Guitar Shop: Setup & Maintenance; Introducing Acoustic Blues Guitar

Have you had your frets dressed lately? Fret dressing (which is not something you put on salads) is but one of several topics addressed by Mark Arnquist in Guitar Shop: Setup & Maintenance. Covering acoustic, electric, and classical guitars, the program demonstrates how to string various guitars, adjust the action, intonation procedures, tweaking the pickup, truss rod adjustment and the aforementioned fret dressing. Many of these procedures are simple enough for your average ax player to do on his or her own but, as Arnquist reminds viewers, "if you feel squeamish," you can always take it to the shop. Recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P.Instructor Keith Wyatt wastes no time: "if you love blues, own an acoustic guitar, and have two hands, you're ready to go." And by the end of Introducing Acoustic Blues Guitar, you will be able to impress your friends and neighbors. Working with just a handful of chords (slight variations on major chords--E7, B7, etc.), Wyatt--a gifted instructor--teaches viewers open position chords, 12 bar blues progressions, adding bass lines, playing in different keys, and how to jazz up the proceedings with a bit of rhythm. You might not sound exactly like Robert Johnson when you're done with this introductory video, but you'll definitely sound a whole lot better than your next-door neighbor's kid playing Metallica riffs which break the sound (and taste) barrier. Highly recommended. A companion volume, Solo Acoustic Blues Guitar is also available. Aud: J, H, C, P. (R. Pitman)