ArtistWorks

ArtistWorks 40+ world-renowned master musicians teach at ArtistWorks.com through 150k+ detailed, guided lessons & optionally with Video Exchange.

You can learn bluegrass, blues, rock, jazz, country, & classical music through 130k+ recorded Video Exchanges!

09/01/2026

Nathan East first encountered the Nashville Number System during a recording session with Dolly Parton.

Instead of using fixed chord names, Nashville charts use numbers based on the scale degrees of the key. A minus sign indicates a minor chord, so 2- means the two minor.

The advantage becomes obvious when someone changes the key. If the song moves from D to F, you do not need to rewrite the complete chart. The 1 simply becomes F, and the rest of the progression moves with it.

Nathan shares the story with fellow ArtistWorks instructors Guthrie Trapp and Keith Wyatt.

Learn Electric Bass with Nathan East:
https://artistworks.com/nathan-east?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social_organic&utm_campaign=aw_shortform_202609&utm_content=aw-nathaneast-nashvillenumbers-260901

Learn Guitar with Guthrie Trapp:
https://artistworks.com/guthrie-trapp

Learn Blues Guitar with Keith Wyatt:
https://artistworks.com/keith-wyatt

Do you prefer number charts or traditional chord charts?

08/31/2026

Martin Taylor, Howard Levy, John Patitucci, and Darol Anger start comparing notes on Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli.

The conversation moves from their controversial recording of “La Marseillaise” to their final sessions together in Italy, when the lineup and musical direction had changed.

Martin also remembers asking Stéphane what stood out most about Django’s later sound.

His answer:

“Django was so loud.”

It is the kind of jazz history that comes alive when musicians begin trading firsthand stories and memories.

Learn with Martin Taylor:
https://artistworks.com/martin-taylor

Learn with Howard Levy:
https://artistworks.com/howard-levy

Learn with John Patitucci:
https://artistworks.com/john-patitucci

Learn with Darol Anger:
https://artistworks.com/darol-anger

Which Django and Grappelli recording do you return to most?

08/31/2026

A bigger shuffle sound does not have to mean less control.

In this ArtistWorks Live highlight, Keith Wyatt uses the fretting hand to mute every string he does not want to hear. That frees the picking hand to take a strong downstroke across the strings instead of carefully aiming at two notes.

The side of the thumb immediately cuts the sound off, and the pick drags back across the strings on the upstroke. Adding one note with the third finger turns the motion into a classic blues shuffle.

Learn Blues Guitar with Keith Wyatt:
https://artistworks.com/keith-wyatt

Watch more ArtistWorks Live sessions:
https://www.youtube.com//streams

What is harder for you, getting the big right-hand motion or keeping the unused strings quiet?

08/31/2026

During a soundcheck in Europe, Peter Erskine remembers the PA crew turning on enough sub-bass to shake the entire stage.

They kept asking for it to be lowered. It stayed loud.

Maceo Parker finally stepped in:

“Gentlemen, the funk is not down there. The funk is up here.”

Peter’s larger point is that the musicians who defined jazz-funk did not build the music around overwhelming sub-bass. The bottom end needs to support the groove while leaving room for the rest of the band.

From an ArtistWorks studio conversation with Eric Marienthal, John Patitucci, and George Whitty.

Learn with Peter Erskine:
https://artistworks.com/peter-erskine?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social_organic&utm_campaign=aw_shortform_202608&utm_content=aw-petererskine-thefunkisuphere-260831

Learn with Eric Marienthal:
https://artistworks.com/eric-marienthal

Learn with John Patitucci:
https://artistworks.com/john-patitucci

Have you ever played on a stage where the subs were louder than the band?

08/28/2026

Working one microphone changes the entire way a bluegrass band performs.

In this ArtistWorks archive conversation, instructor Andy Hall talks with Jerry Douglas about recreating the traditional Flatt & Scruggs stage presentation with The Earls of Leicester.

Instead of every instrument staying in place with its own microphone, the musicians move forward for leads and step back into the ensemble. They have to listen closely, manage their own dynamics, and create the mix together in real time.

Jerry also explains how the group brought that same traditional approach into the recording process.

Learn Resophonic Guitar and Lap Steel with Andy Hall:
https://artistworks.com/andy-hall

Have you ever performed around a single microphone?

08/28/2026

Practicing alone can put you in a very different headspace than playing with other musicians.

Alex Hargreaves talks with Darol Anger about the temptation to stop whenever something goes wrong. Before long, an entire practice session can disappear into the first few bars of a tune.

Alex has been working on another approach: start playing, keep moving, and use whatever is available in the moment to make it through the complete tune.

That does not mean ignoring the mistakes forever. It means separating two useful kinds of practice.

First, practice playing the music without stopping.

Then go back and work on the places that need attention.

Learn Fiddle with Darol Anger:
https://artistworks.com/darol-anger

Learn Bluegrass Fiddle with Alex Hargreaves:
https://artistworks.com/alex-hargreaves

Do you usually finish the tune, or stop immediately when something goes wrong?

08/28/2026

Eric Marienthal, George Whitty, John Patitucci, and Peter Erskine perform “Renaissance Man” inside the ArtistWorks studio.

George’s keyboards set up the harmony, Eric carries the melody on saxophone, John gives the tune its foundation, and Peter keeps the entire performance moving.

There is plenty happening, but nothing feels crowded. Four musicians listening as closely as they play.

Watch the performance, then learn directly from Eric, Peter, and John at ArtistWorks.

Eric Marienthal:
https://artistworks.com/eric-marienthal

Peter Erskine:
https://artistworks.com/peter-erskine

John Patitucci:
https://artistworks.com/john-patitucci

Which player catches your ear first?

08/27/2026

Guthrie Trapp has a simple comparison for getting distracted by gear:

Owning nice pots and pans does not mean you know how to cook.

His basic sound starts with a clean tube amplifier and reverb. The pedalboard is straightforward, with a tuner, clean boost, overdrive, tremolo, and delay. He uses those effects sparingly rather than building every sound around a complicated signal chain.

The point is not to avoid pedals. It is to make sure they are adding something the music actually needs.

Learn The Guitar Styles of Guthrie Trapp at ArtistWorks:
https://artistworks.com/guthrie-trapp

What is the simplest rig you would be comfortable taking to a gig?

08/27/2026

Darol Anger remembers first meeting Alex Hargreaves when Alex was only around nine or ten years old.

The talent was already there, but Darol points out that talent only becomes useful when it is backed by serious work.

Alex shares that one of his biggest challenges was sticking to a specific practice routine. His interest in many different styles made it difficult to decide what to prioritize.

Improvisation eventually became a major focus because it could live inside many kinds of music. It remained challenging, but that challenge was also part of what kept it inspiring.

Learn Fiddle with Alex Hargreaves:
https://artistworks.com/darol-anger?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social_organic&utm_campaign=aw_shortform_202608&utm_content=aw-darolanger-alexhstart-260826

Learn Fiddle with Darol Anger:
https://artistworks.com/darol-anger

What is the hardest part of maintaining your own practice routine?

08/27/2026

Guthrie Trapp opens this ArtistWorks studio performance of “Silver Wings,” with Nathan East laying down the bass foundation and Keith Wyatt taking the featured guitar solo.

Each player brings a different background to the song, but nobody gets in its way. The arrangement stays open, the melody stays clear, and Keith has plenty of room to shape the solo.

Watch the performance, then learn directly from all three musicians at ArtistWorks.

Keith Wyatt:
https://artistworks.com/keith-wyatt

Guthrie Trapp:
https://artistworks.com/guthrie-trapp

Nathan East:
https://artistworks.com/nathan-east

Which part are you listening to first?

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