When someone is foolish enough to put me in a guitar workshop at a festival, I often like to do The Farmer's Curst Wife, or John Henry.. both of them I do with one chord. So often, most of the people attending the workshop are just getting the hang of playing guitar, yet the workshops seem to be a variant on Dueling Banjos. Everyone does the showiest, most complicated picking they know, with an "Aw shucks, it tweren't nothing" expression when they finish. That's why I like to show how you can do an interesting accompaniment with simple picking patterns. I love the version of John Henry done by Wade Mainer and His Mountaineers... I think it's very interesting, and yet the whole song is done with just a C chord.

Jerry