Hummin' and Strummin'

Skill Building Guitar Course from Hawkeye Herman

Learn how to "think what you play and play what you think" in Hawkeye Herman's series, Hummin' and Strummin'! Relax, visualize and tune into your best friend: your guitar!

10 Lessons

Complete course with step-by-step lessons and practice examples.

Multi-Camera

Course filmed with 6 cameras for the perfect angles.

Guitar Pro

All tabs and notation provided in PDF and Guitar Pro formats.

Tabs & Info

Download tabs, helpers, JamTracks and docs included with lessons.

Included

Access this course, along with all other courses with Membership.

Full Course Breakdown

Have you been playing guitar for a while but feel like something is missing? Maybe it's how you connect with your instrument! Hawkeye Herman is back with his series, Hummin' and Strummin'. Hawkeye will teach you how to truly connect with your instrument using relaxation and visualization techniques, how to tune properly and how to think what you play and play what you think!

1

Series Introduction

Hawkeye Herman introduces his new series, Hummin' and Strummin'! Learn how to "think what you play and play what you think". Relax, visualize and connect with your best friend: your guitar!

5:18 Runtime

0.0 Difficulty

2

Relaxation

The first step in connecting with your guitar is learning good posture and learning how to relax. Join Hawkeye in this lecture style lesson as he discusses how to get comfortable and how to relax!

16:28 Runtime

0.5 Difficulty

3

Tuning

After we've relaxed ourselves, it's time to get the instrument in tune. In this lesson, Hawkeye discusses how to properly use a digital tuner.

8:41 Runtime

0.5 Difficulty

4

Feel the Pulse

Are you guilty of watching yourself play? Hawkeye explores this topic in this lecture style lesson and helps you break the habit!

18:33 Runtime

0.5 Difficulty

5

Intention and Visualization

Being intentional with your instrument is one of the best ways to connect with it! Hawkeye discusses his philosophy on being intentional through visualization techniques.

12:51 Runtime

0.5 Difficulty

6

Connecting through Rhythm Guitar

Join Hawkeye as he shows you how to connect with your instrument through various chordal formats and rhythmic variations.

10:19 Runtime

0.5 Difficulty

7

Connecting through the Blues Scale

So far, Hawkeye's shown us how to connect mostly through rhythm guitar. Now, he shows us the blues scale and takes Hummin' and Strummin' in a new direction!

11:24 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

8

Connecting through the Major Pentatonic Scale

You've already learned the minor pentatonic scale. Now, learn to connect through the major pentatonic scale - a great scale to know for country and folk songs!

8:57 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

9

Transposing

The ability to transpose is a must have when playing your favorite songs. In this lesson, Hawkeye shows us an easy method for transposing songs. This will help keep you on the same page with others during your jam sessions!

14:46 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

10

Series Review

Hawkeye wraps up his Hummin' and Strummin' series with a recap of the philosophies and concepts he's shared so far. Thanks for joining him for this series! You should now have all the tools you need to truly connect with your instrument!

13:31 Runtime

1.5 Difficulty

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  • Ashland, Oregon
  • Playing since 1958
  • 218 lessons at JamPlay
""One of America's finest acoustic guitarists and blues educators."
Cascade Blues Association

"Herman plays with a sensitive, reflective touch that continually draws attention to his vocals, which are effectively understated and free of affectation... Herman can rock with the best of them. A solid choice for fans of traditional acoustic blues."
Living Blues Magazine

" ...plays haunting music on a mournful guitar."
Los Angeles Times

"The only thing better than hearing this live album is seeing Hawkeye Herman in the flesh. Whether adding his own spin to blues classics or offering his own songs, Herman is a one-man history of blues, noteworthy guitar player and inimitable communicator. Miss him at your peril."
Blues Access

With over 40 years of performing experience, Michael "Hawkeye" Herman personifies the range of possibilities in blues and folk music. His dynamic blues guitar playing and vocal abilities have won him a faithful following and he leads a very active touring schedule of performances at festivals, concerts, school programs and educational workshops throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. His original music has been included in video dramas and documentaries and in four hit theatrical productions.

In 2000, Hawkeye was awarded Philadelphia's Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre for best original music in a theatrical production. "Everyday Living," Hawkeye's first nationally released album from 1987, now reissued on CD, features the late blues giants Charles Brown and "Cool Papa" Sadler, and established the demand for his now long-standing festival and concert touring. His latest CDs and DVD, "Blues Alive!" (CD), "It's All Blues To Me" (CD), and "Hawkeye Live In Concert" (DVD) have been greeted with rave reviews. Hawkeye's journalistic efforts have been published in numerous national and regional blues and music-related periodicals.

In 1998 he was the recipient of the Blues Foundation's "Keeping The Blues Alive" award for achievement in education. He served on the Board of Directors of the Blues Foundation for six years. Hawkeye was inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of fame in 2004. In September of 2005, Hawkeye composed, at the request of the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), "Katrina, Oh Katrina (Hurricane Blues)," detailing the hurricane disaster on the Gulf Coast. The song was aired to over 7 million listeners on the popular "BBC Today" program. He is the cofounder of the Rogue Valley Blues Festival, Ashland, OR.

This musician has definitely carved out a spot for himself in the contemporary acoustic blues/folk field, and has earned a reputation as one of the most accomplished artists in the genre, and audiences throughout the US/Canada/Europe have come to know and appreciate Hawkeye's talent, dedication, and captivating performances.
Reviews & Feedback 58/100 with 38 ratings
RonaldNor

An excellent lesson on transposing.

JustinKurz68

He is very interesting, would love to meet him in person! I could probably talk to him for hours!

BarDexTri

Thank you! I've been methodically working through courses on Jamplay, and I came onto your Hummin' and Strummin' lessons. The whole course was useful but the series review really hit home with me. I didn't even realize I've been carrying this w