Joseph Spence

The Guitar Of Joseph Spence

Joseph Spence was a virtuoso guitarist and master arranger in a style that was uniquely personal and yet caught the imagination of musicians around the world. He has been compared to the great blues masters, the African acoustic pioneers, and Thelonious Monk, and inspired such varied disciples as Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, John Renbourn and David Lindley.

As well as being a joy to play, Spence's arrangements have valuable lessons for any curious guitarist. They are master classes in how to fingerpick in waltz time and capture the rolling Caribbean rhythms of Trinidad, Cuba or New Orleans. His separation of bass and treble, and the parallel voicings of his melody lines, teach interesting ways of harmonizing fingerstyle improvisations. And his unorthodox technique and brilliant improvisations break down old habits, helping you to approach the guitar from a unique and fresh perspective.

Experienced guitarist, teacher and historian Elijah Wald illuminates Spence's tunes in this special DVD.

A detailed tab and sheet music instructional booklet is included as a PDF file on the DVD.