Andy Wood Acoustic Workshop

This was a live event on March 29, 2018 3:00 PM EDT

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Intro Medley

Andy opens the acoustic workshop with a medley of fiddle-tune melodies and improvisations that establishes the broad rhythmic and technical range of the session.

 

Intro Medley

 

Lost Indian

 

Fiddle-Tune Phrasing

“Lost Indian,” “Jerusalem Ridge,” “Red Haired Boy,” and “Wheel Hoss” demonstrate pull-offs, pickups, pauses, crescendos, and the small timing choices that shape traditional melodies.

 

Lost Indian Tag

 

Lost Indian B Section

 

Lost Indian Pulloffs

 

Lost Indian Improv

 

Jerusalem Reset

 

Red Haired Melody

 

Jerusalem Pickup

 

Wheel Hoss

 

Wheel Hoss

 

Wheel Hoss Pause

 

Wheel Hoss Chop

 

Wheel Hoss Buildup

 

Rice Crescendo

 

Chop Mute

 

Bluegrass Rhythm

Chop muting, banjo-style comping, double-time strums, Sam Bush textures, pedal tones, and Monroe rhythm map several distinct acoustic accompaniment sounds.

 

Chop Mute Count In

 

Banjo Style Comping

 

Double Time Rhythm Tk1

 

Double Time Rhythm Tk2

 

Sam Bush Strums

 

Funky Strummer

 

Crosspick Tone

 

Pedal Tone Descending

 

Monroe Rhythm

 

Brilliancy

 

Scale Articulation

“Brilliancy,” “8th of January,” speed changes, swing versus straight feel, sliding arpeggios, and anchored scale tests explore how articulation changes the identity of familiar notes.

 

Brilliancy Bush Style

 

8th of January Bush Style

 

8th of January

 

Scale Speeds

 

Smooth Speed Tk1

 

Smooth Speed Tk2

 

Smooth Speed Tk3

 

Swing Versus Straight

 

Sliding Arpeggios

 

Anchored Scale

 

Scalar Stages Ascending

 

Big Mon

 

Flat Five Improv

 

Little Rock Getaway

 

Single-String And Crosspicking

“Little Rock Getaway,” single-string speed, “Fisher’s Hornpipe,” and open-G improvisation compare single-escape scale playing with curved crosspicking and phrase-specific solutions.

 

Single String Speed

 

Little Rock Rhythm

 

Tiny Hornpipe

 

Fishers Hornpipe Crosspick

 

Fishers Hornpipe Pickslant

 

Open G Improv

 

Tone And Harmonic Color

Swing, bright and dark bluegrass sounds, altered blues, “Purple” funk, and stop-time ideas reveal how Andy changes harmony, touch, and rhythmic placement without changing instruments.

 

Ulysses

The Pit And The Pendulum, EGP

 

Andy's Swing

 

Grassy and Dark

 

Grassy and Bright

 

Dark Blues in D

 

pauliusmm

Can you explain more about 32nd note strumming? What is the rechnique and how you use it? Does it work the same on guitar?

 

Purple Funk

 

Purple Stops

 

Boom Chuck Strummy

 

Sweating Bullets Lick

 

Boom-Chuck Rhythm

Motorcycle-like strumming, shuffle feel, accented bass and treble, edge picking, rock rhythm, and multiple boom-chuck speeds dissect Andy’s powerful rhythm-guitar movement.

 

Strummy Motorcycle Tk1

 

Boom Chuck Shuffle

 

Boom Chuckin' Medley

 

Boom Chuck Basic

 

Boom Chuck Strummy Faster

 

Boom Chuck Speed

 

Western Swing Tk1

 

Western Swing Tk2

 

Boom Chuck Accents Bass vs Treble

 

Boom Chuck Gently Weeps

 

Boom Chuck Edge Picking

 

Rock Rhythm

 

TheDivineSage

Acoustic vs. electric, do you find one harder than the other, and why?

 

Andy's Roll Tk1

 

Roll Patterns

Andy’s signature roll, minor-add-two variations, “Dixie Breakdown,” and “Mediterranean Sundance” build increasingly complex arpeggio and crosspicking patterns from compact units.

 

Andy's Roll Tk2

 

Andy's Roll Minor Add2

 

Dixie Breakdown Ascending

 

Dixie Breakdown Descending

 

pauliusmm

Is there an effective way to mute when crosspicking 4 string rolls on guitar? Lets say ascending 4 string roll.

 

Mediterranean Sundance

 

Andy's Roll Muted

 

Tumeni Roll

 

Di Meola Vocabulary

“Tumeni Notes,” muted seven-note ideas, “Spain,” tremolo, anchoring, and pulse arpeggios examine the Al Di Meola vocabulary Andy absorbed into his acoustic technique.

 

Di Meola Mutes Tk1

 

Di Meola Seven

 

Major Seven Mute

 

Spain Pt1

 

Di Meola Mutes Tk2

 

Spain Pt2

 

Di Meola Tremolo Tk1

 

Di Meola Tremolo Tk2

 

Di Meola Anchor Tk1

 

Di Meola Anchor Tk2

 

JustAGuitarPlayer

How many hours did you practice those crosspicking patterns each day to get them so fluid?

 

TV Arpeggios

 

TV Pulse Arpeggios

 

ksurette

So to emphasize a strum Andy does the motorcycle motion. Is there a way he plays other strings quieter without muting? For example the way he plays the opening A minor in Jerusalem Ridge? Does it just seem like quiet playing compared to the emphasized motorcycled plucks?

 

Strummy Motorcycle Tk2

 

Technique In Traditional Tunes

“Jerusalem Ridge,” Eric Johnson pentatonics, “Whiskey Before Breakfast,” and related variations contrast motions and articulations inside repertoire Andy already knows deeply.

 

Jerusalem Dynamics

 

G Run Rhythm Bright

 

Gee Tee

Why does Andy use such light gauge strings when they play electric? Why don't they just scale down a gauge or two?

 

f5mando

The Open Road; Q: How do you count the intro and change to the B part?

 

Jerusalem Ridge

 

Jerusalem Motion Tk1

 

Jerusalem Motion Tk2

 

Jerusalem Arpeggios

 

EJ Pentatonics

 

Whiskey Before Breakfast

 

Pepsi Before Breakfast

 

Hanky Pooh

Do you think there comes a time when a player should stop obsessing over techniques, and rely on the ear's guidance to perform, and enjoy what they are playing? How important do you think technique practice, and exercises, are once a player is playing the music they enjoy? Should time alway be allocated for technique drills? Sorry for run on sentences. ????

 

Xenouvious

What is the most common approach you take when composing your music? You start with a melodic idea (either on mando or guitar), with a chord progression, a percussion pattern, borrow an idea from one of your bandmates and go from there,...?

 

Tweedy Chicken

 

Outro

A final chicken-picking passage and “Minor Swing” close the workshop with a playful blend of acoustic styles.

 

Minor Swing