5/12/08: The Guitar of Lightnin' Hopkins' "Shining Moon"

[Guest Gibson Lifestyle]

Lesson of the Day: The Guitar of Lightnin' Hopkins' "Shining Moon"

 

05.12.2008

 

 

Lightnin' Hopkins is a genuine blues legend, and his style of Texas blues guitar inspired many of the names usually associated with this genre of blues—people like Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, Townes Van Zandt, and Doyle Bramhall II. His deceptively simple acoustic Texas boogie guitar playing, coupled with his powerful and confident singing abilities, made him one of the most dynamic performers of his time, and a favorite among blues' lovers worldwide.

 

His love of the blues was born at the age of eight when he met Blind Lemon Jefferson at a church picnic in Buffalo, Texas. He honed his unique fingerstyle by spending hours on the guitar, often trying to play the bass, rhythm, lead, percussion, and vocals all at once. He would eventually become known for his alternating bass styles, innovative turnarounds, and single note lead lines, all while tapping and slapping the body of his guitar for added rhythmic accompaniment.

 

Today's lesson takes a look at one of Hopkins' most classic songs, "Shining Moon," and features rare footage of Hopkins performing the song in the late 1960s. Instructor Ernie Hawkins from Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop then helps dissect the arrangement, yielding many of the song's basics, as well as showing you the secrets and tricks of Hopkins' distinct style of playing. This three-video lesson is a great opportunity to examine one of the true sources of Texas blues, and learn from one of its masters.

 

Click here for today's classic blues lesson >>

 

And please don't forget to check back tomorrow for yet another great lesson from Gibson Lifestyle!