In this double DVD set, I teach a wide array of folk blues arrangements. You will study playing in various tunings, i.e. Standard, Dropped D, DADGAD, Open D and Open C tunings. The songs range from popular blues and rags to old-time mountain ballads. All are taught phrase by phrase and the movements of both the left and right hands are clearly illustrated on the split screens.

As an extra bonus, original old recordings from the 1920s and 1930s are included so that you can hear the roots from where these tunes derived.

Disc One: Corrina Corrina, How Long Blues, Rag Mama, Piccolo Rag, Betty and Dupree 

Disc Two: Blues For Mississippi John Hurt, Little Sadie, St. Louis Blues, Sweet Sunny South, Sitting On Top Of The World, House Carpenter, One Kind Favor 

177 minutes • level 2/3 • Detailed tab/music PDF file on each DVD

Review: An absolute must. Not every master bluesman is a master teacher. Some of the greatest guitar work played by an artist is not always easy to communicate to the student. Stefan Grossman, world class acoustic blues player is a gifted teacher. This two-DVD set rivals ANYTHING he has put out. The quality is superb.

For the late beginner, and intermediate guitarist, there is much to glean from. Grossman begins with a terrific song, though not too challenging, and follows the tried and proven path of teaching: line upon line, precept upon precept. As one song is tackled, the next is introduced, with a subtle increase in complexity. After a bit of climbing, Grossman normally takes a step back...1, 2, 3, 2, 3, and on to step 4. Why? As the student progresses, he is “rewarded” with a confidence building song. Where once a level 1 song was a challenge, by the time a more complex song is worked through slowly (say, step 3 song--my own labels---split screen, step by step), the student steps back and confidently nails down the level 2 song. This continues throughout both DVDs with a marvellous collection of wonderful songs. A great sidenote: these same songs are available on CDs or MP3 downloads here at Amazon or at Apple.com for your ipod. It is of great benefit to hear the master play these songs, in your car for instance, while you are learning them on guitar.

If Eric Clapton comes to the US and looks up Stefan Grossman to work through some songs, and CF Martin Guitar company releases a model guitar of Grossman's, you can well imagine the value of a 2 DVD set to a student. This DVD set will provide the student with MONTHS of “private” guitar lessons (not only do you have the split screen and slow down teaching but you have that wonderful tool that is not available to students with live teachers: the PAUSE button!) that simply put, could not be afforded by most of us even if you could get an hour with a teacher of Grossman's stature.

Another important aspect to Grossman's teaching: His demeanor. He is a humble man, self-effacing, funny, and wonderfully enthusiastic for the blues. He plays country blues, folk blues, and teaches open tunings, some slide, and even that wondeful, get up a dance blues: rag music.

He does not sing on these DVDs, though he has a nice bluesy voice, and makes the student feel as if it he made to be welcome in the presence of someone who has not been told that he is a master. His humility is refreshing, as he does not take himself too seriously.

Why do I mention this?

Simply put, you are going to “spend” many hours, over weeks and months “with” your teacher. If you do not like his personality, you will be hindered in your own personal growth. No funky “rock star” clothing, no weird hat, no distractive gaudy jewelry, nor anything else that takes away from this wonderful man's teaching. His “personality” is disarming, and his stories of having played with many greats (including when he was young taking lessons, or, for instance, his stories of meeting Mississippi John Hurt, are terrific additions).

This DVD may be his best. You are able to invite this humble and nice man into your living room, as do I, a few times per week, an hour at a time, for months, and learn, learn, and learn.

No matter what level you may be at, you will enjoy the DVDs of Grossman. If you are a very new beginner, please see some of the other Grossman DVD reviews here at Amazon. If you are pressing past the Intermediate stage (beyond me!), there is still much to glean here, and especially “Blues Solos” by Grossman. His company also offers many other excellent teachers, who, like Ernie Hawkins, will tackle a multitude of the works of Rev. Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, Big Bill Broonzy, Blind Lemon Johnson, and so many other greats. The Grossmans, Traums, Hawkins, and others faithfully carry the mantle of the early bluesmen from the 1920's and 30's, to us today; and will likely pass the responsibility of teaching these great songs onto some of the younger artists; perhaps men like Pete Huttlinger, an award winning guitarist who also possesses the wonderful gift of teaching.

Enjoy your months of “personal” lessons with the masters! – Peter Hyatt/Amazon Customer Review

The good timey sounds of jug band music - infectious and influential - have enjoyed popularity since its beginnings in the "spasm" and "novelty" bands that developed in New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th Century. Jug bands were playing jazz and blues long before the music was recognized and labelled as such. Their instruments were home made in some cases, or substitutions were found such as with a jug sounding like a tuba, or using a washboard for a rhythm instrument. Music was made and created and invented, and new styles were developed. Jug bands played on all the Ohio and Mississippi riverboat paddle wheelers and many of the southern night clubs. They were in vaudeville, on the streets and in traveling medicine shows.

Two of the most popular and well recorded jug bands in the 1920s were Cannon's Jug Stompers and The Memphis Jug Band. In this lesson I have arranged some of their songs for fingerstyle guitar. I have also included the wonderful Shine On Harvest Moon which fits perfectly in to the jug band tradition. They're fun songs to play and sing. You'll probably recognize some of the titles and melodies from the recordings of the Rooftop Singers, Grateful Dead and Lovin' Spoonful.

Jug band music is close to my heart. In 1964 with my friends Steve Katz, John Sebastian, Maria Muldaur, Josh Rifkin, Peter Siegel and Bob Gurland we formed the Even Dozen Jug Band. Hopefully some of the fun and joy that I found in jug band music has been transposed to the fingerstyle arrangements in this lesson.

A detailed tab/music booklet is included as a PDF file on the DVD. Each tune is taught phrase by phrase and played slowly on a split-screen. As well, a Bonus Audio section features original recordings of the tunes taught.

Titles include: Stealin' Stealin', Going To Germany, K.C. Moan, Mississippi River Waltz, Walk Right In and Shine On Harvest Moon

117 minutes - Level 2/3 - Detailed tab/music PDF file on the DVD

Review: With just a little application and practice it's actually possible to start sounding like one of our editor's all-time favourites, kids! The Jug Band repertoire of the 1920s and 1930s is a rich vein for the solo performer to mine. Stefan Grossman was (with, among others, John Sebastian and Maria Muldaur) a founding member of the legendary Even Dozen Jug Band. The deep, abiding love that he has for this music is obvious. Using ideas and techniques learned first-hand from Rev Gary Davis, Grossman guides the viewer through his solo arrangements of Stealin', Going To Germany, KC Moan, Mississippi River Waltz, Walk Right In and Shine On Harvest Moon. The DVD's running time is 117 minutes, the fun lasts a lifetime. This lesson is best suited to more experienced players. The disc features the usual Guitar Workshop high-standard split-screen camera angles, and includes a PDF booklet of the tablature and notation, plus bonus audio sections with all the original recordings. - Steve Hunt/fRoots

Review: As a guy who tried to be "Johnny Jug Band Seed" in various ways for a couple decades I always welcome any other efforts in that direction. Stefan Grossman was in the Even Dozen Jug Band with Maria Muldaur, John Sebastian and several other players back in the early 1960s, and now he's got this new teaching DVD for some popular Jug Band songs. We've gone over the style of these videos several times: spilt screen - two cameras so you can see both hands; after playing through the tune each part is carefully explained and then played again slowly; a pdf file with tablature for all the parts taught; and in this and many cases the original recordings of the songs also included as a bonus on the disc. The list of tunes taught seems shorter than usual, but the disc has 117 minutes of playing time. Taught are "Stealin' Stealin'" , "Going To Germany" (actually, there is a town in Mississippi called Germantown, and around here we sing "Goin' to Duvall", "K.C. Moan," "Mississippi River Waltz,"; "Walk Right In," and "Shine On Harvest Moon." These tunes are in at least 3 different keys, so you get a wide variety of licks you might also be able to use in your own songs! Another bonus feature is a 1950s video of original Memphis Jug Band members Will Shade (playing resonator tenor guitar) and Charlie Burse (washtub bass) singing "Kansas City Blues." Although I believe I've reviewed another Guitar Workshop DVD that had this same clip, it is absolutely precious, and if you've never seen it would be worth the price of admission by itself. Having met a couple of the original Even Dozen Jug Band, I've really enjoyed getting to know Stefan a bit through his videos and other recordings over the years! Now if I could only locate my cassette that has "Jug Band Songs Of The Southern Mountains" by the Even Dozen Jug Band! I've got the case, but the cassette has gotten misfiled. - Marc Bristol/Blue Suede News

Review: Unlike the hard, rotgut stuff, jug band music is the champagne of the blues world: typically effervescent, festive and fun - making it all the more intoxicating. During the formative period of the 1920s and 1930s is when kingpins like Will Shade's Memphis Jug Band and Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers began uncorking the genre. Then the blues revival of the 1960s sparked a popular resurgence of both the songs and the band format. "Stealin' Stealin'" re-lived as a staple of primordial Grateful Dead sets, circa 1966. The Rooftop Singers renovated "Walk Right In" for their one-hit-wonder smash of 1963. That's also when the Even Dozen Jug Band sprung forth. Having been a member (along with David Grisman, John Sebastian and Maria Muldaur), Stefan Grossman knows the inside scoop about the bubbly business, sharing two hours of his firsthand insight by arranging Jug Band Music for Fingerstyle Guitar. Here, you'll conquer the "unfriendly" Rev. Gary Davis/Merle Travis C7 chord; the fanciness of diminished chords; the string-pinched loveliness of "Mississippi River Waltz," as well as five other singalong stomps. "K.C. Moan," a chugging railroad piece, receives the Lonnie Johnson treatment, right down to extracting honey from its D chords. "Shine on Harvest Moon" uses the same rustic recipe as when Texas bluesman Mance Lipscomb cooked it, unjugged. Historic audio recordings dating as far back as 1909, along with 1950s footage of Will Shade and Charlie Burse in ragged-but-right action, are among the DVD's hidden surprises. - Dennis Rozanski/Blues Rag 

I don't believe in doing dry and boring guitar exercises. I like to practice different techniques and styles within the scope of a song arrangement. Fingerstyle blues and ragtime guitar offers the student many interesting and challenging ideas that can help build up your fretboard knowledge, control of your left and right hands as well as learning some hot licks and grooves. In this double DVD lesson we will study and explore:

• The Alternating Bass
• The Monotonic Bass
• Hammer-Ons & Pull-Offs
• The Cocaine Blues Exercise
• The Soldier's Drill Exercise
• Single String Runs
• Chord Fingerings
• The Syncopated Bass
• Stumble Bass Endings
• Rhythmic Licks
• Combining the Rhythmic Lick with Chordal Runs
• Counterpoint Lines and Melodies
• The Blues Vibrato in the Key of C
• Lonnie Johnson's Blues in the Key of D
• Mississippi John Hurt's Blues in the Key of E
• Delta Blues in the Key of E
• Lightnin' Hopkins' Blues in the Key of E
• Blues in the Key of A

Each tune is taught phrase by phrase and played slowly on a split-screen. A detailed tab/music booklet is included as a PDF file on each DVD. The Bonus Audio sections include original recordings relating to the exercises.

225 minutes - Level 2/3 - Detailed tab/music PDF file on the DVD

Review: These "Guitar Exercises & Hot Licks" go well beyond their 225 minutes of how-to education and you've-got-this motivation. For blues and ragtime guitarists, they'll last a lifetime of fingerpicking. Because Stefan Grossman is a one-man think tank diligently working to empower you as a better guitarist. His sworn goal here is to develop "your" sound. And he's entertainingly congenial doing so. (Hey, did he tell you the one about his one-hit wonder months rocking out with Chicago Loop, or how hanging with pre-Blind Faith Clapton reshaped his approach to vibrato?)

Old masters – Davis, Fuller, Hurt, Johnson – are the ones who most often come up in conversation, though. And even more so in practice. Their trademark moves, along with a slew of Grossman's personal own, continually inform the tremendous ground that's covered. There are lessons on blues in the key of your choice (A, C, D and E). The section on bass styles, for instance, runs the gambit from monotonic and alternating to Depression-era funk (namely, syncopation and that cool way Blind Blake would stumble on the strings). Then there are sections on counterpoint, end tags, that aforesaid vibrato, and more. Rather than teaching songs for the sake of fattening up repertoires, pertinent portions of songs are spotlit as workouts for building a specific technique: "Cocaine Blues" practices the nuanced art of pull-offs and hammer-ons. The Piedmont-via-Bronx tour de force "Twelve Sticks" sheds enlightenment on single-string runs. Plus, you'll also walk away from here with more hot licks than from a basket of puppies. – Dennis Rozanski/Blues Rag 

Review:  I am not going to go through the quality of these productions again in any detail, just read any of my previous reviews. But here we have a double DVD from the man himself, which does just what it says on the sleeve. Total playing time of 225 minutes, but you simply cannot just sit down in front of a TV screen (Or I suppose a computer screen too) and run it straight through as you will constantly be pausing and rewinding to go back over a devilishly tricky piece (Of which there are many) Although there are exercises here that are open to all levels of ability, it does assume a certain proficiency in fingerpicking, but the joy of it is that there are sections that you could use as your own backing tracks and just improvise to your hearts content over the top. As always, the very comprehensive PDF file that comes with the package is top quality and easy to follow. In order to get full value from these DVDs you have got to be ready to set yourself at least ten minutes at a time practicing any of the exercises, but, in reality, F guess that ten minutes files by and you could be stuck behind a guitar for hours. Oh well, what a hell of a way to go! – Dave Stone/Blues Matters!