Fred Sokolow

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About Fred Sokolow

Fred Sokolow is best known as the author of a library of instructional books and DVDs for guitar, banjo, Dobro, mandolin, lap steel and ukulele. There are currently over a hundred of his books or DVDs in print, sold all over the world. Fred has long been a well-known West Coast multi-string performer and recording artist, particularly on the acoustic music scene. The diverse musical genres covered in his books and DVDs, along with several bluegrass, jazz and rock CDs he has released, demonstrate his mastery of many musical styles. Whether he's playing Delta bottleneck blues, bluegrass or old-time banjo, 30s swing guitar or screaming rock solos, he does it with authenticity and passion.

Born in Los Angeles September 14, 1945, by the early 1960s Fred was well known in the California bluegrass scene, playing with Jody Stecher, Brantley Kearns, Sandy Rothman and Eric Thompson. Relocating to Berkeley, he toured and recorded with a hippie rock band throughout most of the 60s, the Bay Area-based Notes From the Underground (Vanguard Records). In the early 70s Fred performed with R&B, rock, country and bluegrass bands. By 1975 Fred had played with bluegrass luminaries like John Herald, Frank Wakefield and Jerry Garcia, had opened for the Dead, the Doors, B.B. King, Country Joe and the Fish and countless other acts, and he was playing in jazz combos with some of the Bay Areas best studio players.

In 1975 Fred returned to Los Angeles. He recorded two ground-breaking banjo albums for Kicking Mule Records and began touring with Bobbie Gentry and Jim Stafford, playing rock guitar, bluegrass banjo and lap steel. He also toured with the folk group the Limeliters, juggling seven different instruments. By the end of the 70s he had begun writing instructional books (methods, transcription books and arrangement books) for all the music print publishers: Mel Bay, Hal Leonard, Warner Brothers, Carl Fischer and more. He recorded a banjo video for Hot Licks, and several guitar videos for Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop. His transcription books became known for their accuracy, and his method books were lauded for their clarity and effectiveness in music magazines all over the world. He began teaching guitar and banjo seminars in music camps and stores, and he taught classes at the reknowned McCabes Music in Santa Monica.

Fred currently lives in Santa Monica and primarily performs retro jazz guitar with some of LA's finest musicians, playing and singing songs of the 30s and 40s. He often plays and records with British ex-rock star Ian Whitcomb. And he plays bluegrass, blues or rockabilly whenever the opportunity arises. He's active on the studio scene, playing on other people's albums and on numerous TV and movie soundtracks, and he was a musical advisor on Michael Mann's latest film, Public Enemies. Fred also records and performs with children's artists like Dan Crow, Greg & Steve, KPFK's Uncle Ruthie and Paul Stookey. He relishes the diversity of his portfolio: he played lap steel on the Tonight Show, mandolin on Rick James' last CD, played Dobro with Chubby Checker and won on the Gong Show (playing bluegrass banjo), jammed at the House of Blues with Junior Brown...and he performs with the legendary folksinger Tom Paxton whenever Tom comes to California.

Fred holds the title of official banjo player for the TV show Survivor. His music has graced many television shows and commercials, as well as recent movies like Peter Bogdanovitch's "The Cat's Meow." His recent "Fred Sokolow Jazz Quartet" and "Fred Sokolow Sings & Plays Fats Waller" CDs showcase his unique style of playing and singing jazz standards. A performance video of his jazz quartet was released recently, featuring guest stars Lawrence Juber, Ian Whitcomb and Junior Brown. Fred's recent bluegrass/old-timey CD "One More River to Cross," spans generations, as it features his long-time friend & musical partner Brantley Kearns, with whom he has played since they were teenagers, and it also introduces Zachary Sokolow, Fred's son, with whom he has been gigging for the last few years.

Fred's "Fretboard Roadmaps" series is an international best-seller. He conducts seminars up and down the West Coast and recently taught a week-long blues class for the National Guitar Workshop and a Dobro class for Steve Kaufman's Akoustic Kamp in Knoxville, Tennessee. Fred continues to perform and create instructional material, and is regarded as an authority on many musical genres, particularly what is now called "Americana."

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Titles By Fred Sokolow

All Formats Kindle Edition Hardcover Paperback

The Beatles for Fingerstyle Ukulele Feb 1, 2015

by The Beatles , Fred Sokolow

( 590 )

$9.99

(Ukulele). The Beatles for Fingerstyle Ukulele contains 25 favorite songs, each presented two ways: first as solo fingerstyle arrangements for playing simple chord-melody instrumentals with tab and chord diagrams included and also as lyric-and-chord lead sheets for basic strumming and singing. Songs are introduced in order of difficulty and also include fun and interesting facts about the Beatles' original recordings and history. Songs include: Across the Universe * And I Love Her * Can't Buy Me Love * Eight Days a Week * Here Comes the Sun * Hey Jude * In My Life * Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds * Something * While My Guitar Gently Weeps * Yesterday * You've Got to Hide Your Love Away * and more.

Other Formats: Paperback

First 50 Songs You Should Play on Mandolin Jun 1, 2016

by Fred Sokolow

( 239 )

$11.99

(Mandolin). A fantastic collection of 50 accessible, must-know favorites for the beginner who's learned enough to start playing popular songs! This book features melody, lyrics, and chord diagrams. Includes: Amazing Grace * Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain * Crazy * Cripple Creek * Folsom Prison Blues * Friend of the Devil * Going to California * Hallelujah * Ho Hey * I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow * I Walk the Line * I'll Fly Away * Losing My Religion * Maggie May * Mr. Bojangles * Redemption Song * Ripple * Rocky Top * Take Me Home, Country Roads * Tennessee Waltz * Wagon Wheel * Wildwood Flower * Yesterday * Your Cheatin' Heart * and many more.

Other Formats: Paperback

First 50 Bluegrass Solos You Should Play on Guitar Feb 1, 2020

by Fred Sokolow

( 24 )

$11.47

(Guitar Collection). If you've been looking to learn some great flatpicking solos, this book will give you a great place to start! It includes 50 popular bluegrass songs (with lyrics!) and fiddle tunes, each written in standard notation and tab. Historical information and performance notes are also included for each of the easy-to-play arrangements. Songs include: Arkansas Traveler * Ballad of Jed Clampett * Bill Cheatham * Blue Moon of Kentucky * Bury Me Beneath the Willow * Cripple Creek * I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow * I'll Fly Away * Long Journey Home * Molly and Tenbrooks * Old Joe Clark * The Red Haired Boy * Rocky Top * Salt Creek * Salty Dog Blues * Sitting on Top of the World * Turkey in the Straw * Wabash Cannonball * Wayfaring Stranger * Will the Circle Be Unbroken * Wreck of the Old 97 * You Don't Know My Mind * and more!

Other Formats: Paperback

Fretboard Roadmaps - Ukulele: The Essential Patterns That All the Pros Know and Use Aug 1, 2006

by Jim Beloff , Fred Sokolow

( 182 )

$14.24

Take your uke playing to the next level with this great package that will teach you how to: strum backup chords all over the fretboard, in any key; play chord solos up and down the fretboard; solo in any key using first-position major scales, chord-based licks, and moveable major and blues scales; understand chord progressions; increase your chord vocabulary; and more. Tunes and exercises that illustrate each technique are written in standard notation and tablature. An absolute beginner can follow the diagrams and instruction from the beginning. Intermediate and advanced players can use the chapters non-sequentially to increase their understanding of the ukulele.

Please note: The eBook does not include the accompanying CD.

Other Formats: Paperback

Hank Williams Complete Songbook Nov 1, 1999

by Hank Williams

( 113 )

$11.70

(Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook). This comprehensive compilation contains every song written by country music legend Hank Williams. Includes piano/vocal/guitar arrangements of 128 in all: Cold, Cold Heart * Hey, Good Lookin' * Honky Tonkin' * I Ain't Got Nothing but Time * I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You) * I Saw the Light * I'm a Long Gone Daddy * I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry * Jambalaya (On the Bayou) * Jesus Is Calling * A Mansion on the Hill * My Son Calls Another Man Daddy * There's a Tear in My Beer * Your Cheatin' Heart * many more! Also includes a biography.

Other Formats: Paperback

Hal Leonard Tenor Banjo Method Mar 1, 2019

by Fred Sokolow

( 16 )

$14.24

(Banjo). This complete guide to learning the tenor banjo was written by acclaimed author and musician Fred Sokolow. If features popular songs to teach you the basics of rhythm and lead playing in Dixieland, retro swing, and Irish music. It includes demonstration audio tracks for all the examples in the book. Songs include: Ain't She Sweet * Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home * Down by the Riverside * The Irish Washerwoman * St. Louis Blues * Sweet Georgia Brown * When the Saints Go Marching In * Yes Sir, That's My Baby * and more.

Other Formats: Paperback

Masters of the Mandolin: 130 of the Greatest Bluegrass and Newgrass Solos Feb 1, 2018

by Fred Sokolow

( 49 )

$19.99

(Mandolin). This collection of 130 mandolin solos is an invaluable resource for fans of bluegrass music. Each song excerpt has been meticulously transcribed note-for-note in tab from its original recording so you can study and learn these masterful solos by some of the instrument's finest pickers. From the legendary Bill Monroe to more contemporary heroes like Sam Bush and Chris thile, and even including some non-bluegrass greats like Dave Apollon and Jethro Burns, this book contains a wide variety of music and playing styles to enjoy.

Other Formats: Paperback

Elliott Smith Songbook Oct 1, 2009

by Elliott Smith , Fred Sokolow

( 32 )

$13.99

(Guitar Collection). A fixture on the Portland indie music scene, singer-songwriter Elliott Smith was introduced to the mainstream via his Oscar-nominated song "Miss Misery" from the Good Will Hunting soundtrack. This collection features that song and 17 others, from his first CD, through tracks released after his tragic and untimely death. Includes: Angeles * Clementine * Everything Means Nothing to Me * Pretty (Ugly Before) * Say Yes * Son of Sam * Waltz #2 (XO) * and more, plus a discography and an intro.

Other Formats: Paperback

Fingerpicking Beatles Songbook Jul 1, 1994

by The Beatles

( 43 )

$9.99

(Guitar Book). 20 songs arranged for guitar by Fred Sokolow: And I Love Her * Come Together * Eight Days a Week * Eleanor Rigby * Girl * Here Comes the Sun * Here, There and Everywhere * Hey Jude * If I Fell * In My Life * Let It Be * Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds * Michelle * Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) * Something * Strawberry Fields Forever * When I'm Sixty-Four * While My Guitar Gently Weeps * With a Little Help from My Friends * Yesterday.

Other Formats: Paperback

Fretboard Roadmaps: The Essential Guitar Patterns That All the Pros Know and Use (Guitar Techniques) Sep 1, 1993

by Fred Sokolow

( 154 )

$9.95

This book will show you how to play lead and rhythm anywhere on the fretboard, in any key; play a variety of lead guitar styles; play chords and progressions anywhere on the fretboard; expand your chord vocabulary; and learn to think musically the way the pros do. Each chapter presents a pattern and shows how to use it, along with playing tips and guitar insights. Absolute beginners can follow the diagrams and instruction, and intermediate and advanced players can use the chapters non-sequentially to increase their understanding of the guitar.

Other Formats: Paperback

First 50 Songs You Should Play on Autoharp Sep 1, 2020

by Fred Sokolow

( 14 )

$13.53

(Autoharp). If you're new to autoharp or want to add to your repertoire, this book has melodies, chords and lyrics for some of the most popular songs that are suited to the instrument: Amazing Grace * Blowin' in the Wind * Crazy * Hallelujah * I Will Always Love You * Imagine * Keep on the Sunny Side * Love Me Tender * Man of Constant Sorrow * Over the Rainbow * Scarborough Fair/Canticle * Stand by Me * This Land Is Your Land * What a Wonderful World * Yesterday * You Are My Sunshine * and more.

Other Formats: Paperback

Fretboard Roadmaps - Bass: The Essential Patterns That All the Pros Know and Use (Fretboard Roadmaps) Dec 1, 2005

by Fred Sokolow , Tim Emmons

( 83 )

$15.95

This book will get you playing bass lines anywhere on the fretboard, in any key. You'll learn to build bass lines under chord progressions; major, minor, and pentatonic scale patterns; and much more through easy-to-follow diagrams and instructions for beginning, intermediate, and advanced players. [Note: this eBook does not include the CD]

Other Formats: Paperback

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