Mike Dowling, Part 2: How to Play “Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me”

from: Advanced Fingerstyle Workshop with Teja Gerken

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

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

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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

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MIKE DOWLING

Mike Dowling, Part 1: “Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me”

Mike Dowling, Part 2: How to Play “Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me”

Mike Dowling’s Nationals

Mike Dowling, Part 2: How to Play “Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me”

Mike Dowling shows you how he converted Mississippi John Hurt’s classic “Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me” (which Hurt played in standard tuning in the key of C) into an open-D tuning slide guitar piece. Using rock-solid Travis picking, Dowling’s arrangement combines the tune’s melody with full-sounding open-string chords.He also talks about adding some harmonies to his vocal melody with the slide and what kind of slide works well with the low action he prefers on his National.

"Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me" (Available to subscribers)

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