If you're serious about becoming top notch

Problem with this forum is that posts tend to be biased towards hard rock and metal. As a genre, progressive bluegrass is deserving of far more attention from aspiring guitarists if they're serious about getting ahead. There are many top flight flatpickers who can seriously burn up the fretboard, using just acoustic guitars and no effects of any kind. Unlike rock they cant get away with sloppiness and 'short cut' techniques. If anyone's serious about becoming a top notch player I recommend CDs and instructive videos from players such as

Tony Rice, Steve Kaufman, David Grier, Dan Crary, Beppe Gambetta, Russ Barenberg, Brian Sutton, Scott Nygaard, Wyatt Rice, Jon Sholle and Dobro king Jerry Douglas.

In case you think they just play hayseed country music, they dont. They may use bluegrass as a root but they also mix in other styles like jazz, blues, folk, classical, rock.

I just reckon truly talented players like these deserve wider recognition.

You're right, Fruitbat. Gotta check those guitarists.

i always said that expanding you horizons beyond "rock guitar" will help you greatly to develop your skills. i personally learned way more off classical pieces on my classical than from all those shredders on electric.
and anotherone to add to that list would be Tuck Andress

Its true... Great guitarists of different genres come, and aren't recognized because their sound isn't modern.

I haven't done much of the bluegrass, but learned a lot from classical and jazz. I'll check it out.

I learned a lot from Classical, but bluesgrass gutiarist always impressed me.

Yeah..bluegrass guitar is pretty intense. I could never get the hang of it becuase 1) I'm not much of a steel str. acoustic player (I'll stick w/the nylon), 2) all that open string stuff throws me for a loop.

If your really into the whole blue-grass scene maybe you've heard of a friend of mine..Mark Cosgrove. He was a Wyncote winner back in 94 or 95. He's played with Doc Watson and Bela Fleck, and tours Europe quite frequently. He has done some cds', as well as some instructional cd roms and books.

I think it's times like this we must take into consideration every genre and what it is that makes that genre work and what's talented among it. Understanding the key factors of what makes it work is learning the important things of each style. Thus proving that every genre has something we can all learn from. As much as this saddens me that even means we can learn from country. Oh well, **** happens.

The guitarist for Marilyn Manson is actually a bluegrass guitarist in his spare time, and I think he does a better job of it. You can listen to him playing some bluegrass at John5.com

Originally posted by Cryptic Excretions
... As much as this saddens me that even means we can learn from country. Oh well, **** happens.

Country music has always had some of the fiercest pickers alive! Look up Jerry Reed (yeah, the same Jerry Reed who co-starred in the Smokey & The Bandit movies with Burt Reynolds) who was doing stuff 30 years ago that'll still make your head spin. For that matter, the immensely talented lead guitarist in my last band left us in '71 to take up country music 'cause copping Hendrix licks wasn't enough of a challenge for him!

Originally posted by Lordathestrings

Originally posted by Cryptic Excretions
... As much as this saddens me that even means we can learn from country. Oh well, **** happens.

Country music has always had some of the fiercest pickers alive! Look up Jerry Reed (yeah, the same Jerry Reed who co-starred in the Smokey & The Bandit movies with Burt Reynolds) who was doing stuff 30 years ago that'll still make your head spin. For that matter, the immensely talented lead guitarist in my last band left us in '71 to take up country music 'cause copping Hendrix licks wasn't enough of a challenge for him!

RCA have got a fine Jerry Reed comp in their Country Greats series, or something like that.Also his duet albums with Chet Atkins show seriously hot fingerstyle playing -Me and Chet, Me and Jerry. You can get then both on one CD now , pretty cheap.

Of course the grandaddy of them all is Clarence White who was in the Kentucky Colonels and the Byrds. Unfortunately not much of his stuff has been re-released on CD. For those unfamiliar with those names I listed on my original post,for a good place to start I'd recommend the following as they're pretty easy to find.

Tony Rice - 58957: The Bluegrass Guitar collection - released in 2003. All instrumental. Also 'Backwaters' which is his jazz-bluegrass fusion.

Dan Crary - 'Guitar' and 'Lady's Fancy'.

Russ Barenberg (with Jerry Douglas) Skip Hop and Wobble

Wyatt Rice -'New Market Gap' .Tony's younger brother.

David Grier - 'Freewheeling'. 'Ive got the house to myself'.

These guys can not only play fast but also real clean.

Zak Wylde from Ozzy studied country guitar and implements a lot of country techniques into his playing.

Django Reinhart,nuff said.

Originally posted by THE_HACK_PACK
Django Reinhart,nuff said.

Er..the point of this post was to bring attention to less known players with roots in bluegrass. Django just happens to be a famous jazz virtuoso who's widely admired and has a huge cult following.

umm,,,,no the point being since the post was waxing poetically about open string riffs,then Django,was all anyone needed to transcribe from,open string jazz runs work just as well in a bluegrass format,if you know how to tweak the material.