Got one for Christmas, currently tuned to C6. Holy hell, is this thing hard to wrap my head around. Where do I even begin?
I've got a thumb and finger pick set (plastic thumb, metal fingers) but I'm not sure I'm even wearing them correctly. Muting or deadening strings seems impossible and I'm making all kinds of sympathetic noises that sound like crap.
Who can recommend the one good book or video to set me down the right path?
Kudos to you, santa, have fun with it!
Did you ever play bottleneck on a regular guitar? Lap is really not that different from bottleneck except for the position you're holding it in. And the tunings but IMO they don't matter so much - they make it easier, actually.
C6 lap lessons - ( New Window )
Believe it or not, I've looked. They are very limited in number and scope and ultimately try to get you to buy the poster's material.
There's a place called Scotty's Music in St Louis with tons of instructional videos and info that you won't find anywhere else, though checking scottysmusic.com now, it looks like ol' DeWitt Scott passed on a few years ago. The website is still up but it's a bit threadbare. You may want to call and ask if they still offer a full range of instructional material for beginners.
It's overwhelming at first--and real easy to get dejected with these 8-string behemoths--but stick with it.
There's a place called Scotty's Music in St Louis with tons of instructional videos and info that you won't find anywhere else, though checking scottysmusic.com now, it looks like ol' DeWitt Scott passed on a few years ago. The website is still up but it's a bit threadbare. You may want to call and ask if they still offer a full range of instructional material for beginners.
Awesome, I'll check it out. Thanks for the tip! I can't even find a single classified ad for an instructor on Craigslist in the entire SF Bay Area.
I've just got a 6 string model at this rate and it's a handful.
Tom Bradshaw in Walnut Creek:
https://www.songwriter.com/bradshaw/
Godamn, that is funny
Aside from being the world's nicest guy, he is something of a legend who knew all the California heavy hitters 60+ years ago: Joaquin Murphey; Noel Boggs; "Take it Away Leon" McAuliffe; etc. I somehow assumed you were an East Coast guy, but if you are in the SF area you should definitely give Tom Bradshaw a call.
He saved my bacon a few years back. One of the unobtainium lollipop tuners on my very early Stringmaster 4-neck dinosaur (serial number 00022, as in the 22nd instrument produced by Fender) broke. I called Tom Bradshaw and he told me no problem; send along the tuning head and he would swap another tuner in for me. He actually had a spare tuner that was in light production for a few months @1951! Craziest of all? He sent it back to me in Los Angeles fully repaired and wouldn't even take any $$ for it.
Go Giants!