[pullquote quote="So many musical styles are based around fingerpicking, from Brazilian music to Country to American Blues and Folk." credit="Jesse Harris, on fingerpicking"]Like so many other musicians who are just getting started on their instrument, [lastfm]Jesse Harris[/lastfm] drew inspiration from the greats when teaching himself to play guitar. American blues and folk legends like [lastfm]Mississippi John Hurt[/lastfm], [lastfm]Bob Dylan[/lastfm] and [lastfm]James Taylor[/lastfm] were the teachers Harris studied, and each has been a major influence on his career as a singer and songwriter.
When Street Date asked Harris to participate in the Energizer Master Class series, in partnership with the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, he immediately suggested we dedicate an episode to “fingerpicking.” Watch as Harris explains the history and the methods behind this age-old skill in this episode of Master Classes.

Jesse Harris’ Master Class

[pullquote quote="I don't think there's any kind of music on guitar anywhere in the world that isn't based on fingerpicking." credit=""]Essential to any guitar player’s musical education, fingerpicking is as old as guitar music itself. For his Master Class [lastfm]Jesse Harris[/lastfm] chose to illustrate the style of fingerpicking he learned from the folk and blues legends he grew up listening to, but one can find examples of fingerpicking in the work of just about any guitar player in any genre of music.

[lastfm]Jesse Harris[/lastfm] has been showing off his fingerpicking style in bar rooms and theaters across the world since his debut in 1995, and has released at least 11 albums of music he wrote himself. He’s also an in-demand songwriter who has collaborated with the likes of [lastfm]Bright Eyes[/lastfm] and [lastfm]Solomon Burke[/lastfm], and played a major role in the hugely successful debut album by [lastfm]Norah Jones[/lastfm]. Harris and Jones continue to collaborate, and these days he is busy at work producing music by artists from around the globe. 2011 may yet see new music from Jesse Harris – stay tuned to Street Date this fall as we roll out some top-secret new tunes he performed exclusively for us.

Find lots of great music by [lastfm]Jesse Harris[/lastfm] at his iTunes and Amazon store pages, including his most recent release, 2010′s Through The Night. Keep an eye on his events page at Last.fmfor upcoming tour dates.

• Colbie Caillat’s Master Class: Learn To Play “Make It Rain”
• Gavin DeGraw’s Master Class: Learn To Play “Not Over You”
• Vanessa Carlton’s Master Class: Learn To Play “Carousel”
• Kina Grannis’ Master Class: Learn To Play “Message From Your Heart”

Stay tuned for more Master Classes, brought to you by Energizer in proud partnership with the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. Now that’s positivenergy.