From Doc Watson to Carl Miner: The Power of Bluegrass Crosspicking
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
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Carl Miner's amazing crosspicking technique bears the imprint of bluegrass guitar legend Doc Watson in its unique pickstroke curvature. Watch both our interviews with Carl Miner interview here! troygrady.com/...
Carl is special not for speed, but for beauty of tone and control over dynamics. Every note is perfect.
food
This film is pure genius. Never seen such perspicacious, insightful analysis of bluegrass technique anywhere. And articulated so eloquently. I am completely gobsmacked, as we say in England.
Ruddy jolly good!
Your relentless work on the topic of picking is amazing. Thank you!
The best I've seen on this subject. Outstanding job, Troy!
Thanks Ben! Your stuff is great and we're fans.
Troy you deserve a meritorious doctorate degree in music. You have really dove into the deep end and opened our eyes. Thank you
What a great film! You see films like this breaking down an athlete's moves - a quarterback, a boxer, a jockey - but here its done for OUR sport - Flatpickin!!! Wonderful job on this!
Exactly
Honestly, this is hands down the best video you've ever done. Not only is the crosspicking technique described super powerful, but through experimentation with my hand position, my downward and upward pickslanting technique has improved as well. Jumping back and forth between scalar sweeping and cross picked arpeggios is a lot of fun.
Utterly captivating. Great work you doing here Troy.
Thanks!
This is such great material. I'm watching it for the 5th time and finally feel like I'm getting it. I watched a few times a couple months ago and practiced it as a brand new concept, and now coming back to it I'm really seeing it. This is the best video on guitar technique I've ever seen on RUclips. There is so much here. Thank you for putting in the work to educate the curious!
Your enthusiasm is perfect. Why hadn't anybody done this before?
You did something I've never seen done and analysed "cross picking" using technology and a little observation. I don't even think about it when I practice, but I work with the knowledge that my hands will do anything after years of effort. So even if a pattern takes years, I don't stop trying, in fact we're able to go for the "impossible" because it's only temporarily (often years, but maybe weeks) impossible.
Terrific vid!
Fantastic production quality, editing, commentary and knowledge. It flowed extremely well. Great interview. Dude you have some SERIOUS talent for video crafting!
This is the way it's done.No muss no fuss, no thinking about picking patterns,Just let the music play.Unfortunately for most of us it takes a lot of overcoming old habits however the good news is ,
it can be done.Thanks for this tutorial Troy(and Carl) it helped me KNOW it was possible and now ,I can do it.
It's a few years later now since we filmed this, and I can actually do some of these techniques reasonably well now. And what I can tell you is, there is still thinking about picking patterns. You have a picking motion which can, in theory, do "any" string change. However, in practice it does not. You actually have to work out all those string changes, all the common variants of them you are likely to encounter, in order to actually make them work. So they are to some extent "memorized". The artistry, as always, is in how you combine these memorized units in a way that doesn't sound like it.
This is actually some fantastic editing - you managed to maintain the level of captivating entertainment throughout. Many more subs are deserved here. Thank you for taking the time to create this.
Great job boss, a hearty thank you for sharing your endless hours of work with the community! You're a legend!
Thanks Danny!
FYI Troy one of the first guys to really bring what bluegrassers call crosspicking into prominence was George Shuffler, who played with the Stanley Brothers. He invented the technique to imitate the banjo. He did it Down-Down-Up. His classic example is on the song "Will You Miss Me"
This is really awesome...thanks for putting this together. Priceless. LOVE the clips of the greatest cross-picker of all.......Doc Watson!
Hi Troy, I bought the "Masters in Mechanics: The Carl Miner Bundle" off your site, and let me tell you, it's simply awesome.
The quality and content is superb. Your questions are a goldmine. I don't know how much in depth analysis you would have done for the interview questions, but it's simply amazing. There are questions you've asked about general music business and how it works, and some really fine grained questions about how Carl Miner plays. Best purchase I've made this year.
It was this RUclips video that made me realize a major issue in my guitar playing. I was using a haphazard method of sweep and alternate picking, but this cross picking technique has solved a lot of issues.
The fact is...this type of pickin can actually be done if you work at it! Thank you Doc!
That move around 29 or 30 seconds in to this video is absolutely sublime. Mesmerizing. Sir, I am in awe of your genius.
These videos change my playing ability literally overnight. I have some lick I'm struggling with, I check some video, try that technique... and realize now I can play something way cleaner or groovier than before.
Troy you are the greatest.
Excellent vid, all of your recent uploads have been a treat.
As an older guy, I find much of interest. In mid 70's I ' discovered ' Doc Watson ( living here in NC ). Just beginning to play guitar I was obviously blown away by what was seen and heard via Doc's Guitar. Didn't take long to get confused, veteran players were advising me Doc was 'old hat' and the ' real player' was Tony Rice, hands down. My ears didn't hear that but, I was in the minority. I also, from time to time, ran into Jack Lawrence here in the Charlotte area. Who would believe ? He and I saw the movie ' Banjo Man' and how could I have guessed the guy I was sitting next to would one day play w/ the man , Doc, we were watching in the movie. ?? Unbelievably, there are a LOT of flatpickers know nothing of Doc and Jack. So happy to see this come around, now we know, the guy ' resting his pinky on the board ' ( You folks that taught it as a major ' sin ', you know who you are , even if you won't own it in public ) was right then and, still the man to emulate. I"ve never heard another picker, even Carl or Bryan et. al., that has the combination of deadly accurate and musically pleasing phrasing WITH, a BACKUP style i don't find in any of the other heavy hitters. RIP, Doc. Deep Gap is beautiful this time of year ....
treecounting Thats is pretty sad-calling Doc old hat-especially ppl from NC. Obviously Tony Rice is amazing and what he does is incredible but when it comes to soul, character and the timelessness of the songs he can’t touch Doc Watson. That’s why all the greatest guitar players credit Doc as an influence. In my opinion Tony Rice is almost too technical that after a bit I get bored of it.
@ TreecountingI'm an old dude, too - 57 now - and can second your comments on the genius of Doc (and Merle) Watson. As much as I love the music of Tony Rice, Norman and Nancy Blake and all of the other fine artists in traditional and modern country, folk and bluegrass music - none of them quite gets to me like Doc does. His enormous talents as a vocalist, storyteller, and humorist complimented his genius as an instrumental musician, composer, and arranger. Doc also had darned near-perfect time and pitch - the equal of anyone out there, regardless of field or genre of music. He could play just about any style of music, too. I guess I never heard him attempt classical, but I bet with some work, he'd have been able to do that, too. The second time I saw him live at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, he played a selection of standards from jazz during his show, and absolutely floored everyone - even the hardcore jazz cats - with how well and tastefully he did it. I sure wish we could have held on to him just a while longer - but I am so grateful for his recordings, which will live on as long as people enjoy great music.
I discovered Doc Watson in the early 70's, Doc Watson was the best to ever pick up a guitar 🎸 he was the Master, I know there are alot good flatpickers out there and I love their picking, I appreciate anyone who plays Bluegrass, carrying on the tradition of this style of music, Doc Watson is the best guitar picker that I've seen in a long time, he is truly missed by all of us who loved his gift of music that he shared with us ❤
Amazing. As a Bluegrass player myself, I tend to favor a downward pick slant, especially for rest strokes on the higher strings. But this vid definitely got me thinking about analyzing my picking just a bit more. Carl is indeed a great player. I've followed him off and on over the years and wondered what he's been doing in his spare time. Session work makes sense for a guy as talented as him, especially if you would rather stick closer to home than tour across the country.
THE BEST stringed instrument video footage and explanation I have ever seen. Now … I’m with another commenter as he said … “I should just give up guitar and feed birds in the park”. Lol
Troy, you deserve to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in physics!
For real!
This is brilliant. Both the playing (obviously) and your analysis of it. I'm just venturing in to cross-picking and didn't want to learn in way that would restrict me in future or I'd have to unlearn. Thanks for your great work!
Incredibly well produced and researched! Really informative AND entertaining.
Man, this guy plays some beautiful stuff. It also seems clear that things like sweep picking sacrifice the sort of tone that can be had from crosspicking. At the end of the day, a rest stroke just sounds different than a free one.
Yes man and a slanted sounds different from a straight one. I believe its all about the genre and tone.
This is like the journey that ends with the return to the beginning. Science meets art Troy Grady - your vids are so packed, informative and well constructed. Peerless.
+Amazology Thank you! We put a bunch of time into this one.
What an incredible video! I'm self-taught, and never realized just what the right hand was doing. I've just done it. This will make me much more aware of what's going on down there. Thanks.
TO MR TROY GRADY: WOW! The clarity of your treatise was mind boggling. I'm not a guitarist or into picking but I can recognize the absolute lack of assumptions on your part here on every level in your communication. You were clear and concise and accurate and virtually breath-taking. To call you a teacher would be a total misguided understatement although I am sure you intended to teach and teaching did in fact occur. I would liken you more to a scientist and/or artist in your clear appraisals, evaluations, isolations and dissections of these forms of picking each with their inherent weaknesses and strengths. This is one of the few times I've seen the objective discussion of the commentator equal or surpass the clarity of the information conveyed by the "black and white" facts/evidence of the pictures/film. Someone below said you deserve a PhD and it was mind blowing, methodical and approachable. All true. You do deserve a PhD although I thought this was an Oscar worthy piece. You are as perfect in technical communication as Doc Watson is/was in picking. This treatise should be studied! If this were the Olimpics you would get all 10's! :-)
Extremely well done, Troy! I enjoyed learning about how you analyzed it.
Thanks Maneli!
True story: I just went from learning "Vasat" and thought Id better move to practicing picking technique after the two or three months i spent just finger style trying to play that wonderful song of yours. Cheers
Thanks for sharing that. You have your whole life to master these techniques :)
WOWSER, THIS IS THE BEST VID ON CROSS PICKING TECHNIQUE I HAVE SEEN. MANY THANKS
Amazing player and great job on the production and presentation!
19 min of pick slant analysis in relation to cross picking... you sir are insane! And i thank you!
Thanks for covering this subject. Excellent informative video- BRAVO!!
Best video ever! Lots of work in the camera angles and explanation. This video just popped up in my feed and it's really great maybe you need to need to rename it or something to get it backup to what it should be. Everybody should see this
Wow!! Awesome video Troy!!!! You never disappoint!!
I’ve really enjoyed this video. I try to play bluegrass but I’m novice compared to these guys and it’s really cool to see their hands move up close at such a slow speed! Thanks for doing it, I think I learned something from it. Now to break some bad habits lol!
Carl Miner is awesome -- thanks for the video!
Really interesting and extremely well put together.
I was EXACTLY wondering about Doc Watson ve MP picking! This was the next video on the feed! HELL YEAH! THANK YOU!
Outstanding video. Top notch production on an exciting topic.
Troy - Once again - you changed my playing in one video. Excellent. Super Excellent Work. Wishing you only the best in the New Coming Year. Bravo Sir.
Troy, as a university professor who has taught guitar in music schools for a very long time... you should earn a Phd for the incredible work you've done on this topic. It's just mind blowing, methodical, approachable, and though I'm a legato player I wish this material had been around when I was getting beat down by alternate picking!
Give him an Honorary one.
Fancy meeting you here, Mr. O'Kane!
Man i enjoy your videos so much! I think you should analyze Rick Graham's technique as well, I'd love to see a video on his technique! Thanks for making such amazing content
Best explanation of how to crosspick available!
Can’t find this kind of awesome content on cable tv! Enjoyed this and learned a lot.
Neat trick of hooking the pinky to the 1st string to avoid unnecessary noise. Learned something new .
This is my default picking technique I just fell into after years of playing. Didn't know Doc Watson started it. I knew it was different than all the other techniques Troy has covered bit was all alternate. Its a very tight arc and the pinky being braced is big part it that helps to get the bit of lift. It is not as fast as pick slanting but is often fast enough when you practice enough,, but for really fast stuff I have to switch to other techniques. Great video.
We are fearfully and wonderfully made!!!
I just started playing guitar over the pandemic and got into bluegrass from listening to Billy Strings Doc Watson set at High Sierra and it’s all I’ve wanted to learn since, ive never taken any lessons just watched how to play videos, I have a family friend who is a very good guitar player and he knew I’d been messing around so asked me to play something and I played a bit of little Sadie and he was stunned by my picking and I didn’t understand why but now I do
Edit : not to say I’m anything great just how recently I started playing and he never seen flatpicking before
Awesome! Point your phone down the strings and see if you can get a look at what your picking motion looks like. You should be able to see if the motion looks semicircular, like Carl's motion, or diagonal. Or to make matters more complicated, lots of players mix and match these different styles by feel, without really being aware of it.
This is a great video, many really interesting points made!
Regarding Carls (and many other bluegrass guitarists) playing, I'm impressed by the fact that not only does he catch air on every pickstroke as you mention at 13:27, he also don't anchor on the guitars bridge. If this was about electric guitar, the combo would seem inappropriate and unefficient - at least I would have said so before watching this video. But you can clearly see it works and that's very cool!
Also, I think it's nice that you do these analyzes on a lot of different guitarists, especially both electric and acoustic players. Thanks Troy!
Really fascinating. I'm sure Martin Miller told you about him, but if you could hook up with Andy Wood I'm sure you would find some really interesting findings. Mandolin player who now plays guitar. Maybe you are already familiar with him, if so I'd love your take on his right hand. Very interesting movement
I would like to concur with these fine gentlemen! I play guitar in Andy Wood's band, and have watched his picking extremely closely. He has absolute command over crosspicking, it's pretty nuts. He even plays the Eric Johnson "5's" licks alternate picked. Absolutely insane player and a great dude who would be a killer addition to CtC!
He's done a complete interview and analysis of Andy's playing
Fantastic! Great exploration.
Wow!!! That was so great Troy.
Phenomenal Troy. Super helpful and amazing quality. Thanks!
Such an intelligent and thorough consideration. Thanks so much!
Thanks Greg!
That's a interesting take on pick slanting I love Carl's playing he's so clean and very tasteful player a beast
Brilliant analysis and excellent video, a must view for those wanting to understand the variety of subtle approaches to a subject more complex than most can see, without understanding the variety of approaches to producing their unique sound. Adding a detailed analysis of Tony Rice' right hand technique would compliment the exaggerated thumb movement employed by many flat-pickers. This allows faster attack, by I would guess, maintaining the power and volume needed for live performance using a sound systems over which the player has little control. This is in contrast to studio playing where everything is controlled to the nth degree. Thank you for your inciteful and intelligent work !
It'd be interesting to speculate how much of the development of crosspicking was an intuitive response to the problem of producing a pleasant tone on an acoustic instrument, balancing the need for speed with a nice round timbre. I find the more exaggerated angle of attack you find in downward pick slanting, for instance, to produce a really nasal quality on an acoustic instrument. That's not an issue when shredding with a lot of gain, but Wildwood Flower has to sound sweet rather than edgy. Great video.
+lachrimaestro good point. I noticed the same thing because I picked up an acoustic after I already been playing electric guitar and using pick slanting.
Pickslanting has no effect on tone by itself - the string is round in cross section, so there is no pickslant you can use that is sonically different than any other. Where would that neutral point be? It doesn't exist. Note also that Carl's slower rhythm playing is downward pickslanting crosspicking and his faster stuff is often uwps. Some pickslant is almost always at play in his technique. Ultimately it's edge picking that controls tone and indeed finding the sweet spot for you, while also using the string switching tactic you want, is definitely part of the challenge!
+Troy Grady Hi Troy, amazing video. I would suggest that pick slanting does effect tone, because you are getting the string to commence vibrating in a direction closer to up-down than to side-side (relative to the guitar body), causing it to slap against the frets more easily. You mentioned this effect when referring to funk players using an aggressive down slant to get a spank sound - similar to slap bass.
I’m unsure why the term “crosspicking” is used here, since crosspicking in bluegrass has always meant emulating fingerpicking with a flatpick, a la Jesse McReynolds. This is more about the attack of the pick, not any crosspicking per se, at least in a traditional understanding.
Wonderful video! I love Carl’s playing, but what guitarist wouldn’t? You do a great job too. Thank you for putting so much effort into showing cross picking styles.
whoa! I've always thought this was the only way to pick. I mean, it's just an extension of the way you play rhythm, no?
Outstanding, Troy. As always.
You can attempt to dissect their picking technique, but IMO, these pickers have been touched by God. This vid is outstanding. Thank you!
These videos are fascinating! Nice work man :)
Thank you for dissecting this technique into a very understandable method!
Great video! I do some of this--but I didn't know what I was doing!
Absolutely fascinating!
this feels like cheating, what have us guitar players done to deserve this, troy this is going to spark the biggest revolution in guitar playing history to the point that fast playing will become so common it wont be impressive at all and skill will be shown in the phrasing of a player and the musical ideas they show. The future is bright and its thanks troy
I think what you're references is jazz and blues
I think you overstate how it will affect most guitar players.
Saw this guy first in the Green Cards; great band and fun to watch.
Real fab old guy from sunny Glasgow-years Of driven need to keep playing so thanks for the great lecture!!!! Ta JOHN
Dude. Look how high Carl's action is at 13:10. Looks like a freaking pedal steel from that angle. No clue how he is so fast and clean with that much height. Unreal.
I'm so glad I found your channel this is amazing for my guitar playing!
I think you're right. I didn't notice til you said something. I wonder why
After seeing Blind Doc Watson in 1971, I started playing with my Eyes Shut, I had run my Left Hand through a Press in 1970, lost my Thumb, but Plastic Sergery Doctor build me a Stub-THumb with witch I am able to play. Playing with Eyes Closed "I Reckon" makes the EARS to do the work. Of course Guitar Playing is like Shooting a Gun....TACTILE MEMORY LEARNING. TACTILE is the OPRANT word here.
this is a damn good video!
I wish there were more like this
One of the best videos you've done! Carl's playing is incredible too!
Hi Troy, excellent and thank you! I worked on picking technique for years but somehow never achieved optimal results. In the early 70s' I spent a week hanging out nightly and jamming with George Benson meticulously analyzing his great technique. Years later Tuck Andress did the same and wrote an essay on it. I believe its avail online if you search for it. I know guys who have excellent technique who never spent years focusing on picking so concluded some people are physiologically predestined to have great technique.
I asked Doc Watson about how he picked the B section of Beaumont Rag at Bean Blossom in 1971. He told me he used alternate picking. In fact, he seemed incredulous that you could do it any other way. I don't think he was aware of any type of sweep picking techniques. I did mention that Jesse McReynolds did not alternate pick his reverse cross picking on mandolin, but I'm not sure he believed me.
Just a few minor points, Clarence White and Doc Watson came along at about the same time, Norman, Tony, Dan all came later. George Shuffler is credited with inventing the cross picking style in the 50s, he used the two down, one up as did Clarence. Doc alternated as it says in your video. Very enjoyable and Carl Miner along with the current crop of young, super players have pushed the envelope, their complex picking while keeping the melody is just outstanding!
+bigmuddy1 I wasn't aware that Clarence used the Shuffler / sweep method. Are you aware of any clips of him doing this?
Hi Troy, there is an excellent article on this by Dan Miller but the link won't post. Google Clarence White Crosspicking and it should come up.
flatpick.ning.com/notes/index/show?noteKey=What_Is_Crosspicking%3F
I don't know why this wouldn't post earlier.
Mr. Troy Grady, thanks for putting all these videos available for us. I think you should also check Ewan Dobson, although he's a fingerstyle guitar player he really has a solid crosspicking technique.
greetings from Mexico.
I love how he's playing that Gibson Advanced Jumbo.
I'm a PGA golf teaching professional, and we've been using high speed technology since about 2003 teaching the golf swing. First it was high spee video, then it was Doppler radar (Trackman) and now 3D motion capture motion capture has been around for years, but now the sensors are much smaller, and the user interface is more inuitive, so makes it easier for the student and the instructor. One thing everyone should be advised on, being able to to understand bio-mechanics is a great learning/teaching tool, but in golf, many players can get caught up in "chasing numbers" and left brained analytical players lose their way because they start playing golf swing, instead of the game of golf. Musicians would be advised to learn why proper technique and an understanding bio-mechanics will allow you to "become your own coach" and understand the whys and how's. I've had TWO carpal tunnel surgeries, and had I known what I know now, I could have avoided th surgeries by finding a manual therapist to help me instead of going under the knife. This is great stuff,
Incredible work Troy. You rock
Super cool stuff... If you could get footage of Robert Fripp from King Crimson, that would be amazing. He is a monster cross picker!
Never heard of Carl Miner but that guy can pick!
Carl is not as well known in mother Russia but he’s the best!
I loved to watch this video and the others on your channel, Troy! Very useful to actually rationalize the kinds of movement you can do while picking any phrase. But I have to say this Crosspicking talk made me curious about one thing... what if the phrase is palm muted partially or completely? I'm sure there must be examples of that on country music genres, but I'm unsure if the Crosspicking technique would survive with the same speed if you have to nail your right hand to the strings at some degree. If you had any commentary about your experience on this it would be very cool. Thanks anyway for the awesome videos and sharing this kind of knowledge and precious footage with the rest of us. Keep rockin'!
Hi Igor! Steve Morse's technique is crosspicking and he mutes quite a bit. So does Martin Miller who we've also profiled here on the channel. Crosspicking isn't so much a single technique as it is a family of techniques where the pick has a curved trajectory. Players that need muting will find a way to do it that allows the hand to rest on the bridge at the same time.
Please do a seminar on Pat Martino! I'm sure he would love to do an interview with you, Troy
That was sooo useful.. thanks for making this video!
Damnit, man. Once again, THANK YOU
Every guitar player should watch this. And try it.
Damn, I've been converted to a bluegrass fan 🤘
Great video my man, thanks for posting.
Excellent work so groovy
Amazing video Troy. So great to see you coming around "full circle" to the no-slant playing style.
PS I think you misspoke calling Brian "Brad" at 9:39.
+Ben Butler Ugh! Good catch, thanks. It's harder to mix up "Eddie" and "Yngwie"!
Cool camera rig! Outstanding!
Love the DNA-Replication in the back.
Thanks for this video
i'm scared what comes next, i got my yngwie pickslant pritty nice and now this ;p
+MrLiqid Troy is laying it all out,its up to you to decide what works best..