Blues and Ragtime Fingerstyle Guitar

Book excerpt: In these lessons for the intermediate fingerstyle guitarist Dave Van Ronk presents his arrangements of blues and a classic rag. The book includes a conversation with Dave, a discography, 6 tunes in notation and tablature, and 3 CDs teaching each tune phrase by phrase. LESSON ONE: A blues in 12/8 with Leroy Carr's Midnight Hour Blues. Blood Red Moon follows played in a dropped D tuning. The lesson ends with Blind Lemon Jefferson's One Kind Favor. LESSON TWO: Sunday Street is an original Dave Van Ronk song and is an excellent example of Dave's arranging skills. Four choruses are taught demonstrating how this tune can develop. Bessie Smith's classic blues You've Been A Good Old Wagon is taught in the key of E. LESSON THREE: Dave's arrangement of St. Louis Tickle was the first great challenge for fingerpickers interested in classic ragtime. This four sectioned rag is played in the keys of C and F. It is an excellent example of contemporary ragtime guitar.