Homespun

Chris Smither's foot-tapping, high-groove guitar style and blues-inflected songs have kept him in the top ranks of singer/songwriters for four decades. On this lesson he shows you how he uses his alternating thumb and syncopated two-finger picking, along with a variety of left hand techniques, to create the rhythmic drive and distinctive harmonies that distinguish his unique arrangements.

No Love Today ("The Fruit and Vegetable Song"), a rich evocation of old New Orleans street life, is one of Chris' most requested songs; Drive You Home Again, a moody minor-key blues, is the title song of one of his best-selling CDs; Bob Dylan's titanic Visions of Johanna gets a new treatment; the humorous Get a Better One features infectious single note riffs against a steady bass groove; Leave the Light On is joyous, straight-ahead fingerpicking in open D; Lightnin' Hopkins' "spooky" Blues in the Bottle is played and taught on both 12-string and 6-string guitars.

Chris' wry humor and deep understanding of traditional styles help to make this an outstanding guitar lesson for all fingerpicking enthusiasts.