Discover the sounds and techniques of the classic ragtime blues guitar style. Inspired by the early masters such as Blind Blake, Big Bill Broonzy, Rev. Gary Davis, and Blind Boy Fuller, Woody has written original tunes that break down the complexities of the music into clear and playable instrumentals. Working in standard tuning, Woody illustrates syncopated picking techniques, chord embellishments, rhythmic bass lines, classic ragtime riffs and demonstrates how to attain the characteristic swinging sound of ragtime blues. Included is a Technique and Variations section that focuses on how to play variations in the songs and discusses practical approaches to developing a solid overall picking technique. Do That Guitar Rag demystifies the playing of the great ragtime blues artists and reveals how to play the sounds and subtleties of this exciting acoustic blues guitar style. Each song chapter introduces introduction, performance, explanation, and slow performance with split screen. Songs include: Midtown Fling, Late Morning Blues, Manhattan Rag, Country Buck, and Mr. Blake’s Dance.

Woody Mann had his first schooling as a teenager in the living room of Rev. Gary Davis, now the legendary gospel and ragtime guitarist. Mann went on to perform with blues masters Son House and Bukka White as well as contemporary innovators, including John Fahey, while he continued his studies of classical music at the Juilliard School and jazz improvisation with the noted pianist Lennie Tristano. He has recorded extensively, performed throughout the world, and is widely recognized as one of the leading teachers and authorities of traditional blues music.