Wanted to express my thanks for the effort you put forth in your videos. The clarity and patience you demonstrate as a teacher shines through.

I received John Denver DVD 1 for xmas as I wanted to learn Darcy Farrow. (I'm not sure if this has been asked before as I was not able to find anything in the archives going back to 2006.
In the video, you explain and show the tune is in Dropped-D tuning with a capo on the third fret. The manual,however, does not say anything about the capo. Looking further I am curious as to how the notation should be read/written when using a capo.
For example, A on string 1 is usually at fret 5. The notation shown starts with this note in measure 1. But if there is a capo on fret 3, shouldn't the notation show this note as being on fret 8?

In the "Better Practicing" video, you're using a Boss "Dr. Beat" metronome. Or "super-metronome," maybe! I want one, too -- but I can't tell from the ad copy whether you have to be a drummer to benefit from the "rhythm coach" function. And Boss makes a less-expensive Dr. Beat that does a lot, but it doesn't have Rhythm Coach.

Is the top-of-the-line model (like yours) worth the dough? I'm thinking it probably is, but would like your comments, since you own one. : )

Thanks for the reply to my message from 12/18/09. I'm working this piece (Darcy's Guitar) up based on what you said. The student who brought this to me may be auditioning for a guitar camp, and I think this may be a good one for that. It takes precision to get this right, and I think it's a good showpiece. I wasn't sure where the manuscript came from at first, but he says he bought it here, so that's good. I should probably buy my own copy just to be fair, huh? I'll just go ahead and do that. In any case, I'm trying to play it to what I hope would be your satisfaction. I'd like to get this just exactly perfect, and in that light, I have a number of questions about left hand fingerings. Here are just two. These are based on watching a YouTube video of you performing live. First, it looks to me like the first time you go to the Em in the B section that you're picking up the low B with the 2 finger; pretty much a regular Em shape. But the second time you come to the Em you're using the 1 finger to get the same low B. This makes perfect sense given the positions leading into each Em. They're both comfortable and logical. Am I seeing this correctly? Second question is about the single note rundown that leads back into the A section. It looks like you're catching the C-B pull-off with the 1 finger, and the A-G with the 2 finger, but then you take the 4 finger out of play and catch the F# with the 3 finger, and then land on the low G with the two finger. Then you transition right away to the G starting position with the 3 finger on the low G when you start the beginning melody and hit that D note in the melody. I hope that all makes sense. Once again, am I seeing this correctly?

I studied classical guitar in college, and these are the things that we concentrated on to get pieces up to performance level. I'm also curious about the right hand fingerings. I'm thinking about writing what I think is best out on the tab portion of the manuscript. I do that in the p-i-m-a classical way of doing things. If I get it done, would you like to see it? I'd be happy to scan it and email it to you.

I hope you don't mind these exacting questions. I sincerely appreciate anything you can do to help. My best to you and yours in the New Year.

Thanks Pete!

I have a couple of DVD's (Essential Exercises & Guide to better practicing) of yours and would like to thank you for taking my playing up a level. I was wondering if you have any recommendations as far as literature which you would consider "essential" to the fingerpickers library (theory, exercises, and/or songbooks).

Learn tunes! Lots of them. Windy And Warm, Mr. Sandman, Freight Train, Down By The Riverside, This Train, Cannonball Rag, Bye Bye Blues, All Of Me, Misty etc... . If they are too hard to learn by ear then get a program called The Amazing Slowdowner and slow them down. Learning tunes by ear will be the best thing you can do. Get a teacher to help.

Song title suggestion: "Lover's Cross" (including 2nd guitar ... of course)

(Do you have the feeling that I'm obsessed with Maury Muehleisen's guitar part?;-)

The good folks at Homespun are in charge of obtaining the rights to teach the materials that we use. However, they normally just get the publisher to sign off on the deal. Sometimes, the artist or manager or the estate of an artist have to give the permissions if they control the rights to the music. It just takes a little time and patience. There are a few artists whose music I really, really want to teach. The biggest reason I want to do it is to have an accurate video record of how to play the music the way the artist does/did. Books can only tell so much of the story. But there is nothing like having someone show you up close, with detailed explanations. I know that there are lots of qualified people who do this kind of teaching (many more so than I), but it is something that I really enjoy doing.

Regards,

Tell your mom THANK YOU!

First, it was not my arrangement of Time In A Bottle - It was Jim Croce's.

I love the music from Last Of The Mohicans. It was one of the few movies that I left and went straight to the record store to buy the sound track. (remember records stores?) That main theme with the fiddle is so beautiful and it is in Dminor - good job!

A) On RMH, you suggest that you played it wrong for years. Do you remember what you did wrong? Though mistake prone, I had thought it was 6D DU 4D DU that the next note was B p-o to A then 4D h-o to 4F#.

B) Next project - John Fogerty and CCR tunes on acoustic, including the detuned black Les Paul songs as he does them.

C) Next challenge - Theme from Last of the Mohicans , all parts at once. Should be easy for you!

Best