Question:
As a devoted user of your products, I'm looking for some assistance on a curriculum path for continuing my development of fingerstyle playing.

I have completed the following:
1. The Art of Comtemporary Travis Picking
2. One-half of The Art of Solo Fingerpicking (I intend to complete the second half shortly).

I would like to continue learning via your blend of instructional lessons backed by compositional examples. Is there a learning path of products that you could recommend, or have I reached my limit?

Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, J. K.

Answer:
First let me say that I am pleased that you find our products helpful. That's their purpose!

Secondly, I don't think that any of us has reached his/her limit. As Segovia once said (to paraphrase): mastering the guitar is a life-long pursuit.

There are several titles from our catalog that I can suggest as follow-ups to the two volumes you have worked through. First, I would suggest my Fingerstyle Solo Guitar video (V-132), and Fingerstyle Guitar book/CD (WB 833). Both titles contain more alternating-bass instruction, but I made sure when I wrote them that the material they contain augments the information in the books you have, rather than duplicates it. The volumes cover other picking patterns as well, and include quite a number of original pieces of mine, many of which I use in my performance repertoire.

Another title that might interest you is The Music of Mark Hanson (T201). This book contains four original solo guitar pieces of mine that use fingerpicking patterns other than alternating-bass. One of the pieces, "Sweet Rotunda," has been playing for some time now on national TV: on "Martha Stewart Living," on a French-Canadian TV show, and on a variety of Sunday afternoon fishing shows. I've even been told that it even played on "Saturday Night Live" when they spoofed Martha Stewart! ("Sweet Rotunda" is actually recorded as a duet, but the first guitar part stands alone as a solo.) The accompanying recording features each tune played at half- and full-speed, along with tips on how to play the tunes successfully.

We have free, downloadable "Tune of the Month" PDF files on our website (www.accentonmusic.com). Plus our Paul Simon, Leo Kottke, and Christmas books and videos have pieces for all levels of fingerpicking.

Thanks, again, J.K., and let us know how you are progressing!

Mark Hanson

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