Death Letter Blues by Son House taught by Tom Feldmann 

Damn, everyone here saying they know more about what the blues is, talking about technique, you know, spend your own time putting up lessons for free before you go and knock someone else. He's spreading the word about an artist a lot of kids wouldn't know about, giving credit to a song recorded by many artists, like Johnny Winter, and may even be opening the door for the next SRV or a kid who doesnt have money for lessons but will keep the blues alive forty years from now, so go play your custom PRS on your $3k Orange stack and let the man teach the blues.

Son House was a hardworking groovemeister. What an inspiration he is.

Tom is the best blues teacher on RU-vid. Enough said

Any interpretation of this piece is 100% Legit. Shortly before that video of him was recorded he had only recently re-learned the piece having forgotten his music from not playing for about 30 years I am sure his skills were far sharper in his youth.

That picking hand. Thats a man that has absolutely perfected his craft.

all I can say is what a fantastic tutorial this man just done, he made it look so easy to do ,so I take my hat of to this man as say well done Tom thanks for this

Open G: DGDGBD from low to high.

Great tutorial. A lovely, respectful teaching style. Thank you so much, Tom.

No One compares to THE MAN!!!!! Son House!!!

thankyou so much for takin the time to show us technique that frees us to actually start playing this slide blues song properly...respect..

Chills...every single time I hear this man....

Love it!..This past year, my immersion into open tuning slide guitar blues, my world has opened up. Thanks!

Tom is the greatest guitar teacher of the blues! No one is better on the subject than him.

Yes....gloriously!

The story of how Al Wilson retaught Son house the guitar again was reported in a magazine called 'Blues Access' in Fall 98

Best guitar lesson I’ve had in a long time.

Thanks Tom. Thanks Stefan and thanks Son House.

a nice clear lesson on how to play a fine interpretation of son house's death letter blues take what you want from it. my thought is it its a kind of top down road map on the tune .. now you could if your where so inclined mimic the vocal part in exactitude or impersonate as close as you could possibly try do. and if you have had that awful miss fortune conveyed in the lyric you could draw on that experience to help sing this song as it is an edited moment a memory of an event we all will have to face some time, that terrible grief of loss. that silent still emptiness and that cold emanating from the shrouded those whispered moments... and everything that follows it flows on to that sad funeral moment then you will have this blues and that letter symbolic whichever way it may come posted it'll shine a light on son house's most excellent act.

What a song what driving riff.Simply superb.

Very educational...! I've seen a lot of instruction videos, and many of them kind a shoots over my head and my skills... which makes them hard to take in. This video really shows the moves and licks. Very god...!!!

Thank you for this lesson man

Wow! Really lovin what you do, Tom. Haven't yet taken the deep Blues dive... and your stuff pulls me to the deep end.

Great lesson! That angle of the slide can help actually keep things IN tune because naturally (according to physics) M3 intervals are 14cents flat so having that angle can flatten your b string by around 14cents making it sound closer to being tuned according to the harmonic series.

Is always wonderful to see you work here on RU-vid, Tom. Thanks Tom.

Thank you Tom for posting this blues guitar tutorial. Just stated playing again due to the Corvid 19 lock down. Your teaching style is professional and easy to follow.

I've watched a lot of guitar lessons on YT, but damn it, I think this guy is the BEST!

I just came across this great lesson . Thanks for breaking this down it was very helpful.

FANTASTIC TEACHER

Love that hook and beat.

I’ve been playing guitar since I was 16. Rock, metal, funk, I’ve toured it all. Tom’s lessons on Robert Johnson took my playing to the next level. Came to check out the Son House lesson and looks like I’ll be getting that as well! Keep up the great work, Tom and thanks for being such a great instructor!

Tom is great...got a few his video teachings...generous teacher...great guitarist...Thanks Tom.

Great lesson. Thanks for the download.

Great Lesson!!! The best i seen on YT

I actually liked the weird wobbly sound of the side at an angle, it give it that classic, spooky, distressed sound, but you're right it depends on where you use it, great video.

LOVE YOU!!!!! LOVE!!! LOVE!!! BLUES! Val

Easy and perfect way to blues world.

I just love the sounds you are making. I am new to guitar, I have an electric guitar and will start taking lessons in another week or two when I settle down. I thought I would have to buy one of those metal guitars but the sounds you are getting are fantastic.

Time to play is shorter than any would choose, so choice of real, competent instruction is critical.I. play Scruggs five string the majority of my time. Internet is a three blade sword. So much trial and random stations to travel. I play 12 and 6 when I want a change of heart. I have gone through Tom's Mississippi John Hurt's "Gospel Guitar" and found the intermediate level teaching challenging and worthy of the folks Tom F. is interpreting. Would've like to have had this resource many years ago. I look forward to his lessons of other greats of Blues offered through Stefan Grossman's well respected catalog.

Was für ein geniales Video. Danach habe ich lange gesucht. Danke dir !!!

Hey man that was a great lesson! Ty

Damn! This just blew my mind..

What a lesson. Thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you very much I'd love to take a lesson from you.

Tom, even if I never play this great song , I’ve learned a lot I can incorporate in my playing. Thank you for such a meticulous lesson.

This Cary the Okie Cowboy. You rock Tom!! You taught me how to play a great version of this song on my Silver B fanatic National Duolian. Rolling and Tumbling is good to. You play that one with a bit of Cross Roads sounding stuff.

Wonderful lesson 👍👏🇺🇸❤️

Tom, always a great lesson on one of the greats...!!

- Most wonderful!

Great tutorial, thanks!

Totally agree with you Hollerboy and Scott Long, great lesson. Note to self: check out the other Tom Feldman lessons.

Tom makes a hell of an impression... I have bought the lessons on Robert Johnson...and this guy is VERY GOOD. The fact he can sort it all out and deliver a kind of way for us to wade through the transcripts [ cause the Hal/ Leonard scripts are just too technical ( and I'm an intermediate player ) ] is pretty impressive.

One of the best explanations of Son Houses style I have ever seen.

Man you are an amazing teacher I play slide too but I learned more in 20 minutes than I have in years! Excellent.

Thanks so much for this!

thank you Tom

Top lesson man. Top lesson. Thank you

Excellently done!!

This helped me so much!

Great lesson Tom, thanks heaps

great lesson.thank you .

Thanks Tom , great lesson , fun to lear with you .

Thank you for posting this lesson Tom. As far as the folks below talkin bout art & transcension & the right/wrong angle of your slide, geez guys chill... Of course blues is not science! (thank god) & nobody in the world duplicates Son House version of death letter. As far as this song’s basic technique & patterns -take it wherever you want it- and thanks to Tom for a free tut :)))).

I love this stuff! Lots of great ideas here. I'm not a slide guy, nor do I use fingerpicks, but I try to incorporate these ideas with heavy vibrato, playing hard, dissonance and creating dynamics. I like how you really snap the strings on some of those notes, makes it nasty! I also like the vibrato you use, awesome.

Nicely taught!

EXCELLENT!

The great Son Jouse. Great lesson but i wish the camera was set up to show you hitting the strings as well as the next to see each string being hit.. Thank you

great lesson!

Using the slide on the ring finger (as Son House did in the video) creates a minor sound on the slide, which is very much part of his sound, IMHO.

The theory is good but the feeling it's the most important, don't forget it

Simply unbelievable... my good he’s got the blues by the neck like a han about to become dinner.

I have to hit the high E Fifth fret with my finger and not use the slide... just cant get it to sound good unless I give it a snap using my fingers. I guess my slide technique sucks but it works for me. Great lesson as always Mr. Feldmann

Great lesson

Love, Son House but Mr. Feldman has crazy skills to teach. Need some lessons.

Great man. I have watched his video of him playing many times and his fingers must be leather because he looks like he is just pounding and slapping those strings with no thumb/finger picks. I know him The Great Robert Johnson and Willie Brown all played together a lot. I wonder how much Robert Johnson taught him and Willie Brown how to play once Robert Johnson disappeared for 9 months and then came back from Arkansas to teach them to play. Great job man, thanx for the lesson.

My man,Eddie House😎💜

dude , I like this . I am an old timer . with little knowledge . of guitar , but you make it feel possible to do , I may eat my words . but hey , I will try.......

How can people leave a thumbs down ? It's explained very well for newbies .....great job 👍👍

This is terrific, very true to the recording, thanks so much for sharing this.

really helpful

Nice work..

Nice! Makes me wanna shout: "Carrrroooliiiine... I think you broke mah legs!" 😃😊

Death letter blues 🤘🍻

👍

Great job! I want to know, how do you get such a great slide sound out of a regular acoustic?

MASTERS Masters Classe au précurseur du B.L.U.E.S.

He ATTACKS that guitar...

You can draw a line from Robert Johnson up thru Muddy Waters and you'll go by Peter Green , Buddy Guy , Eric Clapton , Duane Allman..the blues have a long lineage..

Is it true that Al (Blind Owl) Wilson re-taught Son House how to play....on his rediscovery?

looks like son house is just hitting the strings

Great lesson Tom. Any way you can come up with a little solo, I don't know, maybe around the 2 minute mark? I just think one would add so much to this incredible song, give the listener and player a break from the body of the song. Claptons a pro at doing that to those old songs.

Hi. Does anyone know what kind of fingerpicks are being used in this lesson? I would like to try some. I've never seen picks which can strike from the pad side of the finger as opposed to the nail side. I don't even know how to search for that.

Can anybody make out what kind of resonator guitar Son is using here? Dobro, Regal...

I'm watching this and i don't even own a guitar

Anyone know what guitar Tom is using ?

So, open G? Thank you so much. Awesome tutorial. Own a Gretch Honey Dipper. I’ve been playing open G w/slide for years and haven’t been able to nail this one. Great tutorial my friend.

I feel like I have just been shown the secrets of the universe.

super cool now I feel much as me way?

Check out White Stripes cover.

Is he playing in open tuning?

The link doesn't work, where I can order the DVD?

You should seem them on after a few Ambiens. Twisted devil hands.