Acoustic Guitar

December 1995, No. 36

FEATURES

32 THE BIRTH OF OVATION Thirty years ago, Charles Kaman applied helicopter engineering concepts to the guitar and created a revolutionary design: the fiberglass roundback. Michael Wright looks back at the history of the Ovation and the players who carried it into the spotlight.

40 SWEET HARMONY With guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, and soaring voices, Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin breathe new life into old-time music. Scott Nygaard talks with the duo about the inspirations behind their haunting arrangements. With music to "Blue Mountain."

49 GOOD KING WENCESLAS Legendary folk musician Pete Seeger introduces his arrangement of the classic carol.

52 DELTA BOUND Rory Block's hard-driving guitar and fiery vocals have never sounded better than on her new album, When a Woman Gets the Blues. She talks to Elijah Wald about her three decades of blues travels.

DEPARTMENTS

6 CONTRIBUTORS

8 MAIL

13 MUSIC NOTATION KEY

14 JUMP STREET Guitar-shop songs from hell, the Delmore Brothers, and Hit List record reviews.

21 WOOD CHOPS: Slide in Open G: Part two of a workshop for beginning slide players. With music to "Robert Johnson in Open G." By Dale Miller

26 SHOPTALK Virtual Perfection: An introduction to computer-based editing systems for home recording. By Donn DuBois

75 REVIEWS Rounder Record's 25th-anniversary rereleases, and MIDI Classics files.

80 FOR BEGINNERS Arranging a Folk Song. By Happy Traum

88 GEARBOX Equipment picks from this issue's featured artists, and new product spotlights.

95 SOLO Dylan Schorer introduces Belgian fingerstylist Jacques Stotzem's "Never Enough."

103 DEAR A.G. Answers to your questions.

106 GREAT ACOUSTICS Ovation No. 6. By Michael Wright

Cover: Inside a late '70s Ovation Custom Legend.

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