Before getting too far into the myriad techniques and challenges of flatpicking, it is essential to first establish a relaxed and stable posture.
Sitting upright on a chair or stool, take a few deep breaths into your lower abdomen, allowing your core to relax. Allow this relaxation to permeate outward, letting go of any tension in your arms, neck, and face - before you to pick up the guitar. This way you'll be able to create a flow of music with a relaxed core.
Read All About It!
Blues is a fantastic style of music to play and listen to but it’s also a fascinating story. Learning more about who created the music, what their lives were like, and the world they lived in will make your blues experience richer and help you understand the meaning behind the notes you play.
Here’s a brief introductory list (presented in no particular order) of informative and readable books about general blues history, styles, and people. From any of these titles you can follow threads to go deeper into specific subjects like regional styles and the lives of influential blues musicians. While brick-and-mortar bookstores that stock blues-related titles are extremely rare these days, all of these can be found online somewhere for purchase:
The Story of the Blues - Paul Oliver
Meet Mitch, who among other things, loves music.
He’s been a guitarist most of his life. He first began playing at age 8, but when he was 13 something happened which would change the course of his musical journey forever. His grandmother took him to see the legendary Andres Segovia perform in concert. After that, Mitch knew exactly what he wanted to play: classical guitar.
"I don’t need to tell you that Chuck was not only a great musician, but just a sweetheart. Just a beautiful person, he had positive energy and it came out in his music, and that was always inspiring to me - communication. Not only as a player, but as a teacher of course, with all the great work he’s done here at ArtistWorks." - Dave Stryker