
Hawkeye Herman teaches classic blues songs.
Lesson 1
Hawkeye teaches the classic song "Death Don't Have No Mercy" by Reverend Gary Davis.
Length: 23:38 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 2
Hawkeye teaches his interpretation of the classic Jimmy Reed blues song, "Baby What You Want Me To Do."
Length: 25:19 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 3
Hawkeye introduces one of his original songs entitled "Give Me a Grandma Every Time." This song features many techniques taught in the Phase 2 Blues Series.
Length: 14:22 Difficulty: 3.5 Members OnlyLesson 4
Hawkeye presents another original song entitled "I Used to Ride that Train."
Length: 33:24 Difficulty: 3.5 Members OnlyLesson 5
Hawkeye presents his take on an 18th century traditional folk song. Hawkeye breaks down all of the techniques used in his rendition of the song.
Length: 38:08 Difficulty: 4.5 Members OnlyLesson 6
Jump on board with Hawkeye as he demonstrates his song "Rocket to Chicago." With this song, Hawkeye uses his guitar to imitate the sound and feel of a steam engine train.
Length: 11:42 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
About Hawkeye Herman
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""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.
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.Dear Hawkeye, I am amazed of how much we can practice , yet we continue to learn new tricks and techniques. Can you teach us " Shame Shame Shame" . I also notice he does the shuffle with a variation on bass note 6th string too. Thank you from Rama
There are copyright infringement issues that prevent me from teaching a great deal of material here at JamPlay.com ... I appreciate your suggestion ... but "Shame, Shame, Shame" falls into that category.
Thanks for the comments, Rama. Follow these lessons in the order they are presented ... and you'll see this more and more .... we build on the material we've previously studied/practiced. Take your time and be patient with yourself, progress at your own speed, and enjoy the learning process. I want your to gain a strong understanding and foundation in blues music so that you can enjoy being creative and express yourself on the guitar for the rest of your life. Each bit of information/lesson feeds into the next ... blues is a musical 'language' ... your blues 'vocabulary' should broaden/increase/deepen with each lesson. Thanks for enjoying these lessons. ;-)
Awesome.. Just Awesome.. Thanks Hawkeye..
You're most welcome, Rohani. Please follow my lessons in the order they are presented, be patient, practice and progress at your own speed, there's no rush ... and you'll build a strong foundation and understanding of blues music, and your skills will continue to improve. Thanks for enjoying these lessons.
Oooops, I apologize for getting your name wrong, Rohinton .... sorry. ;-)
This is a very good lesson.I have been playing basic bar chords since i was 5 yrs old. But that isn't the point. There are other things here that will help and improve what is being done.
Thanks! ;-)
I am a youtuber big time oh yeah i will do that.
GREAT lessons for sure! Only thing I disagree with is whomever rated the lessons with this one being about 2 1/2 guitars...about as EASY as any??? Wow!
This has got me even more interested in learning a cover version. It's so interesting to see a lot of the threads in previous Phase 2 lessons coming together in playing a whole piece. Clearly explained and with the usual enthusiasm which makes learning so much more of a pleasure. Thanks for this one Hawkeye - I know that I'll be working on this for quite a while.
Great! Thanks for the comments. As I mentioned previously, my Phase Two lessons are designed to be followed in the order they are presented. My lessons in Phase Three are based on pulling much of the information from Phase Two into understandable and practical applications in a variety of songs. I hope you continue to enjoy the process of learning and playing blues guitar.
This song has the whole package you've been talking about for 100+ lessons!
That's right, Jeff. Thanks for noticing and saying so. My Phase Two lessons are not arranged in random order. I have given a great deal of thought and planning as to the content and order of each lesson. That's why I keep reminding students to avoid 'cherry picking'/skipping around in the order of the Phase Two lessons. 'Cherry pick,' and you'll still learn a lot of good, but random, information ... follow the Phase Two lessons in the order they are presented and you will gain a strong understanding and foundation in blues music ... and that's what allow a student to understand, learn, and play the material I present in Phase Three. Thanks again. I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons.
YES! Now we are talking. Love the solo! great to see you in phase three hawkeye.
Thanks. There's more to come. :-) I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons.
The supplemental content is now posted.
I agree, actually I have not done many of your Blues lessons yet as I have been learning electric blues, but these phase 3 songs are a real nice surprise, and its making me want to pick up my acoustic and do more of your lessons (as I much prefer using the acoustic, and secretly have been doing the electric blues using the acoustic as I have far more control over an acoustic than I do my electric). Thanks Hawkeye, that Rev Gary Davis phase 3 wasn't just a new song to learn but something actually clicked, and I have really learned something deeper. Many thanks.
Very much appreciated. I hope you enjoy exploring blues guitar, acoustic and/or electric guitar ... forever. I hope that making the 'deeper personal connection' through music and guitar will always lift your spirits and bring you enjoyment.
Hello Hawkeye, I love your lessons. Every time I log onto the site I'm always hoping you have a new lesson and more often that not, I'm delited with a new lesson. I never want to put my guitar down. Thanks, Mark
Thanks so much, Mark. That's my goal, to get you to always look forward to time spending time with the guitar and enjoying the process of learning and playing ... forever. Again, thanks so much for your kind words and for traveling with me on the 'blues highway' here at jamplay.com