Guitar | Joan Fenton | Beginning | Period 1 | Week 3 (July 21-26, 2024)
Students will learn 2-3 finger-style blues songs in two different keys. They will learn how to pick out melodies played against an alternating bass. The focus is on learning by ear, and not from tab, with handouts available after we have learned how to play the songs. Requirements: Students are expected to know basic chords, A, B7, C, D, E, F and G. and be able to change chords so that they are ready to learn songs.
About the Instructor
Folklorist and performer Joan Fenton earned her Master’s degree in folklore from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1981. She records and interviews southern roots artists from North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Louisiana. Artists include: Reverend Gary Davis, Willie Trice, Pink Anderson, and Guitar Shorty. Fenton’s folklore thesis fieldwork on Howard Cotten, recorded between 1976 and 1978, is represented through his songs, anecdotes, and tales about fishing and hunting. Documentation of field recordings include transcription notes from interviews and notes compiled from audio material. She is the owner of several stores in Charlottesville, Virginia that feature traditional and contemporary handcrafts. Joan was one of the founders of Blues Week along with Phil Wiggins and Sparky Rucker.