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You are receiving this edition of Acoustic Guitar Notes as an added benefit of your subscription to Acoustic Guitar magazine or to Acoustic Guitar Online, or because you elected to receive Acoustic Guitar Notes when visiting www.acousticguitar.com. To view complete articles in this edition, you may be prompted to log in with your customer number or password. |
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THE BLUEGRASS STYLE OF CLARENCE WHITE Clarence White revolutionized flatpicking guitar and continues to influence players from Tony Rice to Jay Farrar. Learn the signature style that made White a legend. With audio examples. [MORE] |
PRIVATE LESSON: PETER FINGER The German fingerstyle master discusses the advantages and limitations of mixing alternate tunings and music styles. With audio examples. [MORE] |
HAUSER GUITARS The classical guitars of Hermann Hauser and his progeny are renowned for their exceptional sound and quality, but they also helped propel the art of classical guitar to unprecedented popularity. [MORE] |
SPONSOR: ACOUSTIC PRO MUSICIAN
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RAMIREZ 125TH ANNIVERSARY REVIEW The Spanish guitar builder celebrates its 125th anniversary with a limited-production student model. With audio. [MORE] |
RECORDING KING RD-227 REVIEW An affordable vintage-style dreadnought that is well suited to performance and recording. With audio. [MORE] |
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SPONSOR: THE NEWPORT GUITAR FESTIVAL IN MIAMI BEACH  Hundreds of luthiers display hand built guitars, combined with South Florida’s Premiere Vintage show. Hundreds of acoustic mini concerts and dozens of seminars. The ultimate guitar experience for players, collectors, and guitar enthusiasts. For more info, visit www.newportguitarfestmb.com. |
SHADOW SONIC DOUBLEPLAY PICKUP SYSTEM REVIEW Tone-shaping versatility without major modifications to your instrument. [MORE] |
IN THE STORES Scott Cao New Century The New Century classical guitar (www.scottcaoviolins.com; list $3,500) has a solid Canadian cedar top, maple back and sides, and an arched back and lattice-braced top. [MORE] |
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NEW PRODUCTS eMedia has released version 4.0 of its CD-ROM, Guitar Method, Vol. 1. The new version includes new fretboard skins, a revamped user interface, and improved audio and video. The CD-ROM has more than 160 lessons, 50 videos, and is compatible with both Mac and Windows computers. For more information, go to www.emediamusic.com. Easy Steps to Flamenco Guitar (Homespun, www.homespun.com) is a new instructional DVD with Aaron Gilmartin. Designed for beginners, the DVD’s lessons are segmented into slow, methodical steps that include information about guitar tone, using fake nails, arpreggios, bass and melody lines, and more. |
PLAYLIST CD REVIEWS Sir Richard Bishop, Polytheistic Fragments Listeners who discover Sir Richard Bishop through Polytheistic Fragments may come away dizzy from the stylistic shifts that occur over the record’s 11 songs. But it’s more or less par for the course for Bishop, who spent two decades with careening, sonic anarchists Sun City Girls, and he now channels his fascinations with Gypsy jazz, Asian and African folk and pop, and Donovan through a fast-growing catalog of solo musings. Bishop’s playing is fearless and defiant of stylistic convention or technical puritanism. On “Cross My Palm with Silver,” he fuses Spanish-flavored rasgueados with surf-style flatpicking. “Rub Al Khali” is a mesmerizing improvisation around an Anatolian mode that finds Bishop veering between impeccable precision and a visceral, unhinged blur. “Tennessee Porch Swing” toys with Takoma-style fingerpicking while “Quiescent Return” deconstructs English fingerstyle motifs. Mutations of Mancini, Morricone, raga, and Django lend even more complexity to the stew—making Polytheistic Fragments a joyous, bold, and irreverent masterwork. (Drag City, www.dragcity.com) —Charles Saufley, associate editor |
Robin Bullock, Rosewood Castle Doing justice to the rather broad term of Celtic music, Robin Bullock assembled a collection of Irish, Scottish, and French compositions for Rosewood Castle. Eight of the album’s tunes feature Bullock’s shimmering solo fingerstyle arrangements, and five other feature duets with a set of prominent guests: Alex de Grassi, Al Petteway, John Doyle, Tony McManus, and Steve Baughman. Between chestnuts of the Irish repertoire, such as “Southwind” and “Lady Edwards,” the driving medley of “The Savage Wee Beastie/The Limerick Lasses/The Bird in the Bush,” and the album’s “Breton-Asturian Set,” Rosewood Castle would make an excellent introduction to the genre, while also keeping the interest of established fans. (Dancing Wolf, www.dancingwolfrecords.com) —Teja Gerken, senior editor For more CD reviews, click here. |
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ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE CURRENT ISSUE A look at the new virtuosos of classical guitar, as well as the legacy of Hauser guitars; reviews of the Recording King RD-227 dreadnought and the Ramírez 125th Anniversary guitar; the flatpicking genius of Clarence White; and songs by Pearl Jam and Pure Prairie League. COMING UP February: Steve Earle talks with Scott Nygaard about his spellbinding new record, Washington Square Serenade; Andy Ellis reports on the future of wood in guitar making; reviews of the Collings 0 and the Blueridge Adirondack guitars; and music to Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle” and the Band’s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” March: Emmylou Harris on her storied career and new box set of rarities and outtakes; Pat Donohue’s guitar secrets; reviews of the Martin/Babicz OM and the First Act jumbo cutaway; and music to “Atlantic City” and an unconventional fingerstyle version of Van Halen’s “Jump.” Subscribe to Acoustic Guitar! |
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