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From
Acoustic Guitar Magazine, February 1999, No. 74
Bear
Claw | "Black
Mountain Rag" | Bluegrass
Repertoire | "Garry
Owen" in Tab
Send Us a Question
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Bear
Claw
QI
recently purchased a new Taylor 814-C. Above the soundhole are two
bear-claw figures in the wood, running from the edge of the top
(under my arm) to the soundhole. Since the top is book-matched,
shouldn’t the same markings continue on the other side of the
soundhole? How do these markings affect the value and sound of the
guitar?
Mark Suits
Greenview, Illinois
AIn
working with real-world wood, we find differences in book-matched
top sections, where a figure simply stops inside the billet. Given
that resawing causes us to lose anywhere from .046 to .065 of an
inch of wood (that’s sawdust) and that we lose another .030–063
inches on each side when we sand, book-matched, solid-wood tops
actually represent surfaces that are just over 3/32 of an inch apart
from a perfect-sliced book-match (what you would find with wood
veneers). And I’m talking absolute best-case scenario, with
modern sawing and sanding equipment. Bear-claw figure is somewhat
controversial. Europeans tend to hate it and severely downgrade
this "aberration," while some American makers, such as
Dana Bourgeois, love it and consider it very desirable. You bought
it. What do you think?
—Rick Turner
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"Black
Mountain Rag"
QWhere
can I find the song "Black Mountain Rag" in tablature?
Thomas Drew<br>New Plymouth, New Zealand
A"Black
Mountain Rag," a traditional tune often associated with Doc
Watson, is available in a few different books as tablature. Warner
Brothers offers Guitar of Doc Watson and Hot Country Guitar, and
Music Sales carries Songs of Doc Watson. The song is also included
in The Best Bluegrass Songbook Yet! (Music Sales), but it doesn’t
include tab. Finally, Acoustic Guitar featured a transcription of
the guitar duet featuring Watson and John Herald off the album Doc
Watson: The Vanguard Years (Vanguard VSD 155-58) in the July 1996
issue.
—Teja Gerke
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Bluegrass
Repertoire
QWhat
are the top 20 songs every beginning bluegrass guitarist should
learn?
Gene Connor<br>New York, New York
AWhile
there are certainly a large number of bluegrass standards that every
bluegrass musician knows, it would be more useful to learn songs
that are likely to be popular with the musicians at your local jam
session, and these will vary depending on where you are and who
you’re playing with. For instance, a jam session of traditional
bluegrass die-hards in the mountains of North Carolina will be very
different from a picking party of bluegrass-crazed Deadheads in
Colorado.
Your best bet would be to go to a
jam session or two and just make a list of the songs that get played.
Then learn those that you like, and you’re on your way. A couple
of books can help you out, too. Steve Kaufman’s Bluegrass Guitar
Solos That Every Parking Lot Picker Should Know, Vols. 1–4
(Steve Kaufman, [800] FLATPIK) is great for fledgling lead players,
and Pete Wernick’s Bluegrass Songbook (Oak/Music Sales, [800]
431-7187) is an excellent collection of classic bluegrass songs.
—Scott Nygaard
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"Gary
Owen" in Tab
QDo
you know where I can find tab for the song "Garry Owen"?
John Kissell<br>Torrance, California
AI’ve
seen a couple of nice tab versions of "Garry Owen." One
is included in <I>The Guitar of Martin Simpson</I> (Accent
on Music), and the other is in a Hal Leonard book called <I>Folk
Songs,</I> which comes with a CD of all the tunes. Music stores
that carry sheet music should have them.
—Teja Gerken
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SEND QUESTIONS TO Dear A.G., Acoustic
Guitar,
PO Box 767, San Anselmo, CA 94979-0767; email dear.ag@
stringletter.com.
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