A private lesson with Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Cockburn has long been an inspiration as a guitarist, songwriter, and citizen—I even play a Manzer guitar similar to one of his core instruments. Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to interview him numerous times, for Acoustic Guitar magazine as well as for NPR’s All Things Considered.
So in 2019, as Cockburn was ramping up to release the all-instrumental album Crowing Ignites, I was more than happy to take on the assignment of putting together a definitive lesson on his guitar style. Of course, who can better demonstrate Cockburn’s masterful guitar work than Cockburn himself? So I reached out, and he not only clearly and generously broke down his approach to the instrument in an interview, but then he made the exceptional video posted above. He said he’d never attempted a lesson like this before over the last 50 years. I was beaming ear to ear when I saw how it all came together.
The songs covered in the lesson are:
Going to the Country
Pacing the Cage
Wondering Where the Lions Are
Blind Willie
Bardo Rush
Last Night of the World
After the Rain
Lovers in a Dangerous Time
You can find the complete text and tab on the Acoustic Guitar website.
Play “If I Had a Rocket Launcher”
In addition to the lesson, Cockburn recorded a solo version of his classic “If I Had a Rocket Launcher.” You can find a complete transcription in the September/October 2019 issue of Acoustic Guitar. Read Adam Perlmutter’s performance notes.
