2 Volume Set – Mary Flower

DVD One:You can get ringing notes, rich tones and textures simply by retuning your guitar to an open chord. On this easy exploration for novice players, Mary Flower teaches some tunings that will help you play beautiful sounding songs and instrumentals almost immediately.

An expert player and an experienced instructor, Mary helps you work out well-known songs or instrumentals for each tuning. She starts with a simple one – dropping the bass E string to D – and teaches a basic but lovely fingerpicking version of the folk hymn, I’ll Fly Away.

You’ll then learn how to get into open G, G6, D and D minor tunings. Along the way, Mary shows how to embellish your guitar work using various chord positions, scales, harmony lines, hammer-ons, pull-offs and other essential techniques.

Songs include the traditional instrumental, Spanish Fandango; the powerful folk tune John Henry; a “carnivalesque” tribute to Bo Carter; and gospel/spiritual songs Amazing Grace, I Shall Not Be Moved, Do Lord and Jesus is on the Main Line.

DVD Two: Learn five classic blues songs, especially arranged for intermediate-level guitarists who want to explore exciting new styles and repertoire. Mary Flower’s clear, step-by-step instruction will make these pieces fun to play for anyone with some prior knowledge of blues fingerpicking techniques.

Mary starts off with Leroy Carr’s Papa’s in the Housetop, first strumming the basic chords to get you quickly into the tune. She teaches you how to play the melody on the high strings, then adds harmony notes and finally finishes the arrangement with a hot New Orleans bass line.

She then launches into equally detailed instruction for Bessie Smith’s Backwater Blues, with moving basses and unusual harmonies; Memphis Minnie’s Black Rat Swing, played in both standard and open D tunings; Jimmy Oden’s Going Down Slow, a 12-bar shuffle/groove blues, using “a combination of Charlie Patton and Jimi Hendrix licks;” and New Orleans Hop Scop Blues, another great Bessie Smith ragtime blues.

Mary Flower’s arrangements are challenging, fun to play and filled with musical ideas that will inspire you and add great songs to your blues repertoire.