Last Friday John Stropes introduced George Winston to a small group of his guitar students and friends. John has been educating Wisconsin in the various forms of finger style guitar techniques for several decades; both through courses at UWM and his many other venues. In that generous spirit John ensured the lessons were well documented for the educational use of future generations.
(click images for larger view)
George Winston, most widely known as a pianist, has obviously studied slack key guitar with near equal vigor and depth. He’s filmed and recorded the key players in Hawaii; and generously shares his research and expertise at Dancing Cat Records where you can download his books on the subject. Anyone who knows where to find every note and chord on a stringed instrument, in any of a couple dozen different tunings, leaves a hell of an impression on me. When you add the many different ways to pluck a string or four; and achieve harmonic effects up and down the neck. Well suffice it to say Mr. Winston’s scholarship and musicianship left me awestruck; and wanting to hear him play guitar in concert (or in recording).
(Leica M8, 28 mm Summicron [above], 75 mm Summilux [below])
