In this one-hour instructional DVD James Alan Shelton and George
Shuffler demonstrate and teach the guitar techniques that helped change
the role of the guitar in bluegrass music. The music of the Stanley
Brothers and Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys has featured
lead guitar work since Bill Napier and George Shuffler brought the
guitar to the forefront of the Stanley’s music in the late 1950s. This
video begins with James Alan Shelton, the current lead guitar player for
Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, picking a tune with the
legendary George Shuffler. James then interviews George regarding the
development of his “crosspicking” guitar technique. George demonstrates
the technique and provides a guitar solo to one of the tunes he helped
to make a bluegrass standard, “Will You Miss Me.” George and James then
pick “Katy Dear” together and demonstrate their crosspicking talents.
The instructional portion of the video begins with James Alan
Shelton demonstrating the crosspicking roll and providing several
exercises which will serve to train your right hand to gain skill with
the crosspicking technique. James then teaches a “turnaround” to “Rank
Stranger” which utilizes the crosspicking technique to “fill in the
gaps” between vocal lines. He then shows how to take the simple melody
line of a song, “Uncloudy Day,” and incorporate the crosspicking
technique between the melody notes. Next, James teaches a crosspicking
break to “Bury Me Beneath the Weeping Willow” and follows that tune by
demonstrating how to transform a Carter style guitar solo into a
crosspicking solo using the song “Wildwood Flower” as an example.
The next section of the video features James teaching two of his
original flatpicking tunes “Road to Coeburn” and “Tom’s Creek.” This is
followed by a fingerstyle performance of Ralph Stanley’s favorite guitar
number, “Cannonball Blues.” James concludes the instructional portion
of the video by talking about his selection of guitar strings, picks,
and capos and provides “tricks of the trade” to help you keep your
flatpick in good shape. George and James both talk about their
signature model Huss & Dalton guitars and the video concludes with
George and James picking “Banks of the Ohio” together. All of the
songs that are taught in the video are transcribed in the accompanying
transcription book.