The Guitar of Mississippi John Hurt, Volume One DVD

Mississippi John Hurt’s appeal was universal. He was very much a musician of his time and place, playing within a tradition, but mapping out his own territory with subtleties of touch, phrasing and use of the guitar that were all his own. Though famed for fingerpicking in the alternating bass style, John would often employ omitted beats or syncopated runs, rather than sticking to an unvaried alternation. Also, unlike many musicians of his region, he was comfortable playing in a variety of keys, routinely working in E, A, D, G, and C in standard tuning, as well as Open D and Open G tunings. This video presents instruction in John Hurt’s repertoire, with songs chosen to showcase his playing in different keys. The video lesson includes, at its conclusion, rare documentary silent film footage of Mississippi John Hurt playing guitar at his home in Washington, D.C. The accompanying booklet includes TAB/standard notation transcriptions and lyrics of the songs. Nintey minutes.