Play in a day

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Already an established star when rock'n'roll arrived in the UK, he was named as an inspiration by many of the biggest names in British rock and pop music. Weedon placed a lot of emphasis on control of tone, and wanted to make the guitar the star of his music. He made regular appearances on television, and a string of solo singles made him the most famous guitarist in the country; he was perfectly placed to take advantage of the birth of rock'n'roll. It was back in the 80s, when I was on holiday with my family at a slightly up-market holiday camp in Suffolk that I got to see Bert Weedon. Ideal for the advanced pianist and a great insight into the mind of one America's greatest composers.

Well, I have a couple of LPs signed by Bert himself and of course I too started with 'Play in a Day'. However, I do know of a player who died 2 or 3 years ago who was the absolute undisputed master of the particular style and technique you refer to. Some will be put off by the undoubtedly old-fashioned style - but with the heritage it has you have to respect it, and it makes it a valuable tool even for more experienced guitarists to get inside the heads of their heroes (or their heroes heroes, or heroes heroes heroes. Although this of course proves nothing, it does seem to suggest that the vast majority of those players who have been innovators and major influences in that vast field of music where blues, rock and jazz intermingle did or do, at one time or another, employ the thumb over LH technique. Bert Weedon’s expert tuition and straightforward advice will not only help you learn basic skills but also give you the confidence and encouragement to go on to more advanced guitar playing.His name is B B King and I just happen to have in front of me a 1993 copy of Ralph Denyer's The Guitar Handbook open at a photo of B B. Packed with tunes from all styles of music for the beginner/intermediate player, and suitable for both electric and acoustic guitar players.

It was a really good book that did indeed have me playing (albeit something wonderfully banal and simple) in a day. I like to think that I've helped in some way to make the guitar the most popular instrument in the world. Quite where the digits of my left hand go, as I murder The Wind Cries Mary on a Strat, a tango on acoustic or simple doodling bluesywoos on a classical guitar my thumb finds a use and I require it go where I wish. Pick A Chord follows the ethos of Weedon's hugely influential Play In A Day book and DVD, giving guitarists the tools needed to start playing from day one.Bob Shipway… My first guitar tutor book and it felt old fashioned even then… but, as the saying goes, I didn’t judge the book by its cover! Bert was the master who started many artists on the road to success, my only criticism is that the DVD needs to be remastered as the sound and vision is of poor quality. Payment can be made in any currency via Paypal, or any credit/debit card, including American Express, using Worldpay. Herbert Maurice William Weedon was born in East London in 1920, the son of a Tube driver, an amateur singer with a collection of hillbilly records.

We are approaching the anniversary of his death (April 20, 2012) and I have a horrible feeling that we didn’t make enough of Weedon while we still had him. The Hogarth Press where I’m working, is in the heart of the literary world, with authors coming in all the time. Perhaps the first simple intelligent 'pop' guitar tutor - without which Jimmy Page, Hank Marvin and many others may have stumbled.The Cure wrote a short instrumental, The Weedy Burtons, which featured as a hidden track on their debut album Three Imaginary Boys in 1979. After just the 25 minutes video tuition a complete beginner with any six string guitar will be able to join in with Bert Weedon and his group and play their first tune.

Initially he learned classical guitar, a grounding he said had equipped him to adapt to a range of musical styles, from jazz to dance music. Herbert Maurice William Weedon, OBE (10 May 1920 – 20 April 2012) was an English guitarist whose style of playing was popular and influential during the 1950s and 1960s. He regularly played on hits by such luminaries of the time as Tommy Steele, Adam Faith, Billy Fury, Alma Cogan, Dickie Valentine and Frankie Vaughan, as well as backing big names from the US, including Frank Sinatra,Judy Garland, Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett and Nat "King" Cole.He became the first British guitarist to have a solo record in the Hit Parade with "Guitar Boogie Shuffle" in 1959. An essential chord dictionary that every guitarist should have in their gigbag, it contains basic major/minor chords for the beginner through to extended/jazz chords for the advanced player. The other two played guitar- which had become the instrument to play after the success of Bill Hailey and Lonnie Donnegan etc. But as for actually learning to play guitar it was 'Stevie's Blues', the flipside of 'Keep on Running'; one of my sister's singles, that got me started properly 12 bar blues stated simply and, if I remember, perfectly . Good-humoured, unpretentious and a bit eccentric, it's more like having a well-read friend than a subscription to a literary review.