The Guitar Style of Richie Havens; Roger McGuinn's Basic Folk Guitar

Although not one of the fondly-drawn caricatures from the movie A Mighty Wind, Roger McGuinn could have been; he was parodied by his contemporaries back in the day (The Mamas and The Papas “Creeque Alley” featured the line “McGuinn and McGuire still-a-gettin' higher…”) and remains an influential fixture today on artists such as Tom Petty or just about anyone else who picks up an electrified 12-string guitar. With an impressive folk music pedigree (including stints with the Limelighters, the Chad Mitchell Trio, and Hoyt Axton) and a legendary rock 'n' roll stint with the Byrds, McGuinn is more than qualified to teach a new generation the basics of folk music. In Roger McGuinn's Basic Folk Guitar, the artist draws from public domain material he makes available monthly on his website (The “Folk Den” section of McGuinn.com), teaching his distinctive playing style (hybrid flat- and fingerpicking is the secret to his sound) on acoustic 6- and 12-string guitars on songs such as “Buffalo Skinners,” “Spanish Is the Loving Tongue,” “Delia's Gone” (recorded by the late Johnny Cash a few albums back), and “Wayfaring Stranger,” among others. So you wanna be a rock 'n' folk star? Here's a good start. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. Repeat after me: Richie Havens is not an anachronism. Some might peg him solely as one of those hippies opening up Woodstock but--believe me--when he “covers” James Taylor (“Fire and Rain”), The Beatles (“Here Comes the Sun”) or Bob Dylan (“Just Like a Woman”), Havens reveals a whole new soul within the songs. In The Guitar Style of Richie Havens, guitarist/host Artie Traum talks with Havens about his unique and rhythmically charged approach to guitar--characterized by an open “D” tuning (favored by many blues and Hawaiian musicians for harmonic richness) and his trademark hyperkinetic strumming style. Additional songs include "God Bless the Child," "What About Me," "High Flying Bird," and "Things I Used to Do." A wonderful instructional program from a master guitarist, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: H, C, P. (C. Block)