I recently picked up a country music book and realized how much more enjoyable it is to read on paper.
I’m into folk music (Linda Perhacs, Jackson C. Frank, Nick Drake), baroque folk (like Bert Jansch), and American primitivism (John Fahey).
But I also want to explore delta blues (like Skip James’ songs) and country (I love Leo Kottle, and recently discovered Sam McGee’s cool fingerpicking). Any advice on these genres would be greatly appreciated!
I’m at a decent level, so I’m looking for something challenging that will keep me learning for a while.
Please note, I’m not interested in flamenco, jazz, or bossa nova at the moment.
I come from an acoustic blues background, and most of the skills transfer well to other genres. Some good intro books are Beginning Fingerstyle Blues by Berle & Galbo and The Complete Blues & Ragtime Guitar Player by Russ Shipton. After that, I’d recommend Stefan Grossman’s stuff, especially The Complete Country Blues Book – he’s got a Delta one with three Skip James songs included.
For a broader overview of fingerstyle, you could check out Complete Learn To Play - Fingerpicking Guitar Manual by Brett Duncan, though I think it’s a bit dry and too focused on exercises. But if you’re looking for a solid foundation, it’s a good resource.
I know most people probably turn to YouTube these days, but I still prefer having a book when I need to really dig into something.