I’ve been watching some Tony Rice videos. It’s amazing how fast he can pick while barely moving. Are there any other flat figures out there that are more efficient than him?
My son is an accomplished guitarist. He started out studying classical guitar and won his first competition he entered as a 15 year old competing against college students. I love blue grass and other American root music. He called my music the illiterate inbred music of Southern Appalachia. As he nears 40; he has come to his senses and has developed a love of flatpicking and bluegrass. Practices Tony Rice, Dan Tyminski, Norman Blake, Doc Watson and such. He was sub for our pastor for next 2 Sunday and had the the music also. He did some nice hymns bluegrass style on his Martin D-28. I’m proud of him and his talents. I also love Sacred Harp singing and acapella bluegrass gospel. Recently watched various YouTube versions of Wonderous Love. Great stuff. Wish I had musical talent, although I have visual art degrees.
My son is an accomplished guitarist. He started out studying classical guitar and won his first competition he entered as a 15 year old competing against college students. I love blue grass and other American root music. He called my music the illiterate inbred music of Southern Appalachia. As he nears 40; he has come to his senses and has developed a love of flatpicking and bluegrass. Practices Tony Rice, Dan Tyminski, Norman Blake, Doc Watson and such. He was sub for our pastor for next 2 Sunday and had the the music also. He did some nice hymns bluegrass style on his Martin D-28. I’m proud of him and his talents. I also love Sacred Harp singing and acapella bluegrass gospel. Recently watched various YouTube versions of Wonderous Love. Great stuff. Wish I had musical talent, although I have visual art degrees.
I'm reminded of this dialog in Crossroads
You came to us as a classical student. The word "prodigy" was actually used on occasion. And you have proven to be one of the finest guitarists in the school...Mr. Martone, a word of advice: Don't serve two masters. The discipline of the classical is very exacting. And if you persist in the other, you will squander your talent.
What if the other is my talent?
Excellence in primitive music is cultural. You have to be born to it. Now, you were allowed to leave secondary school early to pursue classical studies. I suggest you reexamine your priorities.
Theres Tony Rice, and then theres every other guitar "player". TR was, and always will be, the bluegrass guitarist that all other guitar owners aspire to be. His sense of timing and tone, the perfect note at the perfect time, and the ability to create on the fly may never be matched. As was said above, the economy of motion in his hands, particularly his right hand, is amazing, considering the sounds he brought out of that old Martin (or a Santa Cruz, or any other guitar for that matter). Listen closely to his rhythm work, not just his lead playing. Absolutely amazing.
BUT...Tony Rice was heavily influenced by the original bluegrass flatpicking master, Clarence White. If you don't know who Clarence White is (was), you definitely need to look him up.
Doc Watson was the master of melodic picking, never left any doubt as to the song that was being played, and is probably number 2 as far as influential flatpickers.
Then, there's all the rest. Billy Strings, Brian Sutton, Molly Tuttle, David Grier, and many many others. All exceptional musicians and guitar pickers, but pretty sure if they were to be asked, Tony Rice would be the main influence on most, if not all of them.
Theres Tony Rice, and then theres every other guitar "player". TR was, and always will be, the bluegrass guitarist that all other guitar owners aspire to be. His sense of timing and tone, the perfect note at the perfect time, and the ability to create on the fly may never be matched. As was said above, the economy of motion in his hands, particularly his right hand, is amazing, considering the sounds he brought out of that old Martin (or a Santa Cruz, or any other guitar for that matter). Listen closely to his rhythm work, not just his lead playing. Absolutely amazing.
BUT...Tony Rice was heavily influenced by the original bluegrass flatpicking master, Clarence White. If you don't know who Clarence White is (was), you definitely need to look him up.
Doc Watson was the master of melodic picking, never left any doubt as to the song that was being played, and is probably number 2 as far as influential flatpickers.
Then, there's all the rest. Billy Strings, Brian Sutton, Molly Tuttle, David Grier, and many many others. All exceptional musicians and guitar pickers, but pretty sure if they were to be asked, Tony Rice would be the main influence on most, if not all of them.
I don’t know these guys well but wondered if this might be the case. I’ve seen a lot of guitar players but I’ve never seen anyone play with this level of skill with such apparent ease. What really blew me away was how crisp the playing was. Each note is clear and even. It shows that he isn’t struggling in the least.
The song I was listening to was a live version of Freeborn Man where Bela Fleck is playing banjo.
carrolco I’d say that the background that your son has in classical makes him an excellent Bluegrass player as long as he can step outside the form and free flow with his playing. To have the knowledge of music that he has but taking that into bluegrass reminds me of people like Bela Fleck and Chris Thile.
Tony Rice will be hard to replace. There are many excellent flat pickers performing now and many of them have been mentioned. One of my favorite is Josh Williams who played beside Rice for several years. Josh plays a lot like Tony.