Old-Time Guitar Style - who are your favourite players?

[hovishead]

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

I think I get it. I have been a major Norman Blake fan for many years. But he has done allot of different things from the down-home old-time country to guitar virtuoso type things. I like the stark production and the sound of the acoustic instruments. Like you I have been on a constant search for the basic acoustic music and from my experience it's very hard to find. Allot of it is slicked up and doesn't have much character. High quality recordings of old-time music not slick acoustic virtuoso shred fests.

This is pretty much the prime reason I'm drawn to old timey music and prefer it to bluegrass.

I've always been a great believer in less = more and with bluegrass I find the emphasis on virtuoso playing sometimes a bit of a turn off - not because I don't admire the skills of the players but because I often find it too busy and lacking in space. And I agree with your use of the word slick for a lot of it.

I generally prefer sparse arrangements of music where each instrument has a chance to breath and where the tone of each instrument is clear without too much overlap. I think that's why with old time music I prefer smaller groups and have a preference for the guitar or banjo to provide the sole accompaniment for the melody rather than having a double bass and guitar share bass note duties.

[KalamazooGuy]

No one mentioned me yet [emoji848]🤣

[RTR]

Originally Posted by Bluenose

Norman Blake who, if I'm not mistaken, is being inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame.

Norman was inducted yesterday into the IBMA Hall of Fame; the Country one is not apt to happen, though it should of course. Even Bluegrass phenom Keith Whitley just made into the Country Hall and he had a stellar career there as well. But the Bluegrass honour for Norman is richly deserved.

[RTR]

Originally Posted by bkepler

So, I might be reading the question wrong, but it seemed like you were asking about Old-Time music with the capital O and capital T as opposed to what a lot of responses seemed to capture - music in an “olde timey” style. I love a lot of the artists listed but here in the mid-Atlantic area of the USA, an Old Time jam is pretty specific to fiddle/clawhammer banjo tunes that are accompanied by other instruments (usually guitar). Singing tends to be the exception, although in a band performance setting it tends to come up more often than in a jam. That being said, my two favorites within that style are Beth Hartness (accompanies Adam Hurt) and Reeb Willms (Foghorn Stringband). They both have such understated styles that are solid and harmonically rich.

https://youtu.be/N52oZyhOWSg

https://youtu.be/-UeJ7ZfGFgA

Absolutely, Reeb is a solid picker and a wonderful singer, actually anything that band does is great. She also has one of the sweetest sounding Martins I have heard, a 1944 000-18.

[SpruceTop]

Maybelle Carter, Jimmy Rogers, Doc Watson, Norman Blake, Clarence White, George Shuffler, Lester Flatt, Bob Dylan, and any of the more modern greats, Tony Rice, Molly Tuttle, Billy Strings, and more!

[Mr. Jelly]

I have a Stephen Stills CD of just him and a guitar doing a demo tape of the C, S & N songs. That may interest you. My favorite is an all-acoustic Michael Bloomfield CD put out by Guitar Player magazine many years ago called something like "Play Them as You Please" or "Play the Blues as You Please". That will be hard to find. Then you can try R Crumb CDs and compilations.

[columbia]

Originally Posted by hovishead

This is pretty much the prime reason I'm drawn to old timey music and prefer it to bluegrass.

I've always been a great believer in less = more and with bluegrass I find the emphasis on virtuoso playing sometimes a bit of a turn off - not because I don't admire the skills of the players but because I often find it too busy and lacking in space. And I agree with your use of the word slick for a lot of it.

I generally prefer sparse arrangements of music where each instrument has a chance to breath and where the tone of each instrument is clear without too much overlap. I think that's why with old time music I prefer smaller groups and have a preference for the guitar or banjo to provide the sole accompaniment for the melody rather than having a double bass and guitar share bass note duties.

I share a lot of your preferences. In addition to many already listed, you might want to check out the late James Alan Shelton (guitarist for Ralph Stanley). He was all about taste and restraint.

[Bluenose]

Originally Posted by RTR

Norman was inducted yesterday into the IBMA Hall of Fame; the Country one is not apt to happen, though it should of course. Even Bluegrass phenom Keith Whitley just made into the Country Hall and he had a stellar career there as well. But the Bluegrass honour for Norman is richly deserved.

Ah that's what the one I meant to say and that one is more important to me anyway.

[EZYPIKINS]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Tommy Emmanuel playing "Deep River Blues" with Jason Isbell sounds like great old-time country music to me.

- Glenn

Gotta say I long been a fan of Tommy. I have heard him play drums before. At which he's very good, by the way. First time I ever heard him sing.

I like it.

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by columbia

I share a lot of your preferences. In addition to many already listed, you might want to check out the late James Alan Shelton (guitarist for Ralph Stanley). He was all about taste and restraint.

That was lovely!

Am I hearing D, D, U on that cross picking? Rather than D, U, D that seems to be the contemporary style? I'm listening on my phone, so it's difficult to tell but the gentle flow sounds D, D, U.

I could be completely wrong!

[columbia]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

That was lovely!

Am I hearing D, D, U on that cross picking? Rather than D, U, D that seems to be the contemporary style? I'm listening on my phone, so it's difficult to tell but the gentle flow sounds D, D, U.

I could be completely wrong!

Probably so. Shelton was a protege of George Shuffler who did DDU.

[RTR]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

That was lovely!

Am I hearing D, D, U on that cross picking? Rather than D, U, D that seems to be the contemporary style? I'm listening on my phone, so it's difficult to tell but the gentle flow sounds D, D, U.

I could be completely wrong!

George Shuffler generally acknowledged as the originator of cross picking, gave the nod to James Alan as the player who most adapted his style. There is a You-tube video of them playing together; I think they also recorded together. That video explains the technique, lovely but complicated, and James Alan did it superbly.

[LyleGorch]

Eddie Lang

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by columbia

Probably so. Shelton was a protege of George Shuffler who did DDU.

Originally Posted by RTR

George Shuffler generally acknowledged as the originator of cross picking, gave the nod to James Alan as the player who most adapted his style. Their is a You-tube video of them playing together; I think they also recorded together. That video explains the technique, lovely but complicated, and James Alan did it superbly.

Thank you so much! I found that video where George explains the style. I have to say that I find that DDU really quite natural - I think that with some practice I could get that quite smooth. I wonder if it's because of all the rolls I used to do on dobro - albeit with thumb and fingerpicks. DUD just doesn't flow quite so well for me. Interesting that George mentioned that coming out of the roll was the hard part - I can certainly get lost on when to do that and where to go next!!!!!

[GKing34]

Originally Posted by hovishead

This is pretty much the prime reason I'm drawn to old timey music and prefer it to bluegrass.

I've always been a great believer in less = more and with bluegrass I find the emphasis on virtuoso playing sometimes a bit of a turn off - not because I don't admire the skills of the players but because I often find it too busy and lacking in space. And I agree with your use of the word slick for a lot of it.

I generally prefer sparse arrangements of music where each instrument has a chance to breath and where the tone of each instrument is clear without too much overlap. I think that's why with old time music I prefer smaller groups and have a preference for the guitar or banjo to provide the sole accompaniment for the melody rather than having a double bass and guitar share bass note duties.

While I enjoy all different types of pickin', I really do appreciate when players focus more on tasteful leads and avoid over the top. Mandolin Orange (now called Watchhouse) is a good example of this. Having been to their show, I know they are capable to playing fast, challenging leads, yet they basically play one jamming song and keep to their tasteful style for the rest of the show.