Mary Flower, Part 1: Mary Plays “ Ruckus Rag”

from: Advanced Fingerstyle Workshop with Teja Gerken

This lesson is part of the course Advanced Fingerstyle Workshop with Teja Gerken.

Get immediate access to this lesson and all of the lessons in this course when you subscribe.

Start Course
Browse Courses

About This Course

Meet 15 of the best players in the international fingerstyle guitar community, as they demonstrate their techniques, playing styles, and signature tunes.

Try a Sample Lesson

ED GERHARD

In this lesson, Ed Gerhard teaches his popular fingerstyle arrangement of the traditional tune “The Water is Wide.” Gerhard used dropped-D tuning and a capo at the third fret. Because he tunes his guitar down a half-step from standard pitch, this results in his performance sounding in the key of E. If you prefer, you can leave your guitar in standard dropped-D tuning and place the capo at the second fret instead. Gerhard stresses the importance of supporting the tune’s melody and gives pointers for effectively building an arrangement in a dynamic fashion. virtuerecords.com

Try a sample lesson

The Advanced Fingerstyle Workshop Subscription Includes:

Tutorials with 15 of the world’s best fingerstyle guitarists
Notation and tab, with 12 complete tune transcriptions
Guitar and gear demonstrations
One-of-a-kind in-studio performances
High-quality video lessons with multiple camera angles so you can see closeups of both hands in action.

$20/Month For One Course

Additional courses only $10/month each! • Save 20% with an annual subscription

Start Course

Get started now!
Use promo code TejaLand at checkout

and get your first month free or $20 off an annual subscription.

MARY FLOWER

Mary Flower, Part 1: Mary Plays “ Ruckus Rag”

Mary Flower, Part 2: Mary Teaches “Ruckus Rag”

Mary Flower, Part 3: Mary’s Fraulini Angelina Guitar

Mary Flower, Part 1: Mary Plays “ Ruckus Rag”

A Portland, Oregon-based guitarist with deep roots in the blues, Mary Flower is one of many contemporary players keeping the tradition of Piedmont-style fingerpicking alive. But while she shows respect for the players who came before her, Mary has a voice that is uniquely her own. A three-time finalist at the Walnut Valley Fingerstyle Guitar championship in Winfield, Kansas, Mary has won numerous awards, and has released ten CDs, the latest of which is 2014’s When My Bluebird Sings, which Downbeat magazine chose as one of the albums of the year. In this video, shot at Mary’s home, she plays her original composition “Ruckus Rag,” which is also featured on When My Bluebird Sings. Mary plays each of the tune’s sections as written in the accompanying notation/tablature, as well as some improvised variations. maryflower.com

"Ruckus Rag" (Available to subscribers)

Previous Lesson

← Eric Skye, Part 3: Eric’s Santa Cruz OO-Skye Guitar

Next Lesson

Mary Flower, Part 2: Mary Teaches “Ruckus Rag” →

Previous Lesson

← Eric Skye, Part 3: Eric’s Santa Cruz OO-Skye Guitar

Next Lesson

Mary Flower, Part 2: Mary Teaches “Ruckus Rag” →

Previous Lesson

← Eric Skye, Part 3: Eric’s Santa Cruz OO-Skye Guitar

Next Lesson

Mary Flower, Part 2: Mary Teaches “Ruckus Rag” →

Guitar Articles

Martin Music Minute | Jason Isbell

Songwriter and guitarist Jason Isbell tells the story of one Martin dreadnought that belonged to three music legends.

Guitar Videos

Orville Johnson: “You’ll Work Down to Me Someday”

The song “You’ll Work Down to Me Someday” was recorded by Memphis bluesman John Henry Barbee in the late 1920s. Peghead Nation instructor Orville Johnson teaches you how to play the fingerstyle guitar part (including two different solos) in his Blues Guitar course, but in this video Orville just lets loose and sings the song in his own inimitable style. To learn more blues guitar techniques, including fingerstyle, lead guitar, and slide soloing, enroll in Orville’s Blues Guitar course on Peghead Nation today.