Secrets for Successful Flatpicking is the title of a new instructional DVD on Homespun Video with current, and five time IBMA Guitar Player of The Year, Bryan Sutton.

The DVD covers both lead and rhythm guitar playing and is described  a “tricks of the trade” presentation to help improve flatpicking speed, power, timing and musicianship

From the Homespun site:

Bryan addresses many of the problems that he sees in aspiring pickers, and passes along tips on how to keep your picking hand and arm tension-free and your fretting hand supple and quick. He provides drills and exercises, teaching an arsenal of licks, bends, double stops, slides and other devices that will help you build powerful and memorable solos.

Tunes covered include Daley’s Reel, Texas Gales, Wild Bill Jones and Beaumont Rag.

A complete description and online video samples can be found on the Homespun site.

Gibson has made a brief video lesson from Sonny Osborne available on their web site. It is taken from his Homespun DVD, The Bluegrass Banjo of Sonny Osborne, and has him demonstrating his solo for Sunny Side Of The Mountain.

The video clip runs about a minute and a half, and a tab for the song is presented on the Gibson site along with the video.

Mandolin Cafe has published a press release from Gibson that promises more online lessons from Gibson artists, but it isn’t clear whether there will be any new content, or simply video and tab samples from commercially available DVD releases.

Pete Wernick describes his latest instructional DVD from Homespun Tapes, Bluegrass Slow Jam for the Total Beginner, as “A Super-Easy, No-Fail Play-Along Session.” Designed for relative beginners on any bluegrass instrument, this DVD allows a new player to pick along on 17 popular bluegrass standards at a comfortable speed – a crucial step in building the confidence you need to join in at jams. All the tunes on the DVD require just four chords (G, C, D and A) and the tunes are played by Pete, along with a band made up of bluegrass professionals.

Visit Pete’s web site for more details.