Blues Legend: Big Hollow’s Plainsman 00 Acoustic Guitar [VIDEO]
This new guitar has perfect intonation and a voice that’s warmer and richer than those of the vintage instruments that inspired the Plainsman Double 0.
Pete Madsen
Pete Madsen is an acoustic blues, ragtime and slide guitarist from the San Francisco Bay Area. He's the author of Play the Blues Like..., an essential guide for playing fingerstyle blues in open tunings.
Weekly Workout: How to Create Cool Licks from Familiar Chord Shapes
Have you ever improvised using a tried-and-true scale—only to hit a note that just doesn’t sound right once a chord change comes along? Here’s a remedy for this common problem: By targeting the notes of a given tune’s chord progression, you can create solos that sound more copacetic.
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Review: Taylor 326e Baritone Acoustic Guitar Offers a Wide Tonal Palette
I began to appreciate the tonal possibilities inherent to this nicely executed modern baritone with a throaty low voice.
Video Lesson: Practice Ragtime Fingerpicking in the Style of Reverend Gary Davis [Pt. 1]
For guitarists, ragtime can be a joyful excursion filled with fun and quirky moves. I’ve taken inspiration from Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller, and the Reverend Gary Davis to piece together a composition I call “Pete’s Barrelhouse Rag.”
Martin’s All-Mahogany 00-15E Pairs Vintage Look, Modern Electronics
The 00-15E’s mahogany soundboard isn’t as excitable as spruce, but the guitar is responsive whether I’m playing gently or digging in with a pick. Single-note lines and complex chords alike are clear and brilliant up and down the neck.
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Video Lesson: Practice Ragtime Fingerpicking in the Style of Reverend Gary Davis [Pt. 2]
Part 1 of this lesson focused on my ragtime piece “Pete’s Barrelhouse Rag”—inspired by the piano-based jazz-blues form that’s heavily syncopated and that was popular in the late 1800s/early 1900s. Now, as promised, here’s a look at three additional variations…
Fingerpicking the Blues: The Alternating-Bass Pattern
Learn techniques that players like Mississippi John Hurt, Reverend Gary Davis, and John Fahey are known for.