Rhythm's Where It's At!

Here's a fabulous guitar lesson that will give you all the tools you'll need to become a great rhythm guitarist! Veteran player Mike Dowling demonstrates, clearly and simply, the techniques that put him in high demand as sideman for such legendary players as Joe Venuti, Jethro Burns and Vassar Clements.

Using swing blues as a starting point, Mike covers the basics of chord substitution, rhythm vamps, 10th chords, diminished chords, jump-style syncopations and funky 9th chord blues. He takes a close look at the often-overlooked right hand and introduces the vocabulary of classic swing chords that are guaranteed to add punch and style to your playing.

Mike spends a considerable amount of time on techniques that are designed to help you capture that elusive quality called "swing." He teaches "Sheik of Araby" and "Beaumont Rag," and spends ample demonstration time taking the mystery out of the famous and important "Rhythm Changes."

Ably assisted by renowned Nashville fiddler Buddy Spicher and acoustic bassist Chris Enghauser, Mike uses the trio format to showcase the power of rhythm guitar in an ensemble setting.

In 1975, master fiddler Vassar Clements heard Mike Dowling play swing guitar and hired him for his first touring band. Since then, Mike, who refined his technique under the tutelage of the great George Barnes, has gone from accomplished sideman and session player to solo artist and composer of amazing versatility. Mike's Homespun video "Bottleneck Blues & Beyond" shows that he is an especially effective teacher as well as a superb guitarist.

About Swing Guitar

In 1932, Duke Ellington recorded his classic, "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Aint Got That Swing" and officially added a new word to the lexicon of American music. But jazz musicians had been swinging long before the style had a label and "swing" could just as easily have been used to describe the bounce that guitarists Lonnie Johnson and Eddie Lang captured a decade earlier when they recorded "Handful of Riffs."

What makes music swing? Stated most simply, it's the effect one gets by playing a basic four to the bar meter with accents on the 2nd and 4th beats. But more than that, it's a feeling and when swing emerged as popular music in the 1930's no instrument was better suited to express the feeling than a guitar. From rhythm giants like Freddie Green to the refined sounds of Charlie Christian or Oscar Moore; from Django's Maccaferri to Oscar Aleman's tri-cone or Eldon Shamblin's Strat-in the right hands, nothing swings like a guitar.

Improvising Hot Lead Solos

Infectious syncopations, hot soloing, lush chords....nothing captures the spirit of jazz better than swing. Mike Dowling has it down cold, and on this follow-up to "Swing Guitar: Rhythm’s Where It’s At," he has put together a perfect lesson for any player interested in lead soloing and improvisation.

Mike's clear instructional style is easy to follow, and you’ll get great practice as you jam along with the rhythm parts he and David Hungate provide.

Starting at the beginning, Mike uses "Mary had a Little Lamb" to demonstrate how you can create a swing tune out of just about anything. He explains how to use chord shapes to give you the basis for moving around the neck, and how to take a basic melody and embellish it with arpeggios, riffs, pedal tones and other improvisational devices. Before long, you’ll be calling it "Mary had a Swingin’ Little Lamb!"

Mike gets further into the process with "C Jam Blues," which teaches you to improvise around a short "riff," or melodic passage in various positions on the fingerboard. He plays out the chord progression and then launches into some effective blues/jazz improvisations. A classic Hot Club riff leads you into Fats Waller’s great swing standard "Honeysuckle Rose."

Duke Ellington’s "It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" is a great vehicle for you to trade licks with Mike and Dave, and you’ll learn how to play it anywhere on the fingerboard. "Raggin’ It" moves through a typical ragtime progression with simple but effective harmonies that can work in any number of tunes. Finally, "Sweet Georgia Brown" wraps it all up with great chord changes, color tones, ragtime syncopations, and techniques that tie in all the elements you’ve learned on the lesson. Mike says that "true improvisation comes from a creative place deep in the player’s imagination," and on this video he gives you the tools you’ll need to create and develop your own ideas, and swing along with the best of them.

Student Review:

"I have purchased several tapes in the past on various subjects and this is by far the best video instructional tape I have ever purchased. You keep getting better all the time." - William W. Pettet

Magazine Review:

"...a tour-de-force video for aspiring Djangos and Djangettes. Gearing his video to near beginners and intermediate players rather than musicians with advanced expertise in jazz guitar, Dowling begins by showing how to construct easy, elegant-sounding, open-position solos in such common keys as A, G and C. Things immediately get more interesting, however, as he demonstrates how to play those solos up the neck.... For guitarists seeking an intelligent, easily grasped introduction to swing lead guitar, Dowling's video condenses a lot of great material into an excellent package." - Acoustic Guitar Magazine