One of America's greatest bluegrass musicians has made a lesson that will help you improve your singing and strengthen your rhythm guitar playing. Peter Rowan imparts wisdom and advice based on decades of experience playing with bands from Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys to Old and In the Way.You'll gain unique insights into Peter Rowan's instrumental and singing style, which will, in turn, help you in your own musical development. Through his thoughtful instruction you'll improve your lead singing and learn invaluable tips on breathing, phrasing, vocal improvisation, and how to achieve the "high lonesome" bluegrass sound. Peter gives you exercises for increasing your power and range, and builds your awareness of what you need to do to develop a strong vocal sound.
A top-notch guitarist as well as a great singer, Peter teaches the basics of guitar accompaniment for bluegrass songs. He shows you how to back up your singing with a strong sense of time, strumming full chords with the pick and adding bluegrass style bass runs (including variations on the famous "G run"). You'll also learn to pick simple but effective solos to a variety of songs, and establish an authentic bluegrass guitar sound.
Peter illustrates his lesson with a set of classic songs from the bluegrass repertoire. He takes apart
Blue Moon of Kentucky phrase by phrase, the way Bill Monroe taught it to him, and teaches the bluesy
Walls of Time (which Peter wrote with Monroe), with its sliding notes and punchy bass runs. Other songs include the traditional gospel number
Wayfaring Stranger, which Peter uses to teach his haunting guitar arrangements along with the vocal improvisations that make his trademark sound.
In the Pines, a waltz-time song with powerful blues runs in E, illustrates how to establish rock-solid time to add power and dignity to this and other songs.
Along with lots of great instruction, you'll also hear some of Peter's first-hand accounts of his days on tour with Bill Monroe, and concert style performances of six of his best-known bluegrass songs.
Reviews:"Meandering his way through five songs, Rowan gives thoughtful, multi-layered insights on everything from the essential mechanics of effective lead singing and rhythm guitar accomaniment to some of the underlying metaphysics of his own personal style of vocal phrasing, rhythm guitar playing, and even songwriting.... Listening to Rowan's stark solo renditions of classics like "Blue Moon of Kentucky" and "Wayfaring Stranger," followed by his detailed commentary on keys, vocal phrasing, timing, and rhythmic guitar patterns that led him to these very personal interpretations of the songs, is bound to leave you hungery to hear - and learn - more." -- Bluegrass Unlimited
"Rowan is a legend within the bluegrass community. This video shows how, after more than four decades of lead singing, his voice is still as strong as ever. So many bluegrass singer/guitarists can learn valuable lessons from one of the masters by watching this video." -- Bluegrass Journal
