Blog

Join Jack Baker from Fretted Instruments School as he explores the creative magic of open tunings, a staple technique for fingerstyle and folk guitarists.

Jack Baker explores the timeless folk songs that serve as the backbone of guitar education, blending historical richness with practical skill-building.

Join Jack Baker as he explores the rhythmic foundations of clawhammer banjo, a style rooted in history and perfect for any folk enthusiast.

Join Jack Baker as he shares his personal techniques for ear training in folk music, blending historical wisdom with the practical fingerstyle approach of our Manhattan school.

Jack Baker explores the nuance of learning guitar and banjo in the digital age versus the traditional studio setting, offering guidance on how to choose your best path forward.

I opened the Fretted Instruments School in Manhattan in 1970. If you learn banjo here, you learn Earl Scruggs, because before him, there was no three-finger roll, and after him, there was nothing else.

I opened the Fretted Instruments School in 1970 partly to answer a question: how does one instrument hold the weight of a whole song? Here's how I approach solo fingerstyle arrangements.

I opened the Fretted Instruments School in Manhattan in 1970. Fifty years on, I still think theory is a map for the fretboard, not a wall of rules to climb over.

Picking your first acoustic guitar is harder than it looks. After fifty years at Fretted Instruments School, here's what I tell people to actually pay attention to.

I've been teaching the banjo in Manhattan since 1970. Here are a few players who shaped the instrument and my approach to teaching them.

Jack Baker has taught Travis picking at the Fretted Instruments School in Manhattan since 1970. Here's how he breaks down the technique for new and returning students.

I'm Jack Baker, founder of the Fretted Instruments School. I've been teaching guitar and banjo in Manhattan since 1970, and here's how I'd think about practice.

Jack Baker opened Fretted Instruments School in Manhattan in 1970. Here he traces how bluegrass got started, what shaped it, and why the banjo is still at the center of it all.

Jack Baker here, from the Fretted Instruments School in Manhattan. A look at the scales every folk guitar player needs to know, and why they matter more than you might think.

Jack Baker, founder of the Fretted Instruments School in Manhattan, breaks down guitar tablature, what it is, how to read it, and why it matters for folk guitar and banjo players.

Jack Baker has taught banjo in Manhattan since 1970. Here's how bluegrass and clawhammer actually differ, and what that means if you're trying to learn one of them.

A reflection on five decades of transcribing and teaching the authentic Delta blues guitar tradition, from Charlie Patton to Robert Johnson.

Two classic banjo tablatures: Earl Scruggs' 'Before I Met You' and Allen Shelton's 'Standing On The Mountain' — two gems showcasing very different but equally captivating styles. Originally published in Banjo Newsletter, July 2012.

Jack Baker's notes on Doug Dillard's driving interpretation of Cripple Creek, first released as a 45-rpm single in 1960. A look at the Dillards' landmark debut album and Doug's unique banjo technique. Originally published in Banjo Newsletter, April 1996.

A heartfelt passage from Rory Block's memoir about her longtime friend Jack Baker — his generosity, humor, and dedication to music. From "When a Woman Gets the Blues" by Rory Block, Aurora Productions, 2010.

Bill Monroe's tune arranged and played by Bill Keith during his historic stint with the Monroe band. Jack Baker's tribute to Monroe's legacy and Keith's revolutionary melodic technique. Originally published in Banjo Newsletter, December 1996.

Eric Schoenberg's finger-style guitar arrangement of the old blues favorite, with Jack Baker's analysis of city folk guitar techniques. Originally published in Sing Out!, February 1969.

A comprehensive guide to Major, Minor, and Blues Pentatonic scales for guitar — their origins, theory, and how to use them for improvisation. By Jack Baker.

Jack Baker's notes on Sonny Osborne's arrangement of Sourwood Mountain, with a look back at the golden years of bluegrass banjo from 1967 to 1973. Originally published in Banjo Newsletter, November 2013.

A quick guide to adjusting your guitar's truss rod to control action — the distance between the strings and the fretboard. Remember: righty tighty, lefty loosey.

Beaumont Rag is a very popular fiddle tune dating back to the 1920s, named after the small town of Beaumont in Southeastern Texas. Jack Baker's notes on Bill Keith's brilliant melodic banjo arrangement, originally published in Banjo Newsletter, July 2013.

A tab of Wild Indian, mostly note-for-note by Bill Emerson, plus a mostly-melodic setting of June Apple influenced by Marc Horowitz. Originally published in Banjo Newsletter, August 1991.

"Civil War Parade" — Rev. Gary Davis' brilliant imitation of a military marching band arranged for finger-style guitar. A condensed transcription by Jack Baker and Andy Polon, originally published in Sing Out! The Folk Song Magazine, April 1972.

Bill Keith first tipped his trademark drivers cap to bluegrass audiences at the Philadelphia Folk Festival in 1961, demonstrating a revolutionary new way to duplicate melodic arrangements of fiddle tunes. Jack Baker's personal observations on Keith's technique, originally published in Banjo Newsletter, December 1997.

A wonderful piece for guitar — Alice Blue Gown by Chet Atkins, tabbed out by Jack Baker. Also includes a link to Joni James singing this tune beautifully.

An old favorite from long ago by Elizabeth Cotton. A fun tune for guitar — Jack only tabbed one verse as all the rest are pretty much the same.

Here is Chet Atkins playing Scarecrow, composed and arranged by Jerry Reed. Jack Baker and Juan Teruel from Spain tabbed it out for guitar as closely as they could back in 1999.

A beautiful Classical tune written by Francisco Tarrega and arranged by Chet Atkins. Jack's note: Chet used a different ending in his version — this tab matches Chet's but is a couple of measures shorter.

Here's Little Sadie as played and sung by Jim Rooney and Bill Keith. I have tabbed it out for banjo — with a link to their performance.

Here is Dave Van Ronk's "Sporting Life Blues" for guitar — although he did not write it, Brownie McGhee did as far as I know. Tablature and a link to one of Dave's many performances included.

If you've ever been captivated by the smooth sounds of jazz guitar, you likely know Chet Atkins and his remarkable talent. One of the enchanting pieces he performs is "Glow Worm." In this post, we highlight the beauty of this melody and share the tablature transcribed so you can join in on the fun.