Learn to Play the Songs of Jim Croce

Some words of advice: don't tug on Superman's cape, don't spit into the wind, and—if you're a guitar player at coffeehouse gigs who takes audience requests—do not ignore the Jim Croce songbook. In this instructional program, teacher Pete Huttlinger breaks down Croce's idiosyncratic picking patterns in detail, noting the powerful subtleties of how different notes and fills support the beauty of the melody. Targeting Croce's sensitive side—missing are humorous songs such as “You Don't Mess Around With Jim” or “Roller Derby Queen”—the near two-hour program teaches seven classic Croce tunes: “I Have to Say I Love You in a Song,” “New York's Not My Home,” ”Photographs and Memories,” “I Got A Name,” “Operator,” “These Dreams,” and “Time in a Bottle.” Also given the spotlight here is the little-known role of Croce's longtime guitar accompanist Maury Muehleisen (who died along with Croce in a plane crash in September 1973)—the supplementary booklet includes standard notation and tablature for the songs, with Jim and Maury's respective parts on several of Croce's hits. Recommended. Aud: P. (C. Block)