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Joseph Spence was a virtuoso guitarist and master
arranger in a style that was uniquely personal and yet
caught the imagination of musicians around the world.
He has been compared to the great blues masters, the
African acoustic pioneers, and Thelonious Monk, and
inspired such varied disciples as Ry Cooder (who has
recorded four of his arrangements), Taj Mahal, John
Renbourn, and David Lindley.
Born on the island of Andros in the Bahamas in 1910,
Spence worked as a stone mason, playing mostly the
religious songs he and his neighbors sang in church.
His guitar arrangements capture the sound of these
Bahaman gospel groups, with rhythms reflecting deep
African roots and the roll of boats on the sea, and
multi-part voicings in which bass and lead improvise
independent, complementary lines.
As well as being a joy to play, Spences arrangements
have valuable lessons for any curious guitarist. They
are master classes in how to fingerpick in waltz time
and capture the rolling Caribbean rhythms of Trinidad,
Cuba or New Orleans. His separation of bass and
treble, and the parallel voicings of his melody lines,
teach interesting ways of harmonizing fingerstyle
improvisations. And his unorthodox technique and
brilliant improvisations break down old habits, and
make one approach the guitar from a unique and fresh
perspective.
Tunes taught include: Oh How I Love Jesus, Happy
Meeting In Glory, Brownskin Girl, The Glory of Love,
The Lord is My Shepherd, Coming in on a Wing and a
Prayer.
Bonus Audio Tracks: 55 minutes of unreleased songs
and interviews.
A detailed tab/music instructional booklet is included
as a PDF file on the DVD.
Running Time: 80 minutes
gw970dvd $29.95 
This DVD Guitar Lesson is available NOW for immediate download with the new SGGW On Demand Delivery System!
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