Henry Slingerland was the original owner of the famous Slingerland Drum Company. Founded in 1912, it began with the production of ukuleles, banjos, guitars, and electric guitars, but in 1927 began producing snare drums, and in 1928 entire drum kits. These would later become famous, as they were used by two of the greatest names in the history of drumming -- Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. While Slingerland focused mainly on the production of instruments, he also had the good fortune to win a music correspondence school in a card game. Offered here is a collection of the first 24 guitar lessons issued by said school, along with materials for instruction on tuning instruments to a piano, and general technique for playing guitar, ukulele, and banjo. Laid in is a small pamphlet entitled Ukulele Self-teaching Method by May Singhi Breen. Each guitar lesson includes a letter describing the material, along with a page of music (tab), sections of which are referenced in the letter. These materials were often mailed to students in a large case, which some would discard upon receipt. The previous owner of this collection chose to store it in a plain paper folder, and affixed the general instructive sheets to each interior side, while leaving the lessons themselves loose, though the letters are stapled to the corresponding music sheets. An unusual piece of ephemera, with great appeal for collectors of American musical or percussion instruments and memorabilia, especially those interested in Slingerland specifically.
