Under the Radar Flatpicking Instrumentals

[warfrat73]

I've been working on "Manzanita" for a while now and playing "Jerusalem Ridge" for years.

I'm also familiar with most of the standards... Big Mon, Billy in the Lowground, Red Haired Boy, Salt Creek, The Gold Rush... most of the stuff that's in the educational literature.

What are some of the other ones, newer or more obscure that I should check out, and maybe learn. Particularly, though not exclusively, interested in modal compositions. Bonus points for links to tab.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by warfrat73

I've been working on "Manzanita" for a while now and playing "Jerusalem Ridge" for years.

I'm also familiar with most of the standards... Big Mon, Billy in the Lowground, Red Haired Boy, Salt Creek, The Gold Rush... most of the stuff that's in the educational literature.

What are some of the other ones, newer or more obscure that I should check out, and maybe learn. Particularly, though not exclusively, interested in modal compositions. Bonus points for links to tab.

There's just SO much stuff out there.

You might find Jonathan Reischman's "Salt Spring" a nice tune to do if you're unfamiliar. There's a entire cult of folks doing this tune at BG jams, and it's destined to be a classic. Jonathan did a recent podcast with Jason Verlinde at Fretboard Journal and related that one of his friends called him after attending a Bluegrass festival and noted that when he walked through the camp area that EVERY group was playing Salt Spring as he walked through the camping area.



There's a nice backing track available on Youtube if you want:



Lots of fiddlers, mando family players and/or guitarists for inspiration like Chance McCoy, Rayna Gellert, Sarah Jarosz, and Molly Tuttle.



Another obscure but great tune was penned a few miles down the road from me, "Red Prairie Dawn" by the talented but short-lived Gerry Harrison.



Another Fiddler who writes great new compositions is Jim Childress. Here's one of his tunes "Road To Malverne", a very popular jam session tune:



If you're interested in learning a ton about obscure or progressive oldtime players be sure o check out Cameron DeWitt's "Get Up In The Cool" podcasts.

[Ten]

Sorry but I have to post to find this later. Thanks for those links and post.

[warfrat73]

Thank's Rudy... yeah, there is a lot of stuff out there, part of the reason I was looking for recommendations to narrow it down.

"Salt Spring" is nice enough, but honestly raised my blood pressure a bit... they just keeping on flirting with resolving that chord but don't really do it... seems like more questions than answers... I found it musically a bit frustrating (I might have to listen again). And then, just when I was pretty confident I had figured out that the guitar player was playing a D-18, I got a closer look at the headstock, and it seemed to have no overly... what is that thing? Custom shop? D-16?

I've heard a bunch of newer stuff, but not that much of it has really grabbed me.

Also, making a mental note that I need to start going to festivals again... it's been probably 20 years.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by warfrat73

Thank's Rudy... yeah, there is a lot of stuff out there, part of the reason I was looking for recommendations to narrow it down.

"Salt Spring" is nice enough, but honestly raised my blood pressure a bit... they just keeping on flirting with resolving that chord but don't really do it... seems like more questions than answers... I found it musically a bit frustrating (I might have to listen again). And then, just when I was pretty confident I had figured out that the guitar player was playing a D-18, I got a closer look at the headstock, and it seemed to have no overly... what is that thing? Custom shop? D-16?

I've heard a bunch of newer stuff, but not that much of it has really grabbed me.

Also, making a mental note that I need to start going to festivals again... it's been probably 20 years.

I don't know my Martins well enough to say what he's playing. I believe Patrick Sauber is discussing that same guitar (?) 25 minutes into this video:



"Unresolved" and modal tunes are my preference, since I also play old time banjo. I have a couple buddies I play with and like to play some of the trad pieces with them.

[warfrat73]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

"Unresolved" and modal tunes are my preference, since I also play old time banjo. I have a couple buddies I play with and like to play some of the trad pieces with them.

I like modal too, but something about that piece made me feel like it was building to something that it never delivered.

I guess it just says something about "Jerusalem Ridge" and "Manzanita," both of those pieces just grabbed me the first time I heard them and hasn't yet let go.

[Bushleague]

I dont know how traditional you want it, but I've always conciderd this to be a nice bit of flatpicking.

https://youtu.be/6lVtx2PTIE0