Arthur Blake, a.k.a. Blind Blake, was a prolific and talented guitarist who is often referred to as ‘King of the Ragtime Guitar.’ His complex and intricate fingerstyle techniques and diverse repertoire have influenced and inspired generations of players, including Reverend Gary Davis and Blind Willie McTell.
Author Archives 
Lesson 10 – Finger Patterns (Part One)
This first pattern is demonstrated on the E major and A major chords, but as you’ll see it can be used over any chord combinations.
Lesson 9 – Demystifying Tablature
When you first look at a piece of tablature, especially for fingerstyle, at first glance it looks like an impossible number of random notes that you somehow have to figure out a way to memorize.
Lesson 8 – The Main Elements of Picking
Fingerpicking is not easy, it takes time and work to establish a solid technique. With that said, it’s also not as mystifying as it might first appear
Lesson 7 – Starting With The Thumb: Independence Exercises
You will quickly come to find the most important foundation is a solid rhythm. The focus of these first lessons is traditional roots style music, and if you break it down two distinct profiles begin to emerge, Travis style and Alternating Bass. Both are equally valid and invaluable in the proper situation.
Blind Willie Johnson
Blind Willie Johnson combined the passion of gospel music with the intensity of the blues unlike any other artist. His deep, gravelly vocals soared mightily over his haunted, burning slide guitar, creating a hard-hitting spiritual experience which remains unparalleled.
Blind Willie McTell
Willie McTell was a Piedmont musician, remarkable not only for his powerful, clean and crisp 12-string fingerstyle technique and the ability to jump between ragtime, blues, slide, gospel, country and popular music; but also for his vocals, which sing through clear as a bell.
Lesson 6: Speed -vs- Accuracy
Try to imagine the tonal differences between the wing flaps of a Sparrow and those of an Eagle. Quick, flighty and erratic or strong, confident and soaring.
Lesson 5 : The Space Between the Notes
There is a lot of depth in the silence between the notes. Don’t overplay. You don’t need to emphasize every note of every song, just some notes play themselves. A strong rhythm hides a multitude of sins.