O Holy Night - Adam Rafferty - Fingerstyle Tab - Download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online. Fingerstyle - tablature transcription by the author Buscar Buscar. Tag: stevie wonder. Review: Adam Rafferty Instructional Video On Demand. PC and Mac users are be prompted to download a special “Adam Rafferty Player” which basically acts as a container to organize the raw video and PDF files. In order to protect the content the music only opens in it’s own PDF reader-type program and can’t be.
Guitarist is now introducing digital downloads of his popular instructional videos that walk players through his funky fingerstyle arrangements of Stevie Wonder and The Jackson Five. This is a great solution for folks who primarily use devices that don’t contain DVD players or who just want to be able to access the video lessons on their mobile devices. I’ve tried the digital downloads out and they work great.
Here’s a quick overview of the process: The videos are sold via a company called Leaping Brain who also distribute content for Homespun Music Instruction and dozens of other well-known clients. You can visit this page to see all of Adam’s available titles: Upon purchasing a video, PC and Mac users are be prompted to download a special “Adam Rafferty Player” which basically acts as a container to organize the raw video and PDF files. Users can then download and launch all of their purchased content via the player.
The videos will launch in their own player which has the ability to play the lessons at half- and quarter-speed and to select a portion of the video loop over and over. Great features for those elusive sections you need to see and hear several times to get a grip on them!
Tablet and smart phone users are prompted to click through to Leaping Brain’s “MOD Cloud Player” which loads as a regular browser page showing all of the purchased content available for streaming. I first tried the cloud player with Adam’s “How to Solo Over II-V-I Changes for Jazz Guitar” and found that the videos did not stream. However all of the other titles work just fine on both my iPhone 4 and on my PC. The vids all feature excellent sound and video quality and buffered almost instantly.
I suspect that the II-V-I video had just not yet been converted for live streaming as of this writing. Leaping Brain also offers an iPhone/iPad app called that sells for $1.99. This app allows users to transfer the video files from a PC or Mac to a mobile device via iTunes. It takes a couple of extra steps to accomplish this, but if you don’t want to eat up your data plan or bandwidth streaming the videos this solution makes a lot of sense as all of the files will reside on your device. Although there are some negative reviews of MOD Mobile on iTunes, The app worked flawlessly for me. One more special feature of the digital download are the newly formatted booklets of the arrangements.
The music in the included files is significantly larger than what is in the booklets that are provided with the DVDs. This makes for much easier reading and study. However, in order to protect the content the music only opens in it’s own PDF reader-type program and can’t be copied or shared.
The booklet may be printed to your default printer but you can only print the entire book so be sure to have plenty of paper (about 60 pages) and ink ready to go! These digital versions of Adam’s instructional videos are an excellent value and will likely be the preferred method of delivery for on-the-go players. Related articles.
How to Play the Music of Stevie Wonder Volume II by Adam Rafferty is a new instructional video with solo fingerstyle arrangements of the Stevie Wonder hits “Isn’t She Lovely”, “Higher Ground”, “My Cherie Amour”, and “You Are the Sunshine of My Life.” The DVD/booklet sells for $34.97 at. For a limited time you can buy it for $29.97 so don’t wait. Scroll to the end of the review for a preview video. Although Adam Rafferty’s latest video offering is a follow-up to his highly successful instructional debut in 2009, this new video reflects the experience he’s gained touring and performing over the past three years.
The four arrangements included highlight a diversity of guitar techniques including varying approaches to right-hand technique, modulating using mid-song capo moves, alternate tunings, percussive hits and more. While he includes plenty of harmonic detail Rafferty’s focus on groove helps guitarists to communicate these songs using only the essential elements. The result is a natural sounding treatment that is rich and full but never overburdened by the complex harmonies.
The video includes a very detailed booklet containing both standard notation and tablature, and all instructional segments use a split-screen so you can easily observe either Adam’s right- or left-hand. If you are familiar with Adam’s other DVD’s he follows the same format as usual. After a brief welcome each song is presented in its entirety followed by a detailed walkthrough and breakdown. Adam also provides a short wrap up at the end of the video with words of encouragement and practice strategies.
Here’s what impressed me most about each arrangement. The links in the title of each tune will create a pop-up of Adam’s older YouTube demo the song. It should be noted that the DVD is professionally produced and has better quality sound and video than what is represented and that the performances are even more polished now. In Adam introduces a groove that is integral to making this song and others work. He actually begins the lesson by using a doumbek to illustrate how to properly execute a triplet swing feel.
Also (although he doesn’t talk about it) by focusing on the triplet feel and notating the song in 12/8 time he avoids having to explain how to count the quarter-note triplet figure that is prominently featured in the melody. The constant bass figure in the right-hand thumb and fingers drives the rhythm section feel home while the melody soars overtop. He also sneaks in a tasty temporary key change in the second half of the piece. Uses the slightly altered tuning of DGDGBE and uses carefully selected muted notes to keep the bass line and snare drum hits percolating along on the lower three strings while also maintaining ringing melody notes above. The first verse begins with the melody played in single notes and then introduces a harmony in the second verse. There’s a simple but effective percussive hit on the body of the guitar leading into the bridge which uses a combination of slides, hammers, and right-hand back strikes to articulate the melody alongside the harmony and groove.
Is the mellow tune in the set. Adam uses a combination of open strings, harmonics, and fretted notes in the introduction resulting in a texture reminiscent of the great Lenny Breau. Looking at the printed music this looks like the most conventional arrangement of the collection but examination of the right-hand parts reveals a tricky combination of traditional fingerpicking with light strumming and back-strikes. Since the attacks are somewhat unpredictable compared to most fingerpicking pieces the effect is unique and a bit mesmerizing. This tune also introduces the mid-song capo change something I first saw David Wilcox do many years ago. Adam starts with his Kyser capo on the nut and then shifts the capo to the first fret for a half step modulation on the final verse. The video ends with This song seems to have this biggest sound out of the group using lots of four- and five-note chords, open-strings, and quite a wide range.
The arrangement utilizes all of the right- and left-hand techniques introduced in the earlier songs. It also features the mid-song capo move, a few chord substitution enhancements, and wraps up with a sweet samba vamp on the coda section. While Adam Rafferty is still not a household name among guitarists his videos offer the very best instruction available on acoustic fingerpicking. Certainly there are instructional videos available from bigger name players but very few are as musically literate and approach the task of instruction with such care and detail. I would highly recommend this video to any intermediate to advanced level player.
It’s a worthwhile investment for serious students of the guitar. Even if you aren’t particularly interested in learning the tunes of Stevie Wonder there is such a variety of guitar techniques and arranging ideas on display here that you’re sure to learn something that you can apply to your own arrangements down the line.
How To Play The Music of The Jackson Five is Adam Rafferty’s newest instructional DVD for fingerstyle players. Included are four of Adam’s signature arrangements: “I’ll Be There”, “I Want You Back”, “Never Can Say Goodbye”, and “ABC.” The DVD/booklet includes full standard notation and tablature and sells for $34.97 at. Running time is 1 hour and 58 minutes. This release is a natural follow-up to Adam’s previous instructional DVD, How to Play the Music of Stevie Wonder. It follows virtually the same format and offers the same high quality playing and instruction.
Adam begins the video by offering up some valuable strategies for how to go about tackling new and difficult pieces including: warming-up, playing slowly, focusing on one piece at a time and engaging in positive self talk while you practice. Adam points out that although immediate results are not usually apparent, after a good practice session your mind will continue to process the music while you are doing other activities.
I’ve found this to be true in my own experience, but I’ve never heard anyone else express it before. After the introduction, each song is shown as a complete performance followed by an instruction segment lasting about 25 minutes. You could basically consider the package as a series of four in-depth half-hour lessons that you can review at your leisure. Quite a value when you think of it that way! Here’s some of what I said about the Stevie Wonder video. All of it holds true for this video as well: “Adam is comfortable in front of the camera and is obviously used to breaking down information into short, easily understood phrases.
There is enough detail given to the specialized guitar techniques used that you can’t misinterpret how to recreate them. Once enough explanation has been given, short sections of the tune are demonstrated at a slow enough tempo that intermediate-level players should be able to start playing along with only a little practice. Adam ends most instructional segments with some performance notes and often points out places where he has slightly changed elements of the original songs in order to make them groove harder and sound more at home on the guitar. The booklet that accompanies the DVD contains very detailed scores in standard notation and tablature. Left-hand fingerings are included for every note and occasional right-hand fingerings are indicated as well.” The attention to detail given to the right- and left-hand fingerings here is something rarely seen outside of classical circles. Adam takes his time explaining each arrangement and gives specific demonstrations that compliment the written music perfectly.
He has clearly put a lot of time into not only the arrangements themselves, but the way in which he chooses to execute and teach them. It’s meticulous but never tedious.
Adam’s skills as a performer and arranger have obviously developed since the last video too. The songs in the Jackson Five video are funkier and a bit more technically advanced than the Stevie Wonder portfolio and the collection seems to have a few common elements that are evident throughout. Luscious chords and deep grooves abound. Percussive slaps and funky muted lines are used liberally as well as cool percussion breakdown in “ABC” which will definitely turn some heads. The only thing that I found a bit confusing at first was the way in which the songs that use a capo were notated in the tablature staff. Most publishers tend to notate the capo location as the nut and notate all other frets in relation to the capo. Instead, the tab here shows the actual fret number where the capo is positioned and indicates all of the fretted notes in their actual location as well.
The choice to notate the songs this way actually makes a lot of sense – especially as you will be moving all around the neck – but it may throw some folks for a loop until they get used to reading the TAB in this format. I absolutely loved watching and working with the Jackson Five DVD. Any fingerstyle guitarist willing to spend time practicing will surely be rewarded with some uplifting new repertoire and gain some new insights as well. I can’t wait to hear what Adam does next. Whatever it is, I hope that he will continue to share his knowledge and arrangements with like-minded guitarists. Visit to find out more about Adam or check out his to enjoy more of his music. If you’d like to hear all of the arrangements that are available on the new DVD follow this link:.
You can scroll through the videos using the arrows in the upper right corner of the screen. Below is a short trailer for the DVD. How to Play the Music of Stevie Wonder by Adam Rafferty is a fantastic new release aimed at fingerstyle guitarists wanting to hone their chops and add some R&B and funk to their repertoire with arrangements of the Stevie Wonder hits “Superstition”, “I Wish”, “Overjoyed”, and “Sir Duke.” The DVD/booklet sells for $34.97 at. The DVD lasts just under two hours and Adam spends between 20 to 30 minutes teaching each arrangement. The video begins with a short introductory segment in which Adam encourages guitarists not to be intimidated or frustrated with the complex material presented in the video. He then briefly talks about what he calls “learning how to learn” and describes four specific stages of the learning process that students will encounter while working through the pieces. Adam adds that he continues to practice these pieces often and that he too is still fine tuning his performances!