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Mississippi John Hurt’s “Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me”


This lesson is part of the course Blues Guitar with Orville Johnson.
Get immediate access to this lesson and all of the lessons in this course when you subscribe.
 

About This Course

 
Become a complete blues player through these lessons in country blues fingerpicking, blues lead guitar, and bottleneck slide, with great technique lessons and blues songs from Robert Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, and more.
 
 
Try a Sample Lesson
Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor
 
In this lesson you’ll learn a fingerstyle arrangement of the folk-blues classic “Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor” inspired by the playing of Mississippi John Hurt. Orville plays the song through and then explains the guitar part phrase by phrase. He also explains how you can alter the lengths of some of the chords, depending on how you hear the song, something that John Hurt and other great blues singers and guitarists did all the time.
 
 
 
The Blues Guitar Subscription Includes:
  • 27 video lessons
  • Instruction in three styles of the blues: lead, bottleneck, and fingerstyle
  • 19 complete blues songs to play
  • Notation and tablature for all lessons
  • High-quality video with multiple camera angles so you can see closeups of both hands in action.
 
 
$20/Month For One Course
 
Additional courses only $10/month each!   •   Save 20% with an annual subscription
 
 
Get started now!
Use promo code OrvilleLand at checkout
and get your first month free or $20 off an annual subscription.
 
 
Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me  
 
Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me  
 
Mississippi John Hurt’s “Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me”
Mississippi John Hurt’s “Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me”
 
Mississippi John Hurt’s “Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me” is a classic of fingerstyle blues guitar. It’s played in the key of C, although Orville plays it with a capo at the second fret, so it sounds in the key of D. He starts by playing and singing it all the way through and then summarizes what he’s playing: alternating bass on simple C, G7, and F chords, with the melody played on the treble strings. Then Orville walks you through the entire arrangement of the melody, showing you how the bass notes fit with the melody, even when the melody takes you slightly out of position. He also talks about how he abbreviates the arrangement when he’s singing, putting in some melody notes and leaving some out, and muting some of the strings to keep the guitar from ringing too much and create a more percussive sound under his vocal.  

  "Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me" (Available to subscribers)
 
 
 

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    ● Courses
    ● Live Workshops
    ● Instructors
    ● Sample Lessons
    ● Notation Guide
    ● For Beginners
 
 
    ● Vintage Vault
    ● New Gear
    ● Fine Lutherie
 
 
    ● Workshops
    ● Advice
    ● Repertoire
 
 
    ● Recordings
    ● Events
    ● Breaking News
 
 
    ● In The Studio
    ● Live Onstage
    ● Backroom
 
 
    ● New Products
    ● Inside Look
    ● Performances
    ● Partner Pages
 
Peghead Nation logo
 
© Copyright 2024 PegheadNation.com