Dix Bruce, a musician, composer, and writer from the San
Francisco Bay Area, was born and raised in the Midwest. His interest in
American folk music, jazz, and original composition are blended into a
unique vocal and instrumental sound. His compositions are fresh and his
energetic, exuberant stage personality, along with his driving rhythm and
lead work, set the tone for a warm and exciting performance.
He began playing guitar at age twelve. After college, he relocated to
the Bay Area where his interest in hybrid acoustic string music led him to
David Grisman's prototype quintet in the mid-1970's. Bruce eventually
teamed up with the mandolinist and edited the magazine Mandolin World
News from 1978 until 1984.
In 1978 Bruce formed the band Back Up and Push to explore the emerging
possibilities of swing and jazz on acoustic stringed instruments. The band
toured the west coast throughout the 1980s and accompanied Bruce on his
release Tuxedo Blues, which features many of his original instrumental and
vocal compositions.
Dix Bruce has done studio work on guitar, mandolin, and banjo and has
recorded two albums with mandolin legend Frank Wakefield, six big band CDs
with the Royal society Jazz Orchestra, and his own collection of American
folk songs entitled My Folk Heart on which he plays guitar,
mandolin, and autoharp as well as sings. In 1991 he contributed two
original compositions to the soundtrack of Harrod Blank's acclaimed
documentary Wild Wheels. he has released two CDs of traditional
American songs with and originals with guitarist Jim Nunally.
Dix arranged, composed, played mandolin, and recorded music for the
CD-ROM computer game "The Sims" for the Maxis Corporation. His music is
featured on a virtual radio station within the game.
Mr. Bruce currently has over twenty publications in print with Mel Bay.
He has also written for Acoustic Guitar Magazine, FRETS, Bluegrass
Unlimited, and The Fretted Instrument Guild of America.
Dix Bruce - Basic Swing Guitar - DVD
Swing and Jump Swing music has enjoyed
a phenomenal popular
resurgence in the last few years. Both the current and classic bands build their
sound
on
swinging guitar rhythms. In this video lesson, Dix Bruce will teach you
all the basics that you need to know
in order to play this energetic music
including: moveable chords, how to get that "swing feel", right and left
hand techniques and how to transpose hundreds of songs to any key effortlessly! By the end of the lesson
you'll know swing and jazz chord forms and have the basic tools to play with any swing or jazz band. Songs
include: "Lady Be Good, Take Me Back to Tulsa, Minor Swing, Careless, Sweet
Georgia Brown, Honeysuckle
Rose, Blues in Bb #1, Blues in Bb #2, Rose Room, I
Got Rhythm".
(84 min) Booklet included........................................................Price - $29.95
Dix Bruce -
Gypsy Swing & Hot Club Rhythm -
Book and CD
Learn 12 great swing standards recorded by Django Reinhardt,
Stephane Grappelli and the Quintette of the Hot Club of France. Play
along with
a great gypsy swing rhythm section and learn chords, comping and melodies - then let
the band
back you up as you solo! For each song you will learn melodies and
chord progression, moveable closed
swing / jazz position chords and swing guitar
rhythm comping. Songs include: "Avalon, The Sheik of Araby,
Some of These Days,
After You've Gone, Baby Won't You Please Come Home, Swing in Minor, Chicago,
China Boy, St. Louis Blues, Rose Room, Dark Eyes, Swingin' Like '42".
Notation,
tab, chord diagrams and lyrics...............................Price - $15.95
Dix Bruce - Basic Country Flatpicking Guitar - DVD
Dix Bruce carefully teaches lead
and backup guitar to nine great and classic country, bluegrass, and folk standards,
ballads and hot breakdowns played by musicians the world over. Dix demonstrates the basic "bass note /
strum" technique and shows how melodies can be easily integrated into known chord patterns. You'll first learn
leads on the country classics "Worried Man Blues, Lonesome Valley, Storms are on the Ocean" and
"Handsome Molly" in a variety of different keys. You'll also learn the all-time guitar hit "Wildwood Flower"
and how to transpose it from the key of G to the Key of C. Dix also demonstrates more complex leads on "Redwing, John
Hardy, Jimmie Brown the Newsboy" and more on the invaluable skill of transposing a song from one key to
another. The instruction in this video will prepare you to play flatpick leads in virtually any country, folk,
and bluegrass ensemble.
(79 min) Booklet
included.........................................................Price
- $29.95
Dix Bruce - Guide To The Capo - DVD
This DVD teaches everything you need to know about
using a capo. Dix Bruce
teaches basic music theory that explains how the capo works and why. You’ll
learn all the fundamentals of placing several different styles of capos on
both acoustic and electric guitars. You’ll learn how the fret position of the
capo affects what key you’re playing in and how to use the capo as an artistic
tool. Dix demonstrates several songs with special capoing techniques including
how to use a partial capo to simulate an alternate tuning, how to use two
capos on one guitar and how to use capos on two different guitars at different
positions when you play in a duo or band. Great for guitarists of all levels!
(73 min)........................................................................................Price - $14.95
Dix Bruce - String
Band Classics For Guitar - Book and CD
Songs include:
"Dance All Night,
You Ain't Talkin to Me, Money Musk, There's More Pretty Girls
Than One, Fire On The Mountain, Gypsy Girl, Pig Ankle Rag, Wild Bill Jones,
Sleeping Lulu, Meeting in the Air, Hawks and Eagles, Who Broke The Lock, Way Out
There, Carroll County Blues, Old Jimmy Sutton, Devilish Mary, Way Down the Old
Plank Road, Tater Patch, My Dixie Darling, Free Little Bird, Been All Around
This World, Goodbye Miss Liza, Lee Highway Blues".
Notation and tab........................................................................Price -
$19.95
Dix Bruce - Teach Yourself Country Guitar - Book, DVD and CD
These lessons teach all
the
basics that will get you started playing country guitar. You will learn all the important
major, minor and seventh chords, practice these chords in traditional American country and folk songs, and
use these songs and chords to master different accompaniment techniques. Also, basic backup, beginning
flatpicking and fingerpicking, how to transpose and how to use a capo. The accompanying CD demonstrates
all songs and techniques at slow and regular speed - the faster speed has a drum and rhythm section
back-up so that you can jam along! Songs include: "My Home's Across the Blue Ridge Mountains,
Handsome Molly, I Ride an Old Paint, Red River Valley, Shady Grove, Home On The Range, Going Down This Road Feeling
Bad, The Cuckoo, I Get Blue, Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms, Bury Me Beneath the Willow, Some
Drink, Life's Railway to Heaven, The Nine Pound Hammer, Sweet Sunny South, I'll Love You Still, Don't
Let Your Deal Go Down, Children Go Where I Send Thee, Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho, Don't That
Road Look Rough and Rocky, Fair and Tender Ladies, In the Pines, The House of the Rising Sun, Nobody
Sleeps At My Place, Wildwood Flower, Devil's Dream, Darling You're a Fool".
Notation and
tab........................................................................Price - $24.95
