John Miller – Country Blues Guitar in Spanish & Vestapol Tunings

Salepage : John Miller – Country Blues Guitar in Spanish & Vestapol Tunings

One of the hallmarks of the Country Blues is the use of open tunings on the guitar. Spanish tuning and open D tuning are the two most commonly used tunings in the Country Blues. In practice, Spanish tuning was not always tuning to an open G, but instead tuning to an open D.

The different approaches that different players took to the same tunings, and the different sounds that resulted, is really interesting to hear. In each tuning, you will find players whose approach was so melody-driven that it ends up sounding almost like slide guitar played without a slide, and at the opposite end of the spectrum, high concept, sophisticated arrangements. We wanted the songs that are taught on the lesson to encompass as much of the sound spectrum as possible.

The Spanish tuning lesson begins with an overview of the tuning, how it is set up, and where the foundations for Country Blues are located. We start with Elizabeth Cotten’s serene rendition of the hymn When I Get Home, Mississippi John Hurt’s danceable Boys, You’re Welcome, Teddy Darby’s hypnotic Built Right On The Ground, and Mance.

On Disc 2, the Vestapol tuning lesson, we begin with an overview that provides the sound of the tuning, the approach that is best suited to it, and the chordal positions needed to play Country Blues. Tarheel Slim’s instrumental No Time At All, Jimmy Lee Williams’ locomotive Have You Ever Seen Peaches?, John Byrd’s Old Timbrook Blues, and Memphis Willie B.’s eerie Brownsville Blues are some of the songs we go to.

Jesse Thomas has a mind-bender called Another Friend Like Me.

All of the original performances of the songs are included on the discs, as well as standard notation and the lyrics to the songs, and instruction is offered with the kind of patient attention to detail for which John Miller’s lessons have been acclaimed. If you learn the songs on these lessons, you will be able to learn more songs in these tunings on your own, but perhaps even create your own arrangements and songs in the tunings.

There is a PDF booklet with detailed tab/music.