Mark & Greta in Los Altos, California

Mark and Greta join Mark’s early “Waterwheel” partner Fred Cummins for music during the morning service at Foothills Congregational Church in Los Altos, California. Directions

Bach’s “Sheep May Safely Graze” Main Theme – Playable Version

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Here is a my relatively easy fingerstyle arrangement of the main theme of J.S. Bach’s beautiful melody “Sheep May Safely Graze.” It is set in the key of G, standard tuning. To play it in the original key of B-flat, capo it at III.   One challenging “stretch” fingering occurs in measure 3: an F#dim chord over a droning G in the bass. (You can think of this as a D7 chord with G in the bass.) Finger the sixth string in that passage with your ring finger, and the fourth-fret note with your little finger. SheepMaySafelyGrazeMainTheme    

Guitar Workshop with English Fingerstyle Virtuoso Clive Carroll in West Linn, Oregon

British fingerstyle guitar virtuoso Clive Carroll – who tours with Tommy Emmanuel – presents a fingerstyle guitar workshop in West Linn, Oregon. Not to be missed! For fingerstyle guitarists of all levels. Clive is a fun, engaging personality, and a wonderful teacher. Location provided with ticket sale. Info: (503) 699-1814. Tickets

Mark Performs in Dundee, Oregon

The day after Thanksgiving Mark returns to the Holloran Winery in the Willamette Valley’s lovely rolling hills for three hours of guitar solos in the tasting room. Come enjoy Bill’s great wines (Tempranillo is a specialty) and listen to me play my decades-long list of guitar solos.

“Tri-Tone Substitutions” Made Easy!

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Understanding “Tri-tone Substitution” Note: This article references my bluesy rave-up fingerstyle arrangement of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” A video of me playing it in Santa Barbara in August, 2017, has been posted here on YouTube: The actual music starts at about 0:35. Perhaps you have come across the term “Tri-tone substitution” in your studies, and had a hard time understanding it. Here’s an easy way to understand tri-tone substitutions: Think of them simply as dominant-seventh chords resolving down a half step – F7, instead of B7, going to E, for example. Most of you use B7 to resolve […]