The Chetboard

I just came across some bizarre historical content: Chet's 1967 recording for "Guitarphonics Play Guitar Album Vol.6". Chet participated in an instructional recording project featuring some of his hits. He recorded simplified versions of Nine Pound Hammer, Red Wing, Windy and Warm and Hello My Baby. There is also an instructional booklet - and that's where the bizarreness comes into play - that consists neither of standard notation nor tabulature but rather diagrams which explain the order of the notes to be played.

Give it a listen:

http://guitarphonics-playguitar.com/Che ... s_Vol.html

Also check out Chet playing Windy and Warm behind his office desk with his guitar on his lap:

http://guitarphonics-playguitar.com/Atk ... _1965.html

It may be bizarre, but that was possibly the best material available at the time to show Chet's technique. I managed to get a copy while stationed in RAF in Cyprus in 1967. It taught me a lot, but it was a strange sort of Tab. It has been put on CD since then. I think I got mine from Ebay, so it's worth looking out for.
Regards
Mike

That was the set put out by Wilbur Marvin Savage.

Like it was already said... strange tablature but it did do a job of explaining where each note was. I borrowed a copy from a friend back in the day and stole a couple of licks from it

I may have never picked up the guitar if it had not been for this Liberty/Dolton production. I always wanted to play Chet's style but figured I was too old to learn and read music. When Play Along With Chet Atkins came along I bought the album and borrowed a friend's guitar. After a few days of flubbing around I figured I could do it and bought a used guitar and amp.

The first song I learned was the beloved Windy and Warm. The diagrams did the job but it was so tough. I had to consider two diagrams at once and eventually had to memorize the information of one diagram while looking at the other.

One could think this album's diagrams were the precursor to tablature. But the the Roy Acuff publication of Chet Atkins Guitar Style (1954) had music in diagram form that was more like today's tab IMHO. Anyone know the history of tab?

David

Tab has been around since the middle ages. They wrote tab for lutes.

The tab Savage made for the tutorial we're talking about was something he came up with and never caught on

Actually Chet's rhythm in that album is a work of art, it's worth its weight in gold to learn it. Al

The website stated: "It was the only album as an RCA artist, Atkins recorded under his name that was not an RCA release." This is false. Chet did an album for SESAC.
The Guitarphonics LP is a true work of art. I only wished I had it when I was younger and I was learning Chet's stuff. I found out about the LP many years later. I found a copy at a thrift store for $1 in Mint Condition ....or as general Gentry would say..."Stone Mint!"
I wish it was available on cd.

That's right Phil. Not an album, but his first record, Guitar Blues, was put out by Bullet Records, that was in '46. In '47 he started recording at RCA Victor.

Phil,
It has been produced on CD under the title "Play Guitar with Dolton Series". It has all 7 volumes of the Dolton LP series - 5 Ventures, 1 Jimmy Bryant and Chet's record. I got my copy from Ebay several years ago. It looks a little amateurish so I'm not sure if Dolton had any input into it's production, but it's all there and well worth trying to find.
Regards
Mike