Mastering Thumbpicking With Richard Smith

“If you like my playing, you should hear Richard Smith! The world champion!” – Tommy Emmanuel.

When Richard Smith picks up a guitar, audiences watch in rapt amazement as his fingers dance over fretboard and strings, and listen in delight as melody and groove fill the room. On this technique-intensive lesson, Richard makes some of his most dazzling arrangements accessible to aspiring pickers.

After a brief training session to help you develop independent thumb and fingers, Richard launches into his Happy Blues, teaching an exciting array of creative variations on the standard 12-bar progression while maintaining a solid thumb groove on a single bass string.

Richard’s version of Windy & Warm, made famous by Doc Watson and Chet Atkins, builds unique variations based on moving chord shapes and bass lines.

The beautiful Travis-style thumbpicking standard, Farewell My Bluebell, follows. After teaching the basic melody, Richard adds licks and variations that make this classic dynamic and musically interesting.

Struttin’ by Jerry Reed, in dropped D, makes for a challenging show-stopper, a complex ragtime-like tune with a variety of techniques, stride piano-style bass lines and jazzy chords. Jerry was one of Richard’s main influences and he does his master justice in teaching this dynamic tune.

Bio:

British-born guitar wiz Richard Smith started playing at the age of 5, and by the time he was 11 he shared the stage at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London with his hero, Chet Atkins. Now, with 10 CD releases and a variety of fingerpicking awards, Richard has become a well-known figure on the guitar scene, playing a wide range of musical styles with mind-boggling technique and audience-pleasing flair. Since moving to Nashville in 2000, he has toured around the US and Europe as a soloist, with his cellist wife, Julie Adams, and with his swing band, The Hot Club of Nashville. Richard now balances his time between concertizing and lending his ears and licks to other artists’ music, producing their records in his own Tunesmith Studio.