Musix Newsletter #14 • December 2009
Video posts to play along with & learn!
I decided to try something a little different with Musix Newsletter #14. Rather than a text, MP3, and written music-based newsletter, I videoed a few things and posted them on YouTube. I’m not planning to stop doing text and written music-based newsletters in the future, I just wanted to give this a try, see how it works, and get your reaction. The YouTube links are shown following each description below.
Before we get to that, I want to remind you that there’s still time to have books, CDs, and DVDs delivered in time for Christmas. We’ll even pay the First Class postage on selected items (see details below).
Orders sent by Priority Mail are delivered inside the US within 2–3 business days. So, if you order anything from our website (www.musixnow.com) by Monday, 12/21/09, using Priority Mail, your order should arrive by 12/24/09.
If you don’t need Priority Mail shipping, take advantage of our “Free First Class Shipping Offer” on the following items. (Offer good on orders placed by 12/31/09. Good only in the US.)
We’ve got lots of great musical items for you and your musically inclined loved ones. We hope you’ll browse our site: www.musixnow.com. Here are just a few of our books, CDs, and DVDs:
Christmas Favorites for Solo Guitar: 30 Best Loved Traditional Songs for Bluegrass Guitar
You’ve still got time to get the book/CD set and learn a few solos to back up those Christmas Carolers! This set contains flatpicking solos on 30 wonderful Christmas and Holiday tunes! Most solos use the basic “bass note/strum” technique with melodies integrated into common chord patterns. Others feature “the arpeggio strum,” a beautiful chord melody technique. Along the way you’ll explore transposing solos from one key to another, changing and mixing meter (3/4 to 4/4), soloing in more than one octave, playing a solo with others as a round, and more! Free First Class Shipping until 12/31/09 and while supplies last.
Gypsy Swing & Hot Club Rhythm, Vol. I & II
If you want to have a great time learning swing, jazz, and Gypsy swing chords, rhythm, melodies, and songs, you can’t beat our four (two each for guitar and mandolin) play-along book/ CD sets. Jam along with the recorded Gypsy Swing band as you learn. Free First Class Shipping until 12/31/09.
Gypsy Swing Guitar Vol. I,
Gypsy Swing Guitar Vol. II,
Gypsy Swing Mandolin Vol. I,
Gypsy Swing Mandolin Vol. II.
Shopworn Gypsy Swing Vol. I books still available. A whole box of books was damaged in shipment. The books are perfectly fine except for folded or dog eared corners. If you don’t mind the cosmetics, you can save on the price of an otherwise brand new book. See the website page for availability.
Also for you mandolin swingsters Dix Bruce’s Swing & Jazz Mandolin: Chords, Rhythm, and Songs teaches everything you need to know to get up and swinging on the mandolin! Free First Class Shipping until 12/31/09.
The Parking Lot Picker’s Songbooks will be a hit for anybody who likes bluegrass, old time, folk, and gospel music. Each book contains over 215 great songs with lyrics, chords, standard notation, tablature, playing tips, and 2 CDs with a recording of EVERY song. Individual editions for guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, and dobro. And, if you take advantage of our “Picking Buddies” offer, we’ll give you free Media Mail shipping when you buy any two! Click the following links for complete information on the five separate editions of “The Parking Lot Picker’s Songbook”:
The Parking Lot Picker’s Songbook Guitar Edition
The Parking Lot Picker’s Songbook Mandolin Edition
The Parking Lot Picker’s Songbook Banjo Edition
The Parking Lot Picker’s Songbook Dobro Edition
The Parking Lot Picker’s Songbook Fiddle Edition
Mel Bay’s Chord Rhythm System book. Great book! Teaches ALL the jazz and swing chords you’ll ever need: majors, minors, sevenths, major sevenths, minor sevenths, diminished, augmented, ninths, thirteens, and more, most with four different positions/inversions on the guitar fingerboard. Learn the system of changing one note in a chord to make it into a different chord. Free First Class Shipping until 12/31/09 and while supplies last.
Mandolin Uff Da! Let’s Dance: Scandinavian Fiddle Tunes & House Party Music
Fun collection of old-time Scandinavian dance tunes including waltzes, two-steps, schottisches, hop-waltzes, polkas, rags, mazurkas, and more, arranged for the mandolin.
Now, on to the video postings! The YouTube links are shown following each description.
Christmas Favorites for Solo Guitar: 30 Best Loved Traditional Songs for Bluegrass Guitar. I play four songs from the book, two of which I sing also: “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” “Children Go Where I Send Thee,” “The Friendly Beasts,” and “Toyland.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY2dHYJlyHo
“Mandolin Uff Da! Let’s Dance: Scandinavian Fiddle Tunes & House Party Music” I talk about Scandinavian House Party music and play a few of the tunes on the mandolin: “Stegen Waltz,” “Art’s Schottische,” and “Almondo’s Polka.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z8FYlVO1NY
“Stumbling” After posting a video on working with the Gypsy Swing & Hot Club Rhythm book/CD set for guitar (I played “Whispering” from Gypsy Swing & Hot Club Rhythm II) I decided to do the same for mandolin with the song “Stumbling.” I show how to work on the chords first, then the melody as written in the book, then an improvised solo, then more chord work, and finally a lower octave melody.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVEHn6_zCBQ
Mel Bay’s Chord Rhythm System book. I’ve been going to do this for quite some time as I believe in this little book and want everybody to know about it. It teaches an all-encompassing system of chording on the guitar. You’ll learn ALL the jazz and swing chords you’ll ever need: majors, minors, sevenths, major sevenths, minor sevenths, diminished, augmented, ninths, thirteens, and more, most with four different positions/inversions on the guitar fingerboard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akSjsS6rBGI
Happy Holidays 2009!
Dix Bruce