Product Details

• Actors: Chris Proctor
• Directors: Happy Traum
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: Unrated
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Hal Leonard
• VHS Release Date: May 6, 2003
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B00009M7NO
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #599,590 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

This video lesson provides new insights into the sonic possibilities and boundless opportunities for innovation on the 12-string guitar. Chris Proctor tackles a wide range of ideas and techniques, taking this richly toned instrument into new and undiscovered territory.

This course is jam-packed with invaluable information, including important tips on tuning, stringing and setting up the 12-string for maximum output and intonation. You’ll learn the open G and C tunings pioneered and widely used by Leo Kottke and other leading 12-string stylists, and the way Chris tunes down a step to get more resonance and depth from his instrument.

Most 12-string players strike the octave and unison pairs of strings simultaneously. Chris shows you a revolutionary way of picking the twelve strings individually, using alternate thumb and finger picking within the pairs of strings. Fiddle tunes such as "Sailor’s Hornpipe" and "Fisher’s Hornpipe" can be played with flowing melodies and resonant, ringing tones using a minimum of left hand movement.

Chris covers many other important skills, including use of the bottleneck slide, fingerpicks, string mute, harmonics (especially lush on the 12-string guitar), and other techniques that will help you to play powerful and evocative instrumentals. You’ll learn, in detail, "Halfway," "Bells of the Harbor," "War Games" and "Over the Pass." The session ends with Chris’ beautiful performance of his arrangement of "Merrily Kiss the Quaker’s Wife."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Technique is the Word., April 4, 2005

By 

Charles Kahler (Alameda, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Techniques for Contemporary 12-String Guitar VHS (VHS Tape)

If you want to improve your twelve-string technique, then this is the video for you. What makes this lesson specific to the 12-string guitar is Chris Proctor's use of the bass notes. You will need to use a thumb pick to play only the octave (higher) string for your bass notes in all of the pieces. All the songs are pretty. The first two are Hornpipes in Open G tuning. The other four songs are in Open D tuning. The instruction is clear and the style is challenging.