Steve Kaufman's Four-Hour Bluegrass Workout [Paperback]

Steve Kaufman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1997

Here's a great way to improve your picking, build up speed and stamina, and get those licks and solos working - no matter what instrument you play! Whether you are a professional or a "parking lot" player, these fabulous sessions will get your fingers in shape - fast! On the four CDs, you have a dedicated bluegrass band on the right speaker to give you solid back-up to 49 great tunes, both slowed-down and up-to-speed. The lead part can be heard in the left channel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Homespun (February 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0634005197
• ISBN-13: 978-0634005190
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #869,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for intermediate players, May 25, 2005

By 

Duke of Lizards - See all my reviews

This review is from: Steve Kaufman's Four-Hour Bluegrass Workout (Paperback)

Steve Kaufman's Four Hour Bluegrass workout introduces 50 fiddle-type tunes. For each tune, the CDs contain a slowed down version, which I found a great way to learn the melody. Then the band kicks it up a notch to full speed. Some are fairly easy to follow along with and some are blazingly fast...a workout indeed. The melody of the entire tune is played once, then the accompaniment is played twice. I found that playing the chords the first time and then the melody the following two time was an excellent way to learn both parts.
Many standard fiddle tunes are included, with straightforward arrangements, often in the style that is common at jam sessions. Learning these tunes provides a great basis for jumping into jams with other players.
Beginners may find even the chords difficult at times, while advanced players are likely to know many of the tunes. I highly recommend this product to intermediate players looking to learn new tunes and to build speed and technique.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Parking Lot Picker series better, April 20, 2008

By 

D. Sain "pugnut" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Steve Kaufman's Four-Hour Bluegrass Workout (Paperback)

I have three volumes from Kaufman's "Bluegrass Guitar Solos Every Parking Lot Picker Should Know" series. I like to be able to learn progressively more difficult versions of the same song, which this volume does not have. Also, I use "Amazing X" software with the Parking Lot Picker series, which allows me to slow down each cut without losing pitch, so I can slow down and speed up progressively to learn each level. THIS book only has two speed versions--and the "slow" one is NOT slow. I've been using Kaufman's books (which are excellent overall) for the last two years, and I had a hard time keeping up with the slow version of this book/CD combo. If you are just beginning to learn bluegrass guitar, definitely begin with the Parking Lot Picker series. They are more versatile than this volume, and you'll get more mileage from them than this one.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great for practice, October 22, 2006

By 

Michael Williams "snaphooks" (Oceanside, CA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Steve Kaufman's Four-Hour Bluegrass Workout (Paperback)

i needed to learn more tunes and practice my flatpicking. this book and the 4 cd's are perfect for both. short songs, but you can put it on repeat and go forever. i can see a huge improvement in my playing after only a few weeks of this.