The Guitar of Robert Johnson

Taught by Woody Mann

Robert Johnson has left an indelible mark on the story of blues and pop music. His haunting vocals and powerful guitar style captivated his audience of the 1930s as well as greatly influencing the works of such modern musicians as Muddy Waters (Kindhearted Woman and Walking Blues), Eric Clapton (Crossroad Blues and his new album Me and Mr. Johnson) and The Rolling Stones (Love In Vain). His 1936 recordings bridged the old traditional Delta sound with a more modern approach that echoed the coming of the electric Chicago blues sound. Woody Mann has carefully prepared this three CD/book to describe and illustrate many of Robert Johnson's guitar techniques and musical ideas.

TUNES PRESENTED INCLUDE: Kindhearted Woman Blues, Me And The Devil, Hellhound On My Trail, Ramblin'On My Mind, Crossroad Blues and Terraplane Blues.

LESSON ONE: Robert Johnson's blues playing in the key of A (standard tuning) was unique as well as intriguing. He combined a strong rhythmic feel with melodic blues licks. Kindhearted Woman Blues and Me And The Devil are discussed in detail with the many variations that Johnson played.

LESSON TWO: Hellhound On My Trail opens this lesson. Played in an open D tuning this evocative blues shows a rare corner of Johnson's repertoire. This is followed by Ramblin'On My Mind, also played in an open D tuning. This is a fine example of how Johnson brought the shuffle beat to the guitar which paved the way for generations of R&B guitarists.

LESSON THREE: Robert Johnson's bottleneck playing in open G had its roots in the Delta and the playing of Son House but it extended and explored the genre into new areas. Crossroad Blues is a fine example of the many variations that Johnson could create combining rhythmic licks with strong melodic lines played with his bottleneck. Terraplane Blues was Robert's "hit" and we conclude the series with a discussion of this intriguing arrangement.

For the intermediate to advanced guitarist.

24 page tab/music book with three compact discs.

GW20911    £19.95