Stephen Bennett

About Stephen Bennett

Whether playing his great-grandfather's harp guitar, his 1930 National Steel or a standard 6-string, Stephen Bennett is a musician to hear. His playing has won awards and critical praise. In live performance and on record, his diverse musical influences and interests are joined with a lifelong love affair with the sound of guitar strings.

STORE

NOTE: I have discontinued my online shopping cart. You can still get cds etc from me. Just send me an email (sbharpguitar@gmail.com) telling me what you want. I’ll figure out what the cost is, you send me that amount and then I send you the items.

 

CDs

2019 – Passages

This is my 32nd release (not counting a few compilation projects).  Along with lots of guitar (6-string, 12-string, harp guitar, not to mention a couple of different bass guitars), on this recording, Passages also marks my debut on banjo — and drums.  It’s fun!  Try it, you’ll like it!  The tunes on this cd are: Yukon Ed, Dancing On The Inside, Some Happy News, Where’d You Go? Copper Beech, Vitamin G, Badass Bob, McGuire’s Landing*, Enough Already, Please Listen, Tava (Mountain Of The Sun), Mr. Fuzzybutt, and Thula Baba Thula Sana*.  (The 2 tunes with astericks I didn’t compose; the rest I did).  My talented sister Joanna did the artwork on this CD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2018 – Harp Guitar Another Compilation – DOUBLE CD

29 tunes taken from CDs I’ve released between 2006 and 2016. Tunes are Long Forgotten Chambers Of The Heart, Reverie, Jonathan, The Old Home Place (live with Jim Bennett on piano), Aunt Lu’s Waltz, Adventure Dog, Welcome To New Rome, Honey Bee’s Lament, High Street, Harp Guitar Guy, Song For Michael, Sir Gregory Goes To Genoa Town, Allison’s Wedding, Veteran’s Day, Saint Susan, The Black Gunners, Nancy B (with a high strung guitar track added), Perestroika (revisited), Shadow Catcher, Hovenweep, The Elk Below, Gymnopodie #1,2 & 3, Oz Want A Squirrel, Good Night, Big Dog, Pat’s Tune, New Dawn, and Clair De Lune.

Click here to get this on I-Tunes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fifty Years, and Counting…

2017 – Fifty years – that’s how long I’ve been playing guitar now – so I made it the name of my 31st recording. With the exception of one track, the CD consists of all cover tunes: I’m A Believer, Love Is Blue, Oriental Swing, Daydream Believer, Puttin’ On The Ritz, It Doesn’t Matter Anymore, Washington Post March, Caravan, Whipped Cream, The Fishin’ Hole, Doin’ The Jive, (Sitting On) The Dock Of The Bay, Hit The Road Jack, The Lonely Bull and Rosetta. All solo guitar or baritone guitar pieces.

Click here to get this on I-Tunes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Music From Connecticut

2017 – My 30th recording (!!!) is a collection of tunes I originally composed for piano and cello. Getting tired of waiting for that combination to happen, I instead turned it into guitar music. I am a guitarist, it just so happens! There are no acoustic guitars though, for a change. I used electric guitars and basses, as well as digital piano software on 4 of the tracks. The tunes are The Milford Harbor Suite (Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring), A Walk Along The Wepawaug (with my daug), Solomon Woods, Sleeping Giant, Big Eagle (In Memory Of Aurelius Piper), A Hous On The Housatonic, Mr. Mole, Bull’s Bridge, High Street (Duet Version), and Elegy For Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Please note that this is not my usual relatively light acoustic guitar music. It’s a bit more complex, a little more demanding, and is probably closer to classical music than to any other genre. I like it (or I obviously wouldn’t have written and recorded it) but your tastes might vary.

Click here to get this on I-Tunes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even More Beatles

2016 – My third (and last) collection of Beatles tunes arranged for guitars. Included are: I Should Have Known Better, Birthday, Good Day Sunshine, I Saw Her Standing There, Lady Madonna, I’m Looking Through You, You Never Give Me Your Money, I Will, When I’m 64, Don’t Let Me Down, And I Love Her, Because, and a tune written by Sir Paul’s father called Walking In The Park With Eloise. All are either solo guitar, baritone guitar or harp guitar except Walking In The Park – that’s an electric guitar and bass duet.

Even More Beatles

Click here to get this on I-Tunes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tone Poet

2016 – A collection of harp guitar music. Included are Clair De Lune, New Dawn, Pat’s Tune, The Elk Below, Shadow Catcher, Hovenweep, Oz Want A Squirrel, Perestroika (Revisited), Gymnopedies 1, 2 and 3, Good Night Big Dog, and Nantucket Sleighride (featuring the vocals of my high school friend Keith Maloney). There’s also an homage to my late friend and fellow guitarist Pete Huttlinger that’s simply called For Pete.

Click here to get this on I-Tunes

Tone Poet cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Powhatan Suite

2016 – I composed this 6-part suite originally for guitars and included it on 2003’s Music From Tsenacommacah. Soon after, I began to imagine the music in orchestral form – and I eventually got to work notating what I was hearing in my head. In 2015, I ran a successful crowd funding campaign on Kickstarter that resulted in my being able to hire a full symphony orchestra in Germany to play the music. This resulting CD features the orchestral version, as well a remixed version of the original guitar version. The LP contains only the orchestral version. The great cover art was created by Sebastien Solignac.

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Click here to get this on I-Tunes

Thumb Drive – contains video of the orchestral version, plus high definition audio version of both the orchestral and remixed guitar versions of the Powhatan Suite.

LP – contains only the orchestral version of the Powhatan Suite

Still On The Line

2014 – My latest collection of music contains 11 new compositions, 2 remakes of my own tunes, and 3 cover arrangements. The titles are: Sir Gregory Goes To Genoa Towne, Allison’s Wedding, Gabriel’s Oboe, Veteran’s Day, Vika’s Tune, The Black Gunners, Maple Leaf Rag, Jailhouse Rock/Balcony Boogie, Nancy B, Tommy & Clara Got Married, Remember, Saint Susan, Uncle Don Enters The Ring and Wichita Lineman. All are either solo harp guitar or 6-string guitar, with one vocal (Wichita Lineman).

Click here to get this on I-Tunes

 

More Beatles

2014 – Another collection of music from the greatest band ever. It’s mostly solo harp guitar (11 out of the 14 tunes), 2 regular guitar solos and one duet. The tunes are: While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Obla-di Obla-da, Across The Universe, Can’t Buy Me Love, Let It Be, For No One, With A Little Help From My Friends, Your Mother Should Know, Mother Nature’s Son, Michelle, Oh Darling, Day Tripper, She Loves You and Eleanor Rigby.

Click here to get this on I-Tunes

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The Nutcracker Complete Ballet Score for Guitar Orchestra(Double CD)

2013 – Twenty-three years ago I released my version of the famous Suite from the Nutcracker, arranged for what I called a guitar orchestra. Two decades later, I was approached about treating the entire score (of which the Suite is only a part) in that same way for a proposed new production of the ballet. The production didn’t pan out, but I took on the musical project anyway. At times, I wondered why. THIS WAS A LOT OF WORK! But after putting in countless hours of the proverbial blood, sweat and tears, I’m truly delighted with the results. I used 18 different instruments, electric and acoustic for this Double CD. It’s truly amazing music and I’ve treated it with love and respect. (Although I did have a lot of fun with it too!) If he were alive, I don’t think Mr. Tchaikovsky would disapprove! Or if he did, while verbally admonishing me about treating his music this way, he’d look down and realize that his foot was tapping…and perhaps crack a smile. Hey, I bet you will too!

George Maida at WCVE in Richmond, Virginia calls this “one of the greatest Christmas recordings ever made”.

John Diliberto of WXPN in Philadelphia, PA called it “a triumph”.

Click here to get this on I-Tunes

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The Water Is Wide – NOT AVAILABLE

Unveiled at the Tenth Annual Harp Guitar Gathering in November of 2012, this CD was a complete surprise to me. Amazingly, this was put together as a tribute to, ummm, me. I was overwhelmed by this, as you could imagine. There are 15 tunes on this cd, ranging from compositions specifically written for this project, to arrangements of my tunes, and a couple of arrangements of other tunes created specially for this project. The artists are: Gregg Miner, Andy Wahlber, Don Alder, Mike Doolin, Pete Bradshaw, Frank Doucette, Carter Lancaster, Jim Bennett, Larry Berwald, Hirokatsu Takei, Joe Morgan, Scott Burwell, Tommy Emmanuel and Kim Person. Andy McKee wrote the intro. It was an incredible thing that these folks (along with many others) did for me and I will always be grateful for the honor. And I’ll humbly continue to try to live up to it. Please visit Harp Guitar Music to purchase this recording!

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High Street

2012 – A collection of 14 original tunes: Mamanita, Adventure Dog, Harp Guitar Guy, High Street, Chocolate Mo, Honey Bee’s Lament, Song For Michael, Sacagawea, Buster’s Verklempt, Cemetery Ridge, Down A Kansas Road, Welcome To New Rome, Tres Padres and Tipping Point.

Click here to get this on I-Tunes

High Street cover reduced

 

 

 

 

Cool Tunes for Harp Guitar

2012 – My arrangements of: The Rohan Theme (from Lord Of The Rings – The Two Towers), Theme from the Magnificent Seven, Not Fade Away, Peggy Sue, Theme from High Noon, Inchworm, Nature Boy, Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers, Someone To Watch Over Me, Lullaby (by George Gershwin), Theme from To Kill A Mockingbird and Gymnopedie #1 by Erik Satie.

Click here to get this on I-Tunes

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Further Beyond Six Strings 

2011 – After the first convention for harp guitars was held ~ The Harp Guitar Gathering ~ I co-produced a cd compilation of cool harp guitar music called Beyond Six Strings. The Gathering is heading into its 10th annual event in 2012 and as we are further along in time, here is a brand new collection of new harp guitar tunes, sometimes solo and sometimes in combination with another instrument. It’s called Further Beyond Six Strings. I have a tune called Tipping Point on this new compilation from the Harp Guitar Music label. There are lots of other cool new tunes here as well, from an assortment of some of the world’s best harp guitarists!

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Christmas Present 

2011 – This is a compilation cd from the Harp Guitar Music label. It is a collection of 16 seasonal tunes featuring many different harp guitarists, sometimes solo and sometimes in combination with other instruments. My contribution to the cd is a lovely duet with my brother Jim on piano. We play the absolutely beautiful theme from the animated film The Snowman, titled “Walking In The Air” If you haven’t seen this, it’s a real treat!

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In-A-Gadda-Da-Stephen

2010 – A collection of 14 rock tunes (1967-75) for solo harp guitar, along with one tune for baritone guitar. Light My Fire, Incense & Peppermints, The Wind Cries Mary, Whiter Shade Of Pale, Born To Be Wild, White Room, Honky Tonk Women, Can’t Find My Way Home, The Court Of The Crimson King, Teacher, Behind Blue Eyes, Theme For An Imaginary Western, Time/Breathe, Soon and You Really Got Me are featured.

Click here to get this on I-Tunes

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GOOD WOOD

2009 – A celebration of Stephen’s great-grandfather’s 1909 harp guitar turning 100 years old! It features tunes that were around when this fantastic instrument was new, and other than one tune of Stephen’s, the newest tune on here is from 1916.

And his maternal great-grandfather (born 1885) makes an appearance on this CD as well.

 

ALERT THE AUTHORITIES

2008 – Be afraid, be very afraid. This is Stephen’s vocal CD. A collection of a dozen songs, three of them by SB, including the infamous “Dumpster Love”. It’s sure to be a hit somewhere. Mongolia perhaps…

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BROTHERS

2007 – A collection of a dozen tunes, all written by Stephen and/or his brother Jim (a great piano player!!!) or the two of them jointly. Twelve duets for guitar and piano ranging from rollicking to reflective….

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REFLECTIONS

REFLECTIONS WON BEST SOLO GUITAR ALBUM AT THE JUST PLAIN FOLKS MUSIC AWARDS SHOW IN AUGUST 2009!

2006 – The House of Love and Friendship, Cherry Blossom Time, One Day, Long Forgotten Chambers of the Heart, Theme For An Imaginary Game Show, The Breasts of the World, Feel Like a New Man, Dance of the Fireflies, Reverie, Katude, Miss Generosity (for Sandra Bullock), W.M.D., The Moon Tonight, Varus Has a Bad Day, Jack & Elaine, Jonathan

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CHRISTMAS 

2005 – Lots of harp guitar and some 6-string too. Good King Wenceslas, Hark, the Herald Angels We Have Heard On High, Conventry Carol of the Bells, O Holy Night, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Wocum Yole, In the Bleak Midwinter, O Come, O Come Emmanuel, O Little Town of Bethlehem, The Christmas Song, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, Walking in a Winter Wonderland, What Child Is This, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Unknown-3

THERE ARE NO MORE PHYSICAL COPIES OF THIS TITLE – BUT IT’S AVAILABLE DIGITALLY HERE

 

THE BEATLES – ACOUSTIC GUITAR SOLOS 

2005 – Lots of harp guitar, some 6-string, and even a tune on the resonator guitar. A Hard Day’s Night, All My Loving, Hey Jude, Yesterday, In My Life, Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, If I Fell, Penny Lane, Blackbird, Eight Days A Week, Hello Goodbye, Here, There and Everywhere, Strawberry Fields Forever, Something, All You Need Is Love

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Available from various digital platforms

 

 

EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN

2004 – Burnside, Libby’s Tune, C is for Cloe, Xenia, Faith’s Waltz, I Believe, Everything Under The Sun, Elephant’s Dance, 96 Per Cent, Tenochtitlan, Filtration Blues, Funk 47. Mostly solo, but with occasional bass and drums added.

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MUSIC FROM TSENACOMMACAH

2003 – The first 6 tracks form the Powhatan Suite, comprised of solo and ensemble guitars augmented by occasional bass and percussion. The remaining 9 tracks are a mixture of solo 6-string, harp guitar and slide, and of course – ukelele…

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HARP GUITAR -A COMPILATION – Double CD 

29 tunes, all previously released on other CDs from 1992-2004, assembled here in one collection. Some of the tunes are: Perestroika, Merry Christmas, Mr. Gorbachev, Westphalia Waltz, Sea Rose Beach, Carl and August, Cornwall, Winfield, At This Moment, Thornton’s Creek, Lysekil, Old Growth, Lt. Col. Cloud-Catcher, Lonesome John, Tom and Sally, Issoudun, The Eye of God, Bridget O’Malley, Oregon, Run, Cathy Freeman, Run/Advance Australia Fair, Late Last Night, Color Line, A Meditation, Magic Andrew, City On the Hill, I Will Remove Myself Farther From You, November, Everything Under The Sun, Elephant’s Dance, Tenochtitlan. images-2

There are no more copies of this but it is available for download from I-tunes here.

TEN – NOT AVAILABLE

2002 – One of Tommy Emmanuel’s picks for 10 Essential Acoustic Guitar Albums! – and I just found out, one of his 5 picks in Music Afficionado magazine, Ten consists of solos on 6-string, harp guitar and resonator, along with one duet (steel and harp guitars). America, the Beautiful, City On The Hill, Alpine and Coco, Lady Bird, Flawless, Linda Gets A Brand New Dog, Magic Andrew, Detective Chief Inspector, Via Camuzzoni, Col De Lauteret, Atlanta Blues, A Meditation, Going Home images-3

I no longer have any copies of Ten. Digital download of this recording can still be done at the various digital platforms.

SLIDE AREA AHEAD

These are some of the tunes recorded on my 1930 National Steel Guitar from 1992 – 2002. They were all previously released on various CDs but are gathered together here as a tribute to this wonderful instrument. images-4

 

 

RIVER

2001 – The title tune features Tommy Emmanuel and “Bridget O’Malley” features mandolinist Steve Smith. A Walk On Winkfield Row, River, I Knew It Was You, The Most Beautiful Sky, Late Last Night, Color Line, Middle-Aged White Guy Blues, Waltz For A Maple Tree, Little Martha (Stewart), Run, Cathy Freeman, Run/Advance Australia Fair, Oregon, Bridget O’Malley, The Travis Crawl

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TUNES

2000 – Fingerstyle guitar, flatpicking, harp guitar, or slide guitar on 14 tunes, 11 of them original. All solo, except for one duet with myself. Balcony Boogie, Afton Mountain, C.E.O., Issoudun, Adirondack Lullaby, The Swingset, Blackberry Blossom, Wheelbarrow Boogie, Fields Of Plastic, Indian Nation, Westphalia Waltz, Good Dog, Remember, The Eye Of God

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NO NET

1999 – “…Brilliantly encapsulates everything he loves about acoustic guitar.” Acoustic Guitar Magazine – June 2000. Tuesday Blues, In Memory Of Joe LaMastro, The Water Is Wide, My Backyard, Cooley’s Reel, Tom and Sally, Bad Dog, Chain of Fools, Southwind, Blue Monk, Richmond, The Funeral March of a Marionette, Your Song, Paris in April Unknown-8

 

 

 

HARP GUITAR

1998 – OUT OF PRINT “This is a gorgeous CD…” Mr. Guitar , (publication of the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society).

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I have no more copies.

 

BENNETT & GURLEY

1997 – This release was a collaborative effort between Stephen and Bill Gurley, a talented multi instrumentalist. Includes the original recorded version of A Most Beautiful Sky. Emerald City, Julia Delany, Baby Boy, For Beijing, This Virginia Town, Hole in the Wall, Homecoming, Weave and Way, A Lock of Her Hair, On the Sunny Side of the Street, Evil Sky, The Most Beautiful Sky

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PICTURES

1996 – “One of the most listenable CD’s you can find”… whatever that means…The Walnut Valley Occasional (the publication of the National Flatpicking and Fingerpicking Championships). Included in Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s Hit List – June 1997. 6 AM, Suite For Slavomir, Cornwall, Life’s Too Short, Linda’s Garden, The Forest Floor, Black Rock Shuffle, Carl and August, The Easy Winners, Annabel Lee, Kristina, The Star of the County Down, On the Water, Heliotrope Bouquet, Just a Thought, 2 AM

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GUITAR TOWN

1994 (with some material from Stephen’s first recording, TANGIER MORNING, released in 1988) – Included in Acoustic Guitar Magazine – Hit List – February 1996; Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine – Picker’s Picks – June 1995. Storm King, Amazing Grace, Tangier Morning, For Linda, Sea Rose Beach, Redwing/You Are My Sunshine, Sarajevo, Nearer My God to Thee, Cowboy Dave, You Really Got Me, Waltz (For My Mother), Stardust, Song For Sue, Is This Mexico Or What?, Merry Christmas, Mr. Gorbachev, Greased Pig Unknown-10

 

 

SOLOS & DUETS

1992 – “Full of sterling guitar instrumentals” – Guitar Player Magazine – July 1992. Begin The Beguine, Perestroika, Medley – Massa’s In De Cold, Cold Ground/Battle Cry Of Freedom/Battle Hymn of the Republic/Tenting Tonight, Can We All Get Along?, Strawberry Fields Forever, Imagine, Emerald City, Firetrucks, Kites and Keys, Baby Boy (with brother Jim at the piano), Snowflake Reel, Harlem Nocturne, Bear’s Tune, ‘Round Midnight

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THE NUTCRACKER SUITE SUITE FOR GUITAR ORCHESTRA

THIS IS MY 1990 TCHAIKOVSKY RENDITION — THIS IS NOT THE NEW COMPLETE BALLET SCORE FOR GUITAR ORCHESTRA!
1990 – “There are a number of ‘Nutcracker’ recordings – none is more passionate, vibrant or joyous than Stephen Bennett’s.” George Maida – WCVE, Richmond Public Radio – June 1997.

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GOOD DOGS, BAD DOGS, BEST FRIENDS

2009 – This is a CD put out by my friend Gregg’s Harp Guitar Music label HGM
I have 4 tunes on this disc – Good Dog, Bad Dog, Bear’s Tune, and Adventure Dog! There are 11 additional tracks by Gregg and some of my other musical friends. Unknown-12

I no longer have copies of this but please check at HGM

BEYOND SIX STRINGS

2006 – This is a CD produced by myself along with Gregg Miner and John Doan. It’s on Gregg’s Harp Guitar Music label HGM
My contribution was the tune November (also available on my titles Music From Tsenacommacah and the Harp Guitar Compilation double cd. Other artists are Tom Shinness, Iwan Hasan, Andy McKee, Dan LaVoie, Andy Wahlberg, Gregg Miner, James Kline, John Doan, Stacy Hobbs, Muriel Anderson, Bill Dutcher and Larry Berwald.

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I no longer have copies of this but please check at HGM.

CHRISTMAS PAST – Holiday Harp Guitar Classics

2006 – This is a CD on my friend Gregg Miner’s Harp Guitar Music label HGM
My contributions to the cd are In The Bleak Midwinter, Silver Bells and Auld Lang Syne (these are also available on my titles Christmas and The Nutcracker Suite For Guitar Orchestra. Other artists are William Eaton, Gregg Miner, John Doan and Stacy Hobbs.

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I no longer have copies but please check at HGM

 

 

 

DVDs

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Stephen Bennett LIVE DVD

Given the number of skilled luthiers and guitarists in evidence today, the current era has come to be known as “The Golden Age of the Acoustic Guitar”. Among numerous richly talented players, Stephen Bennett stands out as both a supreme melodist and groove master. That said- you already have a good idea of the contents of this DVD.

With the tenacity, perfectionism, and phenomenal musicality known to his fans worldwide, one day in October of 2005 Stephen recorded 29 tunes for this DVD. Most of these tracks were completed to perfection in one take. Add the notion of performing on three distinctly different instruments- a Morris 6-string acoustic, a 1930 National Steel, and a modern Merrill Brothers copy of a vintage Dyer harp guitar- and you have not only a Herculean musical feat, but a unique listening and viewing experience. Stephen’s live Mel Bay DVD performance is one you’ll watch again and again.

               

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Price:  $5







      

 

 

 

FINGERSTYLE FINESSE

2006 – Fingerstyle Finesse is a two cd-rom guitar course that includes breakdowns of five of Stephen’s original tunes and much more. In forty segments, Stephen emphasizes the importance of the melody in all aspects of playing and composition and shows you how to skillfully integrate harmonics and leverage the backbeat. The expert camera work lets him deftly demonstrate a variety of techniques, such as new ways of working with a capo. Stephen’s hints on playing and composing original material will help you “finesse” your playing and improve your compositional skills.

You can also download this course directly from TrueFire.com.

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Price: $29.00

 

 

 

 

Harp Guitar Repertoire

2011 – New from TrueFire is this two cd-rom harp guitar course that includes breakdowns of five tunes and much more. In this course I present seven of my compositions that many people have asked me to teach over the years. Oregon, Sea Rose Beach, November, Elephant’s Dance, Issoudun, The Eye Of God, and Tenochtitlan are covered in great detail.

You can also download this course directly from TrueFire.com

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Price: $29.00

 

 

Harp Guitar Basics

2011 – Also new from TrueFire is this two cd-rom harp guitar course that includes breakdowns of five tunes and much more. My objective with Harp Guitar Basics is to take you through a series of musical arrangements to get you acquainted with my approach to the harp guitar. I start with the assumption that you already have at least some minimal experience playing finger-style on a standard 6-string guitar. But even if you have never played guitar and somehow have wound up with a harp guitar, you will still be served well by the simple arrangements presented in the course. Tunes covered are Gentle Annie, The Water Is Wide, Bridget & Elanor, Going Home and Perestroika.

You can also download this course directly from TrueFire

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Price: $29.00               

 

 
               

The Stephen Bennett Fingerstyle Collection Book/CD Set

This book features twelve of Stephen Bennett’s favorite fingerstyle solos for the six-string acoustic guitar. In it, Stephen shows the same relaxed, sharp-witted spirit he exudes on stage with his insightful performance notes for these inspired guitar solos. Written in standard notation and tablature with a few altered tunings and partial capo indications, this book is recommended for the intermediate to advanced player. The companion performance CD includes all of the selections in the book.

A Walk On Winfield Row, Adirondack Lullaby, Emerald City, Funeral March Of A Marionette, Good Dog, I Knew It Was You, Kristina, Lady Bird, Life’s Too Short (to be in a bad mood), My Backyard, The Most Beautiful Sky, Tuesday Blues, Wheelbarrow Boogie

               

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I no longer have copies of this but please check at melbay.com

 

 

               

The Stephen Bennett Flatpicking Collection Book/CD Set

This book features twelve of Stephen Bennett’s flatpicking solos for six-string acoustic guitar. Though you don’t find Stephen flatpicking anymore, he was the National Champion once upon a time! Written in standard notation and tablature with a few altered and open tunings and partial capo indications, this book is recommended for the intermediate to advanced player. The companion performance CD includes all of the selections in the book.

Afton Mountain, Blackberry Blossom, Cooley’s Reel, Greased Pig, Indian Nation, Little Martha (Stewart), Remember, Richmond, Snowflake Reel, Tangier Morning, The Forest Floor, Waltz For A Maple Tree

               

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I no longer have copies of this but please check at melbay.com

 

 

               

Stephen Bennett – Harp Guitar Artistry DVD

In what is neither an instructional nor a concert-style format, acoustic guitar master and acknowledged harp guitar pioneer Stephen Bennett plays ten captivating harp guitar solos, demonstrating the capabilities of this rarely heard instrument in a relaxed recording studio setting. With one exception, the traditional fiddle tune Westphalia Waltz, Stephen composed all of the music heard here. Stephen introduces each tune with insightful remarks about harp guitar history, the tunings he developed for the additional six bass strings, and the events or circumstances that inspired his compositions.

One of the original advertising claims made for harp guitars was that they would do to the standard guitar what the piano did to the harpsichord; that is, make it obsolete. This may or may not occur, but in this video you will hear some of the inherent possibilities of the harp guitar. Ultimately, you may find yourself thinking that those early claims might not be so farfetched after all; indeed, magic happens when these instruments are in the right hands, and Stephen Bennett clearly has those hands.

Join Stephen for an intimate introduction to this largely forgotten instrument and allow yourself to fall under the spell of the harp guitar!

               

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Price: $5









      

 

 

 

 

 

               

Stephen Bennett LIVE DVD

Given the number of skilled luthiers and guitarists in evidence today, the current era has come to be known as “The Golden Age of the Acoustic Guitar”. Among numerous richly talented players, Stephen Bennett stands out as both a supreme melodist and groove master. That said- you already have a good idea of the contents of this DVD.

With the tenacity, perfectionism, and phenomenal musicality known to his fans worldwide, one day in October of 2005 Stephen recorded 29 tunes for this DVD. Most of these tracks were completed to perfection in one take. Add the notion of performing on three distinctly different instruments- a Morris 6-string acoustic, a 1930 National Steel, and a modern Merrill Brothers copy of a vintage Dyer harp guitar- and you have not only a Herculean musical feat, but a unique listening and viewing experience. Stephen’s live Mel Bay DVD performance is one you’ll watch again and again.

               

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Price:  $5