Folks write to me on occasion asking which of my fingerstyle books to start with: Contemporary Travis Picking or Beyond Basics Fingerstyle Guitar. My response: • The Art of Contemporary Travis Picking is strictly alternating-bass (“Travis Picking”), using pretty basic chords until later in the book. It is largely about training the PICKING hand. You get two actual guitar solos amongst the 14 pieces in the book; the other 12 are accompaniments to a melody that is played/sung by a second instrument. The techniques in this book allow singer/songwriters to beautifully accompany their songs, but it also provides all […]
Mark & Greta in concert in Los Altos, California, with fingerstyle guitarists Teja Gerken and Doug Young.
Several people have asked recently how I mute the bass strings without the aid of a thumbpick, as heard in my tune “Easy Virtue,” which we published recently in the 30th Anniversary Edition of Art of Solo Fingerpicking. Video. I learned this approach from the late, great John Renbourn, who picked with skin and nails (glued on ping-pong balls, actually!) – no picks. Above is a bird’s-eye-view photo of my right hand for the section of the tune that mutes the bass strings. From my normal “classical” picking-hand position (high wrist; palm parallel to the top; nothing resting on the […]
Mark was busy in 2018: Two 30th Anniversary Editions and a new Repertoire book! Relaxing Songs for Fingerstyle Guitar includes 15 new Hanson solo guitar arrangements of well-known tunes, from a spectacular new version of the classic “Sleepwalk” to Ed Sheeran’s recent “Photograph” and “Hallelujah” from Leonard Cohen. Notation/TAB/Online Audio. Lower-Intermediate to advanced. More info. The Art of Solo Fingerpicking 30th Anniversary Edition includes 20 new/updated pages and four cool new tunes, including Mark’s “Cast Away” and “Easy Virtue.” Notation/TAB/Online Audio. More info. The Art of Contemporary Travis Picking is the perennial best seller, having trained scores of thousands of […]
“Flying into Los Angeleez” to quote Arlo. Disneyland just below. The Traveling Wilburys – part of photographer Neal Preston’s gallery: Some really BIG guitars were on hand. Collings head Steve McCreary with Greta. Martin displayed these, along with dozens of others. Gator’s mascot considering masticating… And a view of the crowd.
AGS Holiday Show at the Lake Theater Cafe in Lake Oswego, Ore.
AGS holiday show at Lake Theater Cafe, Lake Oswego, Ore.
AGS concertizes at historic Old Liberty Theater in Ridgefield, Washington
Mark and Greta visit Mark’s hometown for his high school reunion, and a gathering of the state champ basketball team! We’ll have a party and a shoot-around, and see if anyone can still dunk (or run, for that matter)! Photo: Mark at Chief Justice John Marshall Park in Washington, D.C. Mark’s high school takes its name from the illustrious 19th Century Supreme Court justice.
House Concert with Mark Hanson & Greta Pedersen.
