"THE THINGS THAT I HAVE SEEN"
I'm thrilled that many people have found this site thanks to links from other places on the web, and so I'd like to return the gesture and let you know about some of my favorite places out there . . . places that will help make you better guitar players, places to find other transcriptions, and websites for the artists whose songs I've transcribed.

(By the way, this is me at 9 years old, playing my first guitar, a Sears Silvertone. That's right, Sears, classic maker of fine musical instruments.)


Ed's Folk Guitar Site
A great "bookend" to my site by fellow folk fan and guitar picker Ed Dupas. He's worked up highly accurate tabs for some of the more complex sections to many of these songs, so once you've gotten the basics here, scoot on over to his site and check 'em out.

Chordbook.com
An amazingly cool interactive guitar resource. Once loaded (meaning once the site is loaded, not you, although whatever rows your boat), you can access a database of 1,000 chords, actually hear how they sound on a virtual guitar, make your own chords and save them to your personal chordbank.

All Guitar Chords
Here's another quick and helpful site for finding out how to play guitar chords that may puzzle you. There's even a button that lets you figure out how to play "split" chords like C/G, D/B and G/F#. You should definitely check this one out.

ChordHouse
Similar to the Guitar Chord Finder, but with a special "advanced" section that concentrates on showing how to play chords in a variety of open tunings.

Alternate Tuning Guide for Contemporary Folk Music
Baffled by alternate/open tunings? This no-frills site lists the tunings and capo placement (although, unfortunately, not the transcriptions themselves) for many of many of the artists I haven't included on my site, including Ellis Paul, Nanci Griffith, David Wilcox, Shawn Colvin, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and many others. Well-done and informative.

Adam Schneider's Guitar Files
Another site that covers many of the artists I haven't included, including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Indigo Girls, Nanci Griffith, Christine Lavin and Kim Richey. Adam's been doing this for a while, and his site pays the same attention to detail and accuracy that I try to have on mine.

The Acoustic Music Archive
 The site is a place where people can find lyrics and chords for more traditional folk songs, discover their origins and listen to recordings of them.

COWPIE Bunkhouse
Although primarily dedicated to transcriptions by country artists, COWPIE (an acronym for COuntry and Western Pickers of the IntErnet) features many folk songs as well. The search function is pretty hit-and-miss, and the transcriptions aren't the most accurate I've ever seen, but it's a good last resort for songs in the country/folk genre.

Insurgent Country
Compiled by a German music fan named Hans Settler, this exhaustive site has a wealth of transcriptions for songs in the country and folk categories, and much, much more.

Guitar Notes Transcription Site
An extensive listing of transcription sites on the web.

Concerts in Your Home
What could be better than a talented songwriter doing a special performance for you and your friends in the comfort of your home? Use this site to find talented music acts who love to perform house concerts. You'll also find hundreds of "hosts" who regularly bring music into their home, creating wonderful memories for their friends and community.

Links to Artists
Want to find out more about these talented singer/songwriters? Here are links to their individual web sites, plus links to the sites of some of my other favorite artists:

  • Beth Amsel
  • Hugh Blumenfeld
  • Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer
  • Kasey Chambers
  • Shawn Colvin
  • Kris Delmhorst
  • Antje Duvekot
  • Mark Erelli
  • Jeffrey Foucault
  • Tracy Grammer
  • Patty Griffin
  • Jim Henry
  • Lucy Kaplansky
  • Lowen & Navarro
  • Lori McKenna
  • Lynn Miles
  • Buddy & Julie Miller
  • Darryl Purpose
  • Kate Rusby
  • Richard Shindell
  • Cynthia Summers
  • Deb Talan (The Weepies)
  • Gillian Welch
  • Cheryl Wheeler
  • David Wilcox
  • Dar Williams

    Links to Guitar Sites
    I often get asked whether someone just starting out on guitar should get the cheapest instrument s/he can find, or the best that s/he can afford. And I respond that a too-cheap guitar can sound lousy and be difficult to play . . . two things that can easily discourage a beginner . . . while a good guitar will have the qualities that will make you want to play more often, and therefore help you get better, quicker.

    You shouldn't spend a fortune right out of the gate, of course, and there are plenty of reasonably-priced guitars by Yamaha, Ibanez and Takamine that will do the trick. But when you really get up there, here are several brands to consider:

    Taylor Guitars
    My personal favorite, and I love my 714 and 814C. They're both from the x14 series, which is a Grand Auditorium shape with a narrower waist than a standard dreadnought. This allows the guitar to sit lower and more comfortably on your lap. Taylors are available in a wide variety of wood combinations, so there's sure to be one that will fit your style.

    Martin Guitars
    Still the most famous and respected brand of acoustic guitar ever made, and well worth its incredible reputation. Their resale value holds up like no other guitar out there, and although my HD-28 doesn't get as much playing time as my Taylors, it's still a great-sounding instrument.

    Larrivee Guitars
    Richard Shindell and Dar Williams have been known to play this brand from British Columbia from time to time, and I bought my 00-09 specifically because I loved the sound that Richard got from his.