In this workshop, we will explore fingerpicking for Country Blues guitar with a focus on the alternating bass technique through daily right hand exercises reinforced by easy repertoire across a variety of keys. This foundation is critical in order to play the music of early Country Blues masters such as Mississippi John Hurt, Memphis Minnie, and Elizabeth Cotton – just to name a few! Participants will learn by ear, and the class will move at an easy pace. Audio and video recordings are encouraged – with the caveat that such recordings be made for personal use only and do not appear on social media such as YouTube.
Instructor Bio
Valerie Turner is a native New Yorker with southern roots in Virginia and Georgia. She plays finger style Country Blues guitar and specializes in the Piedmont style of fingerpicking. She has taught at major guitar workshops including the Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Workshop, Blues & Swing Week, and Blues in the Gorge. A 2018 inductee into the New York Blues Hall of Fame, Valerie is also the author of Piedmont Style Country Blues Guitar Basics, an independently published book acquired by the Library of Congress. Her eclectic repertoire is heavily influenced by the years spent studying with John Cephas (a world-renowned Country Blues musician in the Piedmont style) and Woody Mann (a Juilliard trained student of Rev. Gary Davis). Valerie’s guitar playing is reminiscent of traditional blues greats like Mississippi John Hurt, Etta Baker, and Elizabeth Cotten. Valerie and her husband Benedict perform as the Piedmont Blūz Acoustic Duo and, in addition to a host of domestic venues and festivals, these tradition bearers have traveled as far as Europe and the Middle East to share their music.
Check out Turner at Augusta in 2013: