A while back, guitar great Al Petteway sat in front of the camera at our showroom in Weaverville, North Carolina, just outside of Asheville, and gave us all a lesson on how to play his own composition, “Tennessee Mountain Rag,” which is included on the “Dream Guitars, Volume 1, The Golden Age of Luthiers” CD and tablature book.
For the lesson, Al plays a Tippin Al Petteway Signature Model with Brazilian Rosewood and Moon Spruce, built by one of the great luthiers in the United States, Bill Tippin of Tippin Guitars.
“In this style of music, everything is out there to be had,” Al explains when discussing his writing method for this song, which taps into many other tunes and progressions in the genre, and the way he puts it all together to make it his own. This is songwriting, folks.
Al also details his chords as well as a cool “chicken picking” technique that he uses for a neat walk-down. He also details optional rhythm choices, which he points out are reminiscent of the style of Chet Atkins. He also shows you a neat lick he learned from listening to Atkins.
You can watch the video here on our Dream Guitars YouTube channel. The “Dream Guitars, Vol. 1” CD and complete book of tablature is available in our online store. All of this and more is available in the online shopping cart.
You should also visit his website at www.alandamy.com to learn more about Al Petteway, his wife, Amy.
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Having worked behind the scenes at Dream Guitars® for a couple of years now, I can safely say that Paul, Logan, and Larry are absolutely the best at what they do. They are honest and extremely knowledgeable about the instruments they sell. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to buy or sell a quality new, preowned, or vintage instrument. You won’t find this combination of talent anywhere else on the planet and I feel extremely lucky that they are here in my own backyard.