Six String Stories

'These guitars have been really good tools; they're not just museum pieces. They all have a soul and they all come alive.' - Eric Clapton 'In his own words, Clapton tells his story through the history of his instruments.' - Rolling Stone In Six-String Stories Eric Clapton reflects on a legendary career as told through the tools of his trade: his guitars. Collected together here for the first time are the instruments Clapton sold in three record-breaking auctions between 1999 and 2011 to benefit the Crossroads treatment centre he founded in 1998. Featuring some of the most iconic guitars ever played, Clapton guides the reader through nearly 300 instruments as he discusses their provenance, reveals insights about his own playing, and shares anecdotes from each chapter of his spectacular life in music. 'One by one these guitars were the chapters of my life. They belong to a very well-loved family.' - Eric Clapton Six-String Stories presents a 'family tree' that makes connections between iconic instruments, such as Clapton's famous 'Blackie' Stratocaster, and previously unknown rarities, placing them in the chronology of his career. Clapton recalls the instruments he bought to emulate his heroes, the guitars with unknown origins that became their own legend, the ones that never left his side, and the legacy they left behind. Every piece has been individually photographed, revealing every curve, detail and scratch, while the work of over 80 of the world's best rock photographers shows the instruments in play. See Clapton's evolution from the psychedelic Sixties, through the stripped-back Seventies, electric Eighties, and unplugged Nineties, right up to the sale of the last guitar. 'As an avid rock or blues fan, I would look at all the pictures in this book.' - Eric Clapton Historical and technical information for each piece in the collection - including playlists and concert dates for those instruments used on records and at public appearances - completes the story behind each guitar. 'The guitars are things of great beauty.' - Eric Clapton

Calling all kids and adults too! A fun, interactive, fantastical musical journey created by Metro Detroit based musician Ms. Paula. Readers will travel to outer space, dance with dinosaurs, drive monster trucks, learn how to make pizza, play Simon Says, and birthday celebrations.Eight songs which are illustrated story book style. Sheet music included. Geared towards younger kids, kids of all ages, and guitar students.

I've been reading, writing and collecting stories about guitars and guitar players pretty much all my life. Some years ago, I put some of my favourites into a little book for the interest and amusement of my musician friends, but the collection has continued to grow and I thought an update was long overdue. If it's made me aware of one thing, it is that a book like this can never truly be finished. Not only is new material surfacing all the time but whilst most guitar players love nothing better than to talk about their music, other guitarists and their passion for the instrument, there are a few notable exceptions and hence some surprising omissions which it would take another volume and a lot more research to rectifySome of what follows may be familiar, most I hope will amuse and some facts I'm pretty sure will surprise.MAMNovember 2017

The painful, scary, but sometimes hilarious true story of how one guy survived his parents’ divorce. And lived to sing about it. The teenage years are tough as it is, but throw in the fact that your parents are divorcing and it’s like fuel on the fire. It started with the poorly muffled fights in his parents’ bedroom. They just seemed to get worse, and it seemed that the inevitable would happen. Finally, it did and the family meeting was called. Jesse Butterworth had a hunch his folks were going to announce they were separating–but the two youngest boys were certain they’d be told they were going to Disneyland. No such luck. What happens when your world falls apart? How do you handle it when the two people you trusted most totally disappoint you…and seemingly destroy your already shaky life? That’s what happened to Jesse Butterworth, and he tells his story with humor, honesty, and heart. He also shows how he figured out what to do with the emotions that come with divorce: anger, hurt, frustration, and loss. Picking up a beat up guitar, Jesse discovered that he could turn his misery into music and his pain into passion–becoming the Six String Rocketeer. In the process Jesse realized that the wounds that hurt you can become the wounds that heal you.

As the follow-up to the best-selling book Zen Guitar, The Book of Six Strings presents musical examples that will help you bring the Zen philosophy to life on your guitar. Learn how these ancient ideas can help you become more "in the moment" in your musical approach. The Book of Six Strings will help you break out of a creative rut and take your playing to the next level. This book's centerpiece is "One Sound One Song," composed by Philip Toshio Sudo, as a musical launching pad for Zen Guitar exploration. You will also find inspiring quotes, philosophical concepts, and historical facts mixed in with the musical examples. If you are looking to be inspired and to deepen your spirituality and musical understanding, this book is for you.

In a career spanning more than 40 years, legendary rock photographer Neil Zlozower has documented an amazing who's-who of the most influential and dynamic guitarists from the late 1960s to today. Six-String Heroes collects live, candid, and studio shots of 150 of the greatest guitar players in rock, metal, punk, blues, and beyond, including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Ritchie Blackmore, Slash, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Zakk Wylde, Dimebag Darrell, Tom Morello, Carlos Santana, Les Paul, John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry, Pat Metheny, Al Di Meola, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, Edward Van Halen, Angus Young, and many more. Also featuring a foreword by Steve Vai, and including text from unpublished interviews with the guitarists throughout by music journalist Steven Rosen, Six-String Heroes is a celebration of the music, the players, and the instrument.

The saga of the Barefoot Sisters continues with this sequel to The Barefoot Sisters Southbound. Lucy and Susan Letcher begin their journey home, hiking barefoot on the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Along the way, they must face the pleasures and perils of a northbound thru-hike, from bluegrass festivals and trail angel feasts to encounters with bears and venomous snakes. --publisher.