RIP Joe Sgro

[TD]

A few days ago, my old friend Jimmy Bruno hipped me to the passing a
great Philly icon, Joe Sgro.

By far, one of the greatest plectrumists in the history of the
instrument, has passed away on July 15th in Philadelphia. Along with
fellow Philadelphians Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti (Joe's 2nd cousin) and
Dennis Sandole, Joe was a national treasure. He was especially dear to
me and, in my opinion, changed my life far for the better. He wasn't
interested in world-wide recognition, more than likely due to the fact
that he was a devoutly religious man and extremely active within his
religion, but the small lot of us, who knew him/studied under him, are
forever indebted. He was a master's master of a teacher. Dennis
Sandole once said, "If I had to learn guitar all over again, I'd be a
student of Joe Sgro." Joe was originally a violinist who , when
switching to guitar, managed to transfer the science of bowing to the
plectrum hand.

The technique is little known, but whenever it is witnessed by fellow
players, eyes are noticeably mesmerized by it. It is often
misconstrued as mere "economy picking", probably coined by Tommy
Tedesco, but it is far more involved, because it involves a formidable
training, which works in conjunction with whatever written or aural
music to be confronted. And not just what seems "logical" as mere
string traversing. It involves the overall architecture of the music
at hand in accordance with the physics involved in plectrumming.

Joe was a genius at this method. I might add that he was a true
teacher, because his intentions were always to foster the student
(many were already seasoned professionals) in such a way as to develop
his/her mental faculties regarding the music and the instrument to the
highest possible potential. In other words, he respected the student
and there would never be, "Well, this is how I do it...it took me
years to learn this, so you learn it on your own." This is a real
teacher and I consider that quite rare within a world of ever growing
selfishness and self-importance.

An unknown historian wrote: "Joe Sgro, arranger,composer, conductor
and teacher is among the world's greatest guitarist. He started his
music career at the age of four playing the organ. Then he went on to
play the mandolin, banjo, violin and guitar. In 1939 Joe joined Victor
Hugo's band being featured on the guitar. He went on to work with
practically all the big names in show business, Jackie Gleason, Jan
Murray, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to name a few, Joe has played with
most staff bands in Philadelphia radio and TV. He has worked with the
Paul Whiteman Orchestra for seven years. He has appeared on the Ed
McMahan show where Ed featured him as the world's greatest guitarist.
Joe has appeared with the Philadelphia under guest conductors, Percy
Faith, Andre Kostelanitz and Eugene Ormandy. Joe has recorded hundreds
of records with the top artists of the 50's,60's,and 70's."

I recall coming down to Philly early in the morning from NYC many
years ago. I'd always stop off at the corner diner (Moore Street) and
have a little breakfast before knocking on Joe's door. I'd always
bring him a bag of corn muffins. He was surprised the first time and
said, "This is like an apple for the teacher, thanks." I replied, "But
Joe, their corn muffins." He used to *laugh*...



RIP Maestro.



TD








www.tonydecaprio.com

[van]

Post by TD
A few days ago, my old friend Jimmy Bruno hipped me to the passing a
great Philly icon, Joe Sgro.
By far, one of the greatest plectrumists in the history of the
instrument, has passed away on July 15th in Philadelphia. Along with
fellow Philadelphians Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti (Joe's 2nd cousin) and
Dennis Sandole, Joe was a national treasure. He was especially dear to
me and, in my opinion, changed my life far for the better. He wasn't
interested in world-wide recognition, more than likely due to the fact
that he was a devoutly religious man and extremely active within his
religion, but the small lot of us, who knew him/studied under him, are
forever indebted. He was a master's master of a teacher. Dennis
Sandole once said, "If I had to learn guitar all over again, I'd be a
student of Joe Sgro." Joe was originally a violinist who , when
switching to guitar, managed to transfer the science of bowing to the
plectrum hand.
The technique is little known, but whenever it is witnessed by fellow
players, eyes are noticeably mesmerized by it. It is often
misconstrued as mere "economy picking", probably coined by Tommy
Tedesco, but it is far more involved, because it involves a formidable
training, which works in conjunction with whatever written or aural
music to be confronted. And not just what seems "logical" as mere
string traversing. It involves the overall architecture of the music
at hand in accordance with the physics involved in plectrumming.
Joe was a genius at this method. I might add that he was a true
teacher, because his intentions were always to foster the student
(many were already seasoned professionals) in such a way as to develop
his/her mental faculties regarding the music and the instrument to the
highest possible potential. In other words, he respected the student
and there would never be, "Well, this is how I do it...it took me
years to learn this, so you learn it on your own." This is a real
teacher and I consider that quite rare within a world of ever growing
selfishness and self-importance.
An unknown historian wrote: "Joe Sgro, arranger,composer, conductor
and teacher is among the world's greatest guitarist. He started his
music career at the age of four playing the organ. Then he went on to
play the mandolin, banjo, violin and guitar. In 1939 Joe joined Victor
Hugo's band being featured on the guitar. He went on to work with
practically all the big names in show business, Jackie Gleason, Jan
Murray, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to name a few, Joe has played with
most staff bands in Philadelphia radio and TV. He has worked with the
Paul Whiteman Orchestra for seven years. He has appeared on the Ed
McMahan show where Ed featured him as the world's greatest guitarist.
Joe has appeared with the Philadelphia under guest conductors, Percy
Faith, Andre Kostelanitz and Eugene Ormandy. Joe has recorded hundreds
of records with the top artists of the 50's,60's,and 70's."
I recall coming down to Philly early in the morning from NYC many
years ago. I'd always stop off at the corner diner (Moore Street) and
have a little breakfast before knocking on Joe's door. I'd always
bring him a bag of corn muffins. He was surprised the first time and
said, "This is like an apple for the teacher, thanks." I replied, "But
Joe, their corn muffins." He used to *laugh*...
RIP Maestro.
TD
www.tonydecaprio.com

Very sad to hear. RIP.

[TD]

Post by van

Post by TD
A few days ago, my old friend Jimmy Bruno hipped me to the passing a
great Philly icon, Joe Sgro.
By far, one of the greatest plectrumists in the history of the
instrument, has passed away on July 15th in Philadelphia. Along with
fellow Philadelphians Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti (Joe's 2nd cousin) and
Dennis Sandole, Joe was a national treasure. He was especially dear to
me and, in my opinion, changed my life far for the better. He wasn't
interested in world-wide recognition, more than likely due to the fact
that he was a devoutly religious man and extremely active within his
religion, but the small lot of us, who knew him/studied under him, are
forever indebted. He was a master's master of a teacher. Dennis
Sandole once said, "If I had to learn guitar all over again, I'd be a
student of Joe Sgro." Joe was originally a violinist who , when
switching to guitar, managed to transfer the science of bowing to the
plectrum hand.
 The technique is little known, but whenever it is witnessed by fellow
players, eyes are noticeably mesmerized by it. It is often
misconstrued as mere "economy picking", probably coined by Tommy
Tedesco, but it is far more involved, because it involves a formidable
training, which works in conjunction with whatever written or aural
music to be confronted. And not just what seems "logical" as mere
string traversing. It involves the overall architecture of the music
at hand in accordance with the physics involved in plectrumming.
Joe was a genius at this method. I might add that he was a true
teacher, because his intentions were always to foster the student
(many were already seasoned professionals) in such a way as to develop
his/her mental faculties regarding the music and the instrument to the
highest possible potential. In other words, he respected the student
and there would never be, "Well, this is how I do it...it took me
years to learn this, so you learn it on your own." This is a real
teacher and I consider that quite rare within a world of ever growing
selfishness and self-importance.
An unknown historian wrote: "Joe Sgro, arranger,composer, conductor
and teacher is among the world's greatest guitarist. He started his
music career at the age of four playing the organ. Then he went on to
play the mandolin, banjo, violin and guitar. In 1939 Joe joined Victor
Hugo's band being featured on the guitar. He went on to work with
practically all the big names in show business, Jackie Gleason, Jan
Murray, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to name a few, Joe has played with
most staff bands in Philadelphia radio and TV. He has worked with the
Paul Whiteman Orchestra for seven years. He has appeared on the Ed
McMahan show where Ed featured him as the world's greatest guitarist.
Joe has appeared with the Philadelphia under guest conductors, Percy
Faith, Andre Kostelanitz and Eugene Ormandy. Joe has recorded hundreds
of records with the top artists of the 50's,60's,and 70's."
 I recall coming down to Philly early in the morning from NYC many
years ago. I'd always stop off at the corner diner (Moore Street) and
have a little breakfast before knocking on Joe's door. I'd always
bring him a bag of corn muffins. He was surprised the first time and
said, "This is like an apple for the teacher, thanks." I replied, "But
Joe, their corn muffins." He used to *laugh*...
RIP Maestro.
TD
www.tonydecaprio.com

Very sad to hear. RIP.

There will be a memorial service held in Philly next Saturday, July
28th at: Kingdom Hall, 1237 Federal Street. I will be attending. Hope
some of you near-byers can make it. Will be nice to meet you there.

Tony

[unknownguitarplayer]

That's sad news. I've been curious about JS for many years. I picked up the few records he made under his own name, but they're mostly what used to be called "easy listening". I also talked with many of his former students, who all praised him in the most glowing terms. However, I was still in the dark about what he actually sounded like until I hit paydirt when one of his ex-students gave me a home-maderecording. This was something that Joe would give to his students as an example of jazz soloing. He plays a bass line on guitar, and then overdubs chords and his solo.

After hearing about his playing for so many years and how his method derived from violin bowing, the recording turned out to be a real surprise, because the most striking thing about it was that he was an incredible alternate pick player...really outstanding. Of course there was much more going on, but what I got from listening was that his approach was based on real mastery of the instrument...no workarounds or shortcuts. I think Tony said something along these lines a few years ago - that JS used LH slurring and articulation, and efficient use of the pick, but that something like 70% of his playing was straight alternate picking. That jibes quite well with what I heard.

From what I've read, he was also a regular on the early rock recordings out of Cameo-Parkway, so much like the Wrecking Crew and the Funk Brothers, he's another one of the "unknown soldiers" of popular music.

[Joe Finn]

Post by TD
A few days ago, my old friend Jimmy Bruno hipped me to the passing a
great Philly icon, Joe Sgro.
By far, one of the greatest plectrumists in the history of the
instrument, has passed away on July 15th in Philadelphia. Along with
fellow Philadelphians Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti (Joe's 2nd cousin) and
Dennis Sandole, Joe was a national treasure. He was especially dear to
me and, in my opinion, changed my life far for the better. He wasn't
interested in world-wide recognition, more than likely due to the fact
that he was a devoutly religious man and extremely active within his
religion, but the small lot of us, who knew him/studied under him, are
forever indebted. He was a master's master of a teacher. Dennis
Sandole once said, "If I had to learn guitar all over again, I'd be a
student of Joe Sgro." Joe was originally a violinist who , when
switching to guitar, managed to transfer the science of bowing to the
plectrum hand.
The technique is little known, but whenever it is witnessed by fellow
players, eyes are noticeably mesmerized by it. It is often
misconstrued as mere "economy picking", probably coined by Tommy
Tedesco, but it is far more involved, because it involves a formidable
training, which works in conjunction with whatever written or aural
music to be confronted. And not just what seems "logical" as mere
string traversing. It involves the overall architecture of the music
at hand in accordance with the physics involved in plectrumming.
Joe was a genius at this method. I might add that he was a true
teacher, because his intentions were always to foster the student
(many were already seasoned professionals) in such a way as to develop
his/her mental faculties regarding the music and the instrument to the
highest possible potential. In other words, he respected the student
and there would never be, "Well, this is how I do it...it took me
years to learn this, so you learn it on your own." This is a real
teacher and I consider that quite rare within a world of ever growing
selfishness and self-importance.
An unknown historian wrote: "Joe Sgro, arranger,composer, conductor
and teacher is among the world's greatest guitarist. He started his
music career at the age of four playing the organ. Then he went on to
play the mandolin, banjo, violin and guitar. In 1939 Joe joined Victor
Hugo's band being featured on the guitar. He went on to work with
practically all the big names in show business, Jackie Gleason, Jan
Murray, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to name a few, Joe has played with
most staff bands in Philadelphia radio and TV. He has worked with the
Paul Whiteman Orchestra for seven years. He has appeared on the Ed
McMahan show where Ed featured him as the world's greatest guitarist.
Joe has appeared with the Philadelphia under guest conductors, Percy
Faith, Andre Kostelanitz and Eugene Ormandy. Joe has recorded hundreds
of records with the top artists of the 50's,60's,and 70's."
I recall coming down to Philly early in the morning from NYC many
years ago. I'd always stop off at the corner diner (Moore Street) and
have a little breakfast before knocking on Joe's door. I'd always
bring him a bag of corn muffins. He was surprised the first time and
said, "This is like an apple for the teacher, thanks." I replied, "But
Joe, their corn muffins." He used to *laugh*...
RIP Maestro.
TD

Sorry to hear about this. Thanks for posting, Tony. ......joe

[t***@gmail.com]

Post by TD
A few days ago, my old friend Jimmy Bruno hipped me to the passing a
great Philly icon, Joe Sgro.
By far, one of the greatest plectrumists in the history of the
instrument, has passed away on July 15th in Philadelphia. Along with
fellow Philadelphians Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti (Joe's 2nd cousin) and
Dennis Sandole, Joe was a national treasure. He was especially dear to
me and, in my opinion, changed my life far for the better. He wasn't
interested in world-wide recognition, more than likely due to the fact
that he was a devoutly religious man and extremely active within his
religion, but the small lot of us, who knew him/studied under him, are
forever indebted. He was a master's master of a teacher. Dennis
Sandole once said, "If I had to learn guitar all over again, I'd be a
student of Joe Sgro." Joe was originally a violinist who , when
switching to guitar, managed to transfer the science of bowing to the
plectrum hand.
The technique is little known, but whenever it is witnessed by fellow
players, eyes are noticeably mesmerized by it. It is often
misconstrued as mere "economy picking", probably coined by Tommy
Tedesco, but it is far more involved, because it involves a formidable
training, which works in conjunction with whatever written or aural
music to be confronted. And not just what seems "logical" as mere
string traversing. It involves the overall architecture of the music
at hand in accordance with the physics involved in plectrumming.
Joe was a genius at this method. I might add that he was a true
teacher, because his intentions were always to foster the student
(many were already seasoned professionals) in such a way as to develop
his/her mental faculties regarding the music and the instrument to the
highest possible potential. In other words, he respected the student
and there would never be, "Well, this is how I do it...it took me
years to learn this, so you learn it on your own." This is a real
teacher and I consider that quite rare within a world of ever growing
selfishness and self-importance.
An unknown historian wrote: "Joe Sgro, arranger,composer, conductor
and teacher is among the world's greatest guitarist. He started his
music career at the age of four playing the organ. Then he went on to
play the mandolin, banjo, violin and guitar. In 1939 Joe joined Victor
Hugo's band being featured on the guitar. He went on to work with
practically all the big names in show business, Jackie Gleason, Jan
Murray, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to name a few, Joe has played with
most staff bands in Philadelphia radio and TV. He has worked with the
Paul Whiteman Orchestra for seven years. He has appeared on the Ed
McMahan show where Ed featured him as the world's greatest guitarist.
Joe has appeared with the Philadelphia under guest conductors, Percy
Faith, Andre Kostelanitz and Eugene Ormandy. Joe has recorded hundreds
of records with the top artists of the 50's,60's,and 70's."
I recall coming down to Philly early in the morning from NYC many
years ago. I'd always stop off at the corner diner (Moore Street) and
have a little breakfast before knocking on Joe's door. I'd always
bring him a bag of corn muffins. He was surprised the first time and
said, "This is like an apple for the teacher, thanks." I replied, "But
Joe, their corn muffins." He used to *laugh*...
RIP Maestro.
TD
www.tonydecaprio.com

Thank you for your wonderful tribute; Rest in peace Mr. Sgro

[Dan Adler]

Hi Tony,

Any plans to write a book about the man and his picking?

-Dan
http://danadler.com

Post by TD
A few days ago, my old friend Jimmy Bruno hipped me to the passing a
great Philly icon, Joe Sgro.
By far, one of the greatest plectrumists in the history of the
instrument, has passed away on July 15th in Philadelphia. Along with
fellow Philadelphians Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti (Joe's 2nd cousin) and
Dennis Sandole, Joe was a national treasure. He was especially dear to
me and, in my opinion, changed my life far for the better. He wasn't
interested in world-wide recognition, more than likely due to the fact
that he was a devoutly religious man and extremely active within his
religion, but the small lot of us, who knew him/studied under him, are
forever indebted. He was a master's master of a teacher. Dennis
Sandole once said, "If I had to learn guitar all over again, I'd be a
student of Joe Sgro." Joe was originally a violinist who , when
switching to guitar, managed to transfer the science of bowing to the
plectrum hand.
The technique is little known, but whenever it is witnessed by fellow
players, eyes are noticeably mesmerized by it. It is often
misconstrued as mere "economy picking", probably coined by Tommy
Tedesco, but it is far more involved, because it involves a formidable
training, which works in conjunction with whatever written or aural
music to be confronted. And not just what seems "logical" as mere
string traversing. It involves the overall architecture of the music
at hand in accordance with the physics involved in plectrumming.
Joe was a genius at this method. I might add that he was a true
teacher, because his intentions were always to foster the student
(many were already seasoned professionals) in such a way as to develop
his/her mental faculties regarding the music and the instrument to the
highest possible potential. In other words, he respected the student
and there would never be, "Well, this is how I do it...it took me
years to learn this, so you learn it on your own." This is a real
teacher and I consider that quite rare within a world of ever growing
selfishness and self-importance.
An unknown historian wrote: "Joe Sgro, arranger,composer, conductor
and teacher is among the world's greatest guitarist. He started his
music career at the age of four playing the organ. Then he went on to
play the mandolin, banjo, violin and guitar. In 1939 Joe joined Victor
Hugo's band being featured on the guitar. He went on to work with
practically all the big names in show business, Jackie Gleason, Jan
Murray, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to name a few, Joe has played with
most staff bands in Philadelphia radio and TV. He has worked with the
Paul Whiteman Orchestra for seven years. He has appeared on the Ed
McMahan show where Ed featured him as the world's greatest guitarist.
Joe has appeared with the Philadelphia under guest conductors, Percy
Faith, Andre Kostelanitz and Eugene Ormandy. Joe has recorded hundreds
of records with the top artists of the 50's,60's,and 70's."
I recall coming down to Philly early in the morning from NYC many
years ago. I'd always stop off at the corner diner (Moore Street) and
have a little breakfast before knocking on Joe's door. I'd always
bring him a bag of corn muffins. He was surprised the first time and
said, "This is like an apple for the teacher, thanks." I replied, "But
Joe, their corn muffins." He used to *laugh*...
RIP Maestro.
TD
www.tonydecaprio.com

[TD]

Post by Dan Adler
Hi Tony,
Any plans to write a book about the man and his picking?
-Danhttp://danadler.com

Post by TD
A few days ago, my old friend Jimmy Bruno hipped me to the passing a
great Philly icon, Joe Sgro.
By far, one of the greatest plectrumists in the history of the
instrument, has passed away on July 15th in Philadelphia. Along with
fellow Philadelphians Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti (Joe's 2nd cousin) and
Dennis Sandole, Joe was a national treasure. He was especially dear to
me and, in my opinion, changed my life far for the better. He wasn't
interested in world-wide recognition, more than likely due to the fact
that he was a devoutly religious man and extremely active within his
religion, but the small lot of us, who knew him/studied under him, are
forever indebted. He was a master's master of a teacher. Dennis
Sandole once said, "If I had to learn guitar all over again, I'd be a
student of Joe Sgro." Joe was originally a violinist who , when
switching to guitar, managed to transfer the science of bowing to the
plectrum hand.
 The technique is little known, but whenever it is witnessed by fellow
players, eyes are noticeably mesmerized by it. It is often
misconstrued as mere "economy picking", probably coined by Tommy
Tedesco, but it is far more involved, because it involves a formidable
training, which works in conjunction with whatever written or aural
music to be confronted. And not just what seems "logical" as mere
string traversing. It involves the overall architecture of the music
at hand in accordance with the physics involved in plectrumming.
Joe was a genius at this method. I might add that he was a true
teacher, because his intentions were always to foster the student
(many were already seasoned professionals) in such a way as to develop
his/her mental faculties regarding the music and the instrument to the
highest possible potential. In other words, he respected the student
and there would never be, "Well, this is how I do it...it took me
years to learn this, so you learn it on your own." This is a real
teacher and I consider that quite rare within a world of ever growing
selfishness and self-importance.
An unknown historian wrote: "Joe Sgro, arranger,composer, conductor
and teacher is among the world's greatest guitarist. He started his
music career at the age of four playing the organ. Then he went on to
play the mandolin, banjo, violin and guitar. In 1939 Joe joined Victor
Hugo's band being featured on the guitar. He went on to work with
practically all the big names in show business, Jackie Gleason, Jan
Murray, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to name a few, Joe has played with
most staff bands in Philadelphia radio and TV. He has worked with the
Paul Whiteman Orchestra for seven years. He has appeared on the Ed
McMahan show where Ed featured him as the world's greatest guitarist.
Joe has appeared with the Philadelphia under guest conductors, Percy
Faith, Andre Kostelanitz and Eugene Ormandy. Joe has recorded hundreds
of records with the top artists of the 50's,60's,and 70's."
 I recall coming down to Philly early in the morning from NYC many
years ago. I'd always stop off at the corner diner (Moore Street) and
have a little breakfast before knocking on Joe's door. I'd always
bring him a bag of corn muffins. He was surprised the first time and
said, "This is like an apple for the teacher, thanks." I replied, "But
Joe, their corn muffins." He used to *laugh*...
RIP Maestro.
TD
www.tonydecaprio.com

There are already volumes books available by a student of Joe's: James
Tillman ( his take on his lessons and endorsed by Sgro). I had
submitted a book to Hal Leonard Pub some years ago on my brand of
picking involved with the improvised line and more, which is merely an
offshoot of the Sgro method, but they weren't interested. They were
already passing the threshold deeper into commercial-land. I have
since become rather disenchanted with writing books and publishing. I
feel the same way about teaching unless it's for people really wanting
to learn from my experiences. Whatever I had written ( and may write
in the future), rest assured that Joe Sgro's name gets mentioned.

-TD

[Dan Adler]

Tony,

Interesting! Do you mean these?

http://www.guitarmaster.net/books.htm

They look like scale fingering books.

-Dan

> Hi Tony,
>
> Any plans to write a book about the man and his picking?
>
> -Danhttp://danadler.com
>
>
>
> > A few days ago, my old friend Jimmy Bruno hipped me to the passing a
> > great Philly icon, Joe Sgro.
>
> > By far, one of the greatest plectrumists in the history of the
> > instrument, has passed away on July 15th in Philadelphia. Along with
> > fellow Philadelphians Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti (Joe's 2nd cousin) and
> > Dennis Sandole, Joe was a national treasure. He was especially dear to
> > me and, in my opinion, changed my life far for the better. He wasn't
> > interested in world-wide recognition, more than likely due to the fact
> > that he was a devoutly religious man and extremely active within his
> > religion, but the small lot of us, who knew him/studied under him, are
> > forever indebted. He was a master's master of a teacher. Dennis
> > Sandole once said, "If I had to learn guitar all over again, I'd be a
> > student of Joe Sgro." Joe was originally a violinist who , when
> > switching to guitar, managed to transfer the science of bowing to the
> > plectrum hand.
>
> >  The technique is little known, but whenever it is witnessed by fellow
> > players, eyes are noticeably mesmerized by it. It is often
> > misconstrued as mere "economy picking", probably coined by Tommy
> > Tedesco, but it is far more involved, because it involves a formidable
> > training, which works in conjunction with whatever written or aural
> > music to be confronted. And not just what seems "logical" as mere
> > string traversing. It involves the overall architecture of the music
> > at hand in accordance with the physics involved in plectrumming.
>
> > Joe was a genius at this method. I might add that he was a true
> > teacher, because his intentions were always to foster the student
> > (many were already seasoned professionals) in such a way as to develop
> > his/her mental faculties regarding the music and the instrument to the
> > highest possible potential. In other words, he respected the student
> > and there would never be, "Well, this is how I do it...it took me
> > years to learn this, so you learn it on your own." This is a real
> > teacher and I consider that quite rare within a world of ever growing
> > selfishness and self-importance.
>
> > An unknown historian wrote: "Joe Sgro, arranger,composer, conductor
> > and teacher is among the world's greatest guitarist. He started his
> > music career at the age of four playing the organ. Then he went on to
> > play the mandolin, banjo, violin and guitar. In 1939 Joe joined Victor
> > Hugo's band being featured on the guitar. He went on to work with
> > practically all the big names in show business, Jackie Gleason, Jan
> > Murray, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to name a few, Joe has played with
> > most staff bands in Philadelphia radio and TV. He has worked with the
> > Paul Whiteman Orchestra for seven years. He has appeared on the Ed
> > McMahan show where Ed featured him as the world's greatest guitarist.
> > Joe has appeared with the Philadelphia under guest conductors, Percy
> > Faith, Andre Kostelanitz and Eugene Ormandy. Joe has recorded hundreds
> > of records with the top artists of the 50's,60's,and 70's."
>
> >  I recall coming down to Philly early in the morning from NYC many
> > years ago. I'd always stop off at the corner diner (Moore Street) and
> > have a little breakfast before knocking on Joe's door. I'd always
> > bring him a bag of corn muffins. He was surprised the first time and
> > said, "This is like an apple for the teacher, thanks." I replied, "But
> > Joe, their corn muffins." He used to *laugh*...
>
> > RIP Maestro.
>
> > TD
>
> >www.tonydecaprio.com
There are already volumes books available by a student of Joe's: James
Tillman ( his take on his lessons and endorsed by Sgro). I had
submitted a book to Hal Leonard Pub some years ago on my brand of
picking involved with the improvised line and more, which is merely an
offshoot of the Sgro method, but they weren't interested. They were
already passing the threshold deeper into commercial-land. I have
since become rather disenchanted with writing books and publishing. I
feel the same way about teaching unless it's for people really wanting
to learn from my experiences. Whatever I had written ( and may write
in the future), rest assured that Joe Sgro's name gets mentioned.
-TD

[TD]

Post by Dan Adler
Tony,
Interesting! Do you mean these?
http://www.guitarmaster.net/books.htm
They look like scale fingering books.
-Dan

> Hi Tony,
>
> Any plans to write a book about the man and his picking?
>
> -Danhttp://danadler.com
>
>
>
> > A few days ago, my old friend Jimmy Bruno hipped me to the passing a
> > great Philly icon, Joe Sgro.
>
> > By far, one of the greatest plectrumists in the history of the
> > instrument, has passed away on July 15th in Philadelphia. Along with
> > fellow Philadelphians Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti (Joe's 2nd cousin) and
> > Dennis Sandole, Joe was a national treasure. He was especially dear to
> > me and, in my opinion, changed my life far for the better. He wasn't
> > interested in world-wide recognition, more than likely due to the fact
> > that he was a devoutly religious man and extremely active within his
> > religion, but the small lot of us, who knew him/studied under him, are
> > forever indebted. He was a master's master of a teacher. Dennis
> > Sandole once said, "If I had to learn guitar all over again, I'd be a
> > student of Joe Sgro." Joe was originally a violinist who , when
> > switching to guitar, managed to transfer the science of bowing to the
> > plectrum hand.
>
> >  The technique is little known, but whenever it is witnessed by fellow
> > players, eyes are noticeably mesmerized by it. It is often
> > misconstrued as mere "economy picking", probably coined by Tommy
> > Tedesco, but it is far more involved, because it involves a formidable
> > training, which works in conjunction with whatever written or aural
> > music to be confronted. And not just what seems "logical" as mere
> > string traversing. It involves the overall architecture of the music
> > at hand in accordance with the physics involved in plectrumming.
>
> > Joe was a genius at this method. I might add that he was a true
> > teacher, because his intentions were always to foster the student
> > (many were already seasoned professionals) in such a way as to develop
> > his/her mental faculties regarding the music and the instrument to the
> > highest possible potential. In other words, he respected the student
> > and there would never be, "Well, this is how I do it...it took me
> > years to learn this, so you learn it on your own." This is a real
> > teacher and I consider that quite rare within a world of ever growing
> > selfishness and self-importance.
>
> > An unknown historian wrote: "Joe Sgro, arranger,composer, conductor
> > and teacher is among the world's greatest guitarist. He started his
> > music career at the age of four playing the organ. Then he went on to
> > play the mandolin, banjo, violin and guitar. In 1939 Joe joined Victor
> > Hugo's band being featured on the guitar. He went on to work with
> > practically all the big names in show business, Jackie Gleason, Jan
> > Murray, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to name a few, Joe has played with
> > most staff bands in Philadelphia radio and TV. He has worked with the
> > Paul Whiteman Orchestra for seven years. He has appeared on the Ed
> > McMahan show where Ed featured him as the world's greatest guitarist.
> > Joe has appeared with the Philadelphia under guest conductors, Percy
> > Faith, Andre Kostelanitz and Eugene Ormandy. Joe has recorded hundreds
> > of records with the top artists of the 50's,60's,and 70's."
>
> >  I recall coming down to Philly early in the morning from NYC many
> > years ago. I'd always stop off at the corner diner (Moore Street) and
> > have a little breakfast before knocking on Joe's door. I'd always
> > bring him a bag of corn muffins. He was surprised the first time and
> > said, "This is like an apple for the teacher, thanks." I replied, "But
> > Joe, their corn muffins." He used to *laugh*...
>
> > RIP Maestro.
>
> > TD
>
> >www.tonydecaprio.com
There are already volumes books available by a student of Joe's: James
Tillman ( his take on his lessons and endorsed by Sgro). I had
submitted a book to Hal Leonard Pub some years ago on my brand of
picking involved with the improvised line and more, which is merely an
offshoot of the Sgro method, but they weren't interested. They were
already passing the threshold deeper into commercial-land. I have
since become rather disenchanted with writing books and publishing. I
feel the same way about teaching unless it's for people really wanting
to learn from my experiences. Whatever I had written ( and may write
in the future), rest assured that Joe Sgro's name gets mentioned.
-TD

Yes, those are the ones.

[WVNicholson]

It's possibly odd to re-open such an old thread; but I don't see any point starting a new one. Anyway, I recently looked into buying some of the books by James Tillman from the guitarmaster.net website that supposedly demonstrate Joe Sgro's picking technique although my motivation is primarily to get material for music reading practice. It looks like there are issues with the website and they may be out of business since guitarmaster.net do not respond to questions sent using their contact form (or to e-mail messages sent to ***@guitarmaster.net, ***@guitarmaster.net or ***@guitarmaster.net). Anyway, I unwisely went ahead and purchased a set of books with PayPal as my payment method and when I finished paying and checking out my confirmation page from guitarmaster.net was a webpage with a 404 not found error. I do have a proper receipt from PayPal so I will be able to start the painful refund claim process some time within the next 20 days,

William

Post by Dan Adler
Tony,
Interesting! Do you mean these?
http://www.guitarmaster.net/books.htm
They look like scale fingering books.
-Dan

> Hi Tony,
>
> Any plans to write a book about the man and his picking?
>
> -Danhttp://danadler.com
>
>
>
> > A few days ago, my old friend Jimmy Bruno hipped me to the passing a
> > great Philly icon, Joe Sgro.
>
> > By far, one of the greatest plectrumists in the history of the
> > instrument, has passed away on July 15th in Philadelphia. Along with
> > fellow Philadelphians Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti (Joe's 2nd cousin) and
> > Dennis Sandole, Joe was a national treasure. He was especially dear to
> > me and, in my opinion, changed my life far for the better. He wasn't
> > interested in world-wide recognition, more than likely due to the fact
> > that he was a devoutly religious man and extremely active within his
> > religion, but the small lot of us, who knew him/studied under him, are
> > forever indebted. He was a master's master of a teacher. Dennis
> > Sandole once said, "If I had to learn guitar all over again, I'd be a
> > student of Joe Sgro." Joe was originally a violinist who , when
> > switching to guitar, managed to transfer the science of bowing to the
> > plectrum hand.
>
> >  The technique is little known, but whenever it is witnessed by fellow
> > players, eyes are noticeably mesmerized by it. It is often
> > misconstrued as mere "economy picking", probably coined by Tommy
> > Tedesco, but it is far more involved, because it involves a formidable
> > training, which works in conjunction with whatever written or aural
> > music to be confronted. And not just what seems "logical" as mere
> > string traversing. It involves the overall architecture of the music
> > at hand in accordance with the physics involved in plectrumming.
>
> > Joe was a genius at this method. I might add that he was a true
> > teacher, because his intentions were always to foster the student
> > (many were already seasoned professionals) in such a way as to develop
> > his/her mental faculties regarding the music and the instrument to the
> > highest possible potential. In other words, he respected the student
> > and there would never be, "Well, this is how I do it...it took me
> > years to learn this, so you learn it on your own." This is a real
> > teacher and I consider that quite rare within a world of ever growing
> > selfishness and self-importance.
>
> > An unknown historian wrote: "Joe Sgro, arranger,composer, conductor
> > and teacher is among the world's greatest guitarist. He started his
> > music career at the age of four playing the organ. Then he went on to
> > play the mandolin, banjo, violin and guitar. In 1939 Joe joined Victor
> > Hugo's band being featured on the guitar. He went on to work with
> > practically all the big names in show business, Jackie Gleason, Jan
> > Murray, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to name a few, Joe has played with
> > most staff bands in Philadelphia radio and TV. He has worked with the
> > Paul Whiteman Orchestra for seven years. He has appeared on the Ed
> > McMahan show where Ed featured him as the world's greatest guitarist.
> > Joe has appeared with the Philadelphia under guest conductors, Percy
> > Faith, Andre Kostelanitz and Eugene Ormandy. Joe has recorded hundreds
> > of records with the top artists of the 50's,60's,and 70's."
>
> >  I recall coming down to Philly early in the morning from NYC many
> > years ago. I'd always stop off at the corner diner (Moore Street) and
> > have a little breakfast before knocking on Joe's door. I'd always
> > bring him a bag of corn muffins. He was surprised the first time and
> > said, "This is like an apple for the teacher, thanks." I replied, "But
> > Joe, their corn muffins." He used to *laugh*...
>
> > RIP Maestro.
>
> > TD
>
> >www.tonydecaprio.com
There are already volumes books available by a student of Joe's: James
Tillman ( his take on his lessons and endorsed by Sgro). I had
submitted a book to Hal Leonard Pub some years ago on my brand of
picking involved with the improvised line and more, which is merely an
offshoot of the Sgro method, but they weren't interested. They were
already passing the threshold deeper into commercial-land. I have
since become rather disenchanted with writing books and publishing. I
feel the same way about teaching unless it's for people really wanting
to learn from my experiences. Whatever I had written ( and may write
in the future), rest assured that Joe Sgro's name gets mentioned.
-TD

[r***@gmail.com]

Post by TD
A few days ago, my old friend Jimmy Bruno hipped me to the passing a
great Philly icon, Joe Sgro.
By far, one of the greatest plectrumists in the history of the
instrument, has passed away on July 15th in Philadelphia. Along with
fellow Philadelphians Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti (Joe's 2nd cousin) and
Dennis Sandole, Joe was a national treasure. He was especially dear to
me and, in my opinion, changed my life far for the better. He wasn't
interested in world-wide recognition, more than likely due to the fact
that he was a devoutly religious man and extremely active within his
religion, but the small lot of us, who knew him/studied under him, are
forever indebted. He was a master's master of a teacher. Dennis
Sandole once said, "If I had to learn guitar all over again, I'd be a
student of Joe Sgro." Joe was originally a violinist who , when
switching to guitar, managed to transfer the science of bowing to the
plectrum hand.
The technique is little known, but whenever it is witnessed by fellow
players, eyes are noticeably mesmerized by it. It is often
misconstrued as mere "economy picking", probably coined by Tommy
Tedesco, but it is far more involved, because it involves a formidable
training, which works in conjunction with whatever written or aural
music to be confronted. And not just what seems "logical" as mere
string traversing. It involves the overall architecture of the music
at hand in accordance with the physics involved in plectrumming.
Joe was a genius at this method. I might add that he was a true
teacher, because his intentions were always to foster the student
(many were already seasoned professionals) in such a way as to develop
his/her mental faculties regarding the music and the instrument to the
highest possible potential. In other words, he respected the student
and there would never be, "Well, this is how I do it...it took me
years to learn this, so you learn it on your own." This is a real
teacher and I consider that quite rare within a world of ever growing
selfishness and self-importance.
An unknown historian wrote: "Joe Sgro, arranger,composer, conductor
and teacher is among the world's greatest guitarist. He started his
music career at the age of four playing the organ. Then he went on to
play the mandolin, banjo, violin and guitar. In 1939 Joe joined Victor
Hugo's band being featured on the guitar. He went on to work with
practically all the big names in show business, Jackie Gleason, Jan
Murray, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to name a few, Joe has played with
most staff bands in Philadelphia radio and TV. He has worked with the
Paul Whiteman Orchestra for seven years. He has appeared on the Ed
McMahan show where Ed featured him as the world's greatest guitarist.
Joe has appeared with the Philadelphia under guest conductors, Percy
Faith, Andre Kostelanitz and Eugene Ormandy. Joe has recorded hundreds
of records with the top artists of the 50's,60's,and 70's."
I recall coming down to Philly early in the morning from NYC many
years ago. I'd always stop off at the corner diner (Moore Street) and
have a little breakfast before knocking on Joe's door. I'd always
bring him a bag of corn muffins. He was surprised the first time and
said, "This is like an apple for the teacher, thanks." I replied, "But
Joe, their corn muffins." He used to *laugh*...
RIP Maestro.
TD
www.tonydecaprio.com

[r***@gmail.com]

Post by TD
A few days ago, my old friend Jimmy Bruno hipped me to the passing a
great Philly icon, Joe Sgro.
By far, one of the greatest plectrumists in the history of the
instrument, has passed away on July 15th in Philadelphia. Along with
fellow Philadelphians Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti (Joe's 2nd cousin) and
Dennis Sandole, Joe was a national treasure. He was especially dear to
me and, in my opinion, changed my life far for the better. He wasn't
interested in world-wide recognition, more than likely due to the fact
that he was a devoutly religious man and extremely active within his
religion, but the small lot of us, who knew him/studied under him, are
forever indebted. He was a master's master of a teacher. Dennis
Sandole once said, "If I had to learn guitar all over again, I'd be a
student of Joe Sgro." Joe was originally a violinist who , when
switching to guitar, managed to transfer the science of bowing to the
plectrum hand.
The technique is little known, but whenever it is witnessed by fellow
players, eyes are noticeably mesmerized by it. It is often
misconstrued as mere "economy picking", probably coined by Tommy
Tedesco, but it is far more involved, because it involves a formidable
training, which works in conjunction with whatever written or aural
music to be confronted. And not just what seems "logical" as mere
string traversing. It involves the overall architecture of the music
at hand in accordance with the physics involved in plectrumming.
Joe was a genius at this method. I might add that he was a true
teacher, because his intentions were always to foster the student
(many were already seasoned professionals) in such a way as to develop
his/her mental faculties regarding the music and the instrument to the
highest possible potential. In other words, he respected the student
and there would never be, "Well, this is how I do it...it took me
years to learn this, so you learn it on your own." This is a real
teacher and I consider that quite rare within a world of ever growing
selfishness and self-importance.
An unknown historian wrote: "Joe Sgro, arranger,composer, conductor
and teacher is among the world's greatest guitarist. He started his
music career at the age of four playing the organ. Then he went on to
play the mandolin, banjo, violin and guitar. In 1939 Joe joined Victor
Hugo's band being featured on the guitar. He went on to work with
practically all the big names in show business, Jackie Gleason, Jan
Murray, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to name a few, Joe has played with
most staff bands in Philadelphia radio and TV. He has worked with the
Paul Whiteman Orchestra for seven years. He has appeared on the Ed
McMahan show where Ed featured him as the world's greatest guitarist.
Joe has appeared with the Philadelphia under guest conductors, Percy
Faith, Andre Kostelanitz and Eugene Ormandy. Joe has recorded hundreds
of records with the top artists of the 50's,60's,and 70's."
I recall coming down to Philly early in the morning from NYC many
years ago. I'd always stop off at the corner diner (Moore Street) and
have a little breakfast before knocking on Joe's door. I'd always
bring him a bag of corn muffins. He was surprised the first time and
said, "This is like an apple for the teacher, thanks." I replied, "But
Joe, their corn muffins." He used to *laugh*...
RIP Maestro.
TD
I was very fortunate to have had Bass lessons with Joe . Both of my uncles we're bassist and friends with Joe that's how I managed to take lessons.
www.tonydecaprio.com