wabash Cannonball," perhaps the most famous "train song" in the bluegrass vault, Steve steps off the track to show you how to create an authentic "train whistle" guitar lick. He then mirrors John's vocal yodeling with stringed yodel licks in the evocative "Peach Picking Time In Georgia."
"East Virginia Blues" highlights essential crosspicking patterns, and Steve gives a detailed examination of its open strings and chordal repetitions. The duo's lovely rendition of the waltz; "Somebody Loves You, Darling" is an irresistible invitation to dig into the often misunderstood key of F. Steve spices up the standard I-IV-V progressions of "'Til The End Of The World Goes 'Round" with the break from "Ragtime Annie" before closing with a red-hot medley that's downright inspiring.
If you follow Steve's lead, your entire repertoire of guitar solos and arrangements
will soon shine like well-polished gems!
Steve Kaufman is the only three-time winner of the National Flatpicking Championships,
held each year in Winfield, Kansas. His music covers a broad range of styles
including bluegrass favorites, popular swing standards, Irish and Appalachian
fiddle tunes, folk and country classics and novelty tunes. Since 1976 Steve has
been performing in a wide variety of settings, from elementary schools and colleges
to major bluegrass festivals and concerts. Steve is not only a sensational flatpicker but is also a dedicated instructor who maintains an extensive teaching and workshop practice. His many instructional videos and CDs are among Homespun's most popular lessons, and his annual “Steve Kaufman Acoustic Kamp” series have become a staple of the workshop circuit. Steve's ability to create tasteful and inventive arrangements in flatpick style has earned him a place as one of America's top guitarists.