Joe Willson, Fingerstyle Guitarist

Schedule

Performance

Joe plays solo acoustic guitar, bringing a broad range of music to the audience, with a strong groove, tasteful arrangements, and selections tailored to the listeners.

The guitar is naturally one of the most beautiful-sounding instruments, and is suitable for a small group without any amplification. Where there is a large area to cover or the possibility of background noise, Joe provides appropriate amplification or hookup for a public address system.

Music

• Jazz Standards
• Swing tunes
• Big band tunes
• Blues
• Guitar classics
• Original compositions

Reviews

"Joe Willson has a colorful repertoire and seemingly effortless command of the guitar. His arrangements are fresh and appealing, and he delivers them with sensitivity and precision. I could listen to his music all day."
- John Buchholz, Echo Lake Guitar Quintet, Greene, NY

Contact

Phone: 610-547-3835

To send email to Joe, click here.

About The DVFGA

In 2000, Joe Willson founded one of the most active fingerstyle guitar clubs, the Delaware Valley Fingerstyle Guitar Association.

The group meets on the first Sunday of every month and provides a focus for over 100 guitar afficionados near the Philadelphia area.

The DVFGA has hosted many concerts and workshops by some of the best players in the world, including Tommy Emmanuel, Peter Lang, and Adrian Legg.

About The Technique

Fingerstyle guitar unlocks the guitar's potential to play any type of music, from "Ain't She Sweet" to Steely Dan's "Josie"

In the late 40's, Chet Atkins combined some of the backwoods and blues styles he had heard and developed a distinctive solo style which featured a strong rhythmic bass line played by the thumb on the low strings, and chord and lead parts played with the fingers on the high strings.

This style caught the attention of the world - players from all backgrounds and in all musical genres took notice and began to incorporate the ideas. More new fingerstyle arrangements and compositions are being written every day.

If you close your eyes, you can hear a bass player, a rhythm player, a lead player, percussionists, and even horn sections.