GuitarTime Popular Folk, Level 2, Pick Style: Early Intermediate Guitar Book

This collection pairs beloved American and folk standards with genuinely playable pick-style guitar writing at the early intermediate level. The song choices span multiple genres and cultural traditions, giving students real repertoire they recognize rather than exercises dressed up as music.

A journey through America's musical heritage, from spirituals and work songs to frontier ballads and folk revivals. The pieces breathe with cultural memory and tell stories that resonate far beyond the guitar itself.

Early intermediate guitarists ready to move beyond pure technique work into meaningful repertoire. This book suits self-directed students, private lesson settings, and group guitar classes where learners want to build a real library of songs they can play and share.

• Establish a steady pick attack before focusing on the melodic line. The pick-style approach requires consistent rhythmic precision, so lock in your timing first.
• Listen to traditional recordings of these songs to internalize the phrasing and character. Each piece carries specific cultural weight that transcends the notation.
• Work through each song slowly enough to hear both the melody and the harmonic support your part provides. These aren't just note-reading exercises.
• Pay attention to the lyrical rhythm even if you're playing instrumental arrangements. Many of these melodies were written for singing, and respecting that vocal origin shapes your interpretation.

Build a folk music unit or concert by selecting multiple songs from this collection to explore different regional and cultural traditions. These pieces also work beautifully as performance vehicles for ensemble settings where guitarists accompany singers or other instruments.

• Pick-style melody playing with consistent tone and articulation
• Reading in first position and early extended positions
• Interpreting culturally rooted material with appropriate phrasing
• Balancing melody against underlying harmonic support
• Building a repertoire of songs with historical and cultural significance