Hey Rhett, love the video man! I'm the banjo player in the CMA clip. That was such a fun day and it felt like we had dropped off the back of Mars compared to the rest of the music that night. I'm really glad that clip helped you find Jakers, he's my favorite guitar player I've ever worked with. No speed is too fast and no melody is too complex... He just nails it to the wall night after night! Reach out if we're ever in your area and come out for a big dose of bluegrass! Russ Carson
I also first discovered Jake from the CMA clip in 2018. I saw it on Bluegrass Today, which stated, "watching Jake Workman with Kentucky Thunder show hundreds of thousands of guitarists around the world that they have a lot of catching up to do was quite memorable." My life changed that day! 😃 Not only is he a living legend but the most excellent and encouraging teacher in the world, with an unmatched right hand and stunningly creative note choices. There's no show on the road like Kentucky Thunder!!!! By the way @81crowe, we're well overdue for some more backstage or tour bus Jake & Russ footage!!!
Dude, you are awesome.....I'm from New Zealand, and grew up in a country music region of the deep south, and regularly attended our version of the CMA, the Gold Guitar Awards, and grew up with my father's record collection that included Chet Atkins, Glenn Campbell, Django, Joe Pass, Jose Feliciano, the Eagles, Linda Rhonstadt, Dolly Parton, amongst others, and have always enjoyed them all. Again, great playing, and to stand on the Nashville stage, in THAT COMPANY....you're so obviously at the top of your game.....much respect to you, from this old 'kiwi' picker. I pray God bless you all, and protect you.🙏🙏🙏🙏😎😎😎👈🏼👈🏼👈🏼👏👏👏🙏🙏🙏
Really like these videos where you're putting the spotlight on players. So many good players out there, you could make a long series and never cover the same ground twice. Bluegrass and Americana is a great place to start, with players like Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, and so many more relatively young players.
Jake was my 1st banjo teacher and convinced me to pick up the guitar back in 2014. He is not only a great guitarist but one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.
Jake is for real. I don't think anyone in the bluegrass flatpicking community can play faster, or cleaner, and the content that he plays. I first met and picked with him maybe 15 years ago or more when he was competing at Winfield for a few years. He sounds just as good when he plays slower too. He isn't "just" about playing fast. Good guy too, glad to see him get some attention.
Some of the melodic lines are similar to (bits of) Irish jigs and reels, which are also often played lightning fast. Is there a historical connection? Were parts of the southeastern USA where this kind of bluegrass and folk playing comes from originally settled by Irish people who brought over their traditional music?
Back in the early 1980's while playing in a cover band, we were mostly rock and hard rock. Our singer invited me to go with him to a bluegrass festival on one of our only weekends off. I almost didn't go but he talked me into it and I'm so so glad he did. I've been a fan every since then. Some of the greatest musicians you'll ever see is in bluegrass. Not in a arena wearing leather and playing thru a marshall. Granted there are some great players but they get outclassed by old boys playing flattops
Not only a monster player but a fantastic teacher. I did a few lessons with Jake over the pandemic and I've never made more progress in a shorter amount of time. Super nice guy and really knows how to break things down and communicate things. Highly recommend it if you want to get more into flat picking and bluegrass playing in general.
Not a style of music I play but talent is talent. It transcends genres and should always be recognized and appreciated. I wouldn't be able to play like this even if I wanted to haha. I've never heard picking this fast and this clean on an acoustic. The tone he's getting almost sounds fake because of how clean it is (obviously it's not fake!). Thanks for sharing this, Rhett. I hadn't heard of this amazing player until now.
When Ricky hit the airwaves in the 80s he was a phenom compared to just about everybody before him. If you can play guitar in Ricky's band, you've got skills.
Blue Grass dudes can really, really play! Not just guitar but fiddle, mandolin, bass... Billy Strings is awesome too! Thanks for doing this! I love your stuff!
Flatpicking like this came to my playlist when I noticed Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle. The skill us just something out of this world! Have to check more from this guy now =)
This is obviously time-lapse. If you watch the people in the background in the clips they go from small children to adults, the seasons change several times, and the guitars age several shades. So, I don't really need to feel inferior in any way. Time lapse. Easy.
fast, clean, accurate alternate picking to me remains the ultimate challenge as a guitarist. there are some jazz guitarists who are amazing at this but this guy is simply next-level. I'm always blown away by the skill of top level bluegrass musicians
Rhett, thank you for doing this video and hilighting flatpicking and bluegrass music. Bluegrass is often overlooked and yet there are many fantastic musicians playing in bluegrass bands.
I’ve been playing 47 years, most of that time professionally, I did the whole music school thing, studied guitar, taught etc but after seeing videos of Jake, I wanted hear directly from him how he developed his technique, so I took a couple lessons from Jake, one online, one in person and just like others have said, he’s an absolutely phenomenal guitar player, his technique is off the charts and he’s a super nice down to earth person. If I lived closer , I’d take more lessons. It was well worth the cost of the lesson. There also is one unknown guy named Aubrey King that stands out in this style that I suggest everyone do a RU-vid search for. He’s another excellent player worth hearing.
Just played a gig with my bluegrass band tonight - these guys are legends to us, and we're always amazed and inspired by them. Thanks for calling attention to such a great musician (and person)!
I got a few lessons with Jake in the last year, and man. He helped me break through some ruts and take my playing to the next level. Saw him at the Birchmere in VA with Kentucky thunder as well, and man, what a show.
Seen Jake numerous times w Skaggs. Ricky is the boot camp for pickers. Check out Bryan Sutton another former Kthunder player. Chris Luquette of dirty kitchen another great. Traveling Mccourys guitarist Cody Kilby another Kthunder alum is perhaps the best overall. Thanks for bringing this to light!
Thanks for giving Bluegrass the nod. Jake is awesome, I'll be putting him on my playlist. Tony Rice is unreal. Tim Stafford from Blue Highway is another good one. John Chapman (The Chapmans) over at The Acoustic Shoppe's RU-vid channel is excellent. Love watching him and his brother Jeremy. Of course, Larry Sparks is my favorite. Not always that flashy, but solid. Love that guy.
Another incredible thing to consider... everything Jake plays is improvised on the fly. We're not talking about learning some series of "licks" run together or a piece of practiced music "note-for-note". It's all him composing a solo on the spot at after-burner speeds every time.
Hi Rhett, Doc Watson played those square dances on his Les Paul. He had to play each fiddle tune 15 to 20 times thru for the full square dance to finish. When he brought that technique to his Martin and that first lp came out in 64 with Black Mountain Rag it blew peoples minds.
In my ideal world, bluegrass and bro country would trade popularity levels. It is a far superior genre. Billy Strings is another recent great flat picker.
He makes this look so effortless. His playing compliments Country music and makes it so much more interesting and lively than without. Great showcase of a musician!
No doubt that Jake is an amazing player especially if he is backing up Ricky Skaggs. Check out Ricky Skaggs playing on the BBC in 1986 the song is country boy. There’s a host of these Bluegrass players who are absolutely amazing with blinding speed. And another one that is not necessarily a bluegrass player per se but Tommy Emmanuel on acoustic. I thought I was a decent acoustic guitar player until the day I sought in with a bunch of Bluegrass players and boy did they school me. Check out Doyle Dykes and of course Vince Gill. They make the heavy metal guys are look slow. No offense to the metal guys but these Bluegrass players don’t get the credit they deserve.
Rhett - have you heard Molly Tuttle and Billy Strings? They're the future of flat-picking. Check out Molly's take on White Freightliner Blues...unreal.
Thanks Brett for putting a spotlight on the BG flatpickers. There are many hot flat pickers today that are truly outstanding. I have been in a BG bands for almost 15 years. I enjoy your videos, along with Guthrie Trapp, Tim Pierce, Jake of course plus Zeb Snyder. We have grown to include some swing, classic country and rock with BG instrumentation. Thanks for all you do!
Your pal Rick Beato has a video about another player with the title "the greatest acoustic guitar player in thw world." Clearly, the subject of that video should be Jake.
Rhett ... thank you for spotlighting Bluegrass!!! You mentioned Doc Watson and Tony Rice ..... Awesome showing these acoustic players to those electric gun slingers that follow you and showing what the old guys have been doing for decades. Those super star bluegrass flat pickers are just as much Monsters of the Guitar as Paige and Angus. Only thing is you might have mentioned they should check out Bryan Sutton, Billy Strings, Travelin McCoury's and Molly Tuttle to see more of the new generation of Bluegrass carrying on the tradition!!!!
LOve Doc Watson and his son Merle, this music always makes me feel so happy ! Great pickers those days from Billy Strings to Chris Elridge we are really blessed
No doubt, there are bluegrass players that LEAVE metal, rock and shredders in the dust.....and all on an acoustic.....generally not what a typical aforementioned genre player WOULD EVEN CONSIDER....absolutely amazing player and technical facility...... I'm relatively new to YT and the net, and discovered you through other players comments, and have had to seriously revise my growing list of favourite guitarists.....of which he, and yourself are now included....GREAT WORK.....my subscription to you was instantaneous....😎💥💣💥😎👈🏼
Genetic Fine Motor fast twitch muscles are an unfair advantage that some people have. Add to that a sense of rhythm and a dedication to become proficient at guitar makes him what he is.
Ah, now you're starting to get it. Glad to see this one out there Rhett. I've been listening more and more to Blue Grass the last few years. A couple of my recent favorites have been Sierra Hull & Molly Tuttle. These 2 can shred like Randy Rhodes. Just saying, time spent in the woodshed making you're fingers bleed playing and playing your Guitar will go much farther than spending time on RU-vid constantly obsessing over gear. I'm as guilty of it as anyone BTW, I am so humbled by the effort and dedication these folks show in their playing. Blood, Sweat, and tears Baby ! Thanks for pointing me to another great bluegrass guitar player !
Jake Workman is the truth man. I got to take a lesson with him while I was in Nashville a few weeks ago and he is a fantastic teacher as well, which is what drew me to him.
I believe this is one of your best and seriously informative videos, man. I grew up in East TN and Texas,. Been a singer songwriter and all that goodness, but its the way he plays with his whole being; so relaxed and steady breathing, concentration but not intensity. These are the things that are the difference between great and 'greatness'. This was awesome, Rhett. cheers.
Well... I agree with you. This guy is insanity. I truly considered whether it was speeded up video or some kind of hollywood special effects. When someone makes you wonder whether what you are seeing is reality, that's a rare gift this guy has!!! Thanks for hooking us up with him!!!
I used to get to hang out with Jake when he lived in Utah. He is not only a great guitar player, but banjo and mandolin player. He played banjo for Ricky when Russ Carson was out of the lineup one time. Heck, he even played mandolin in the Ricky Skaggs band when Ricky had his arm in a sling. That’s how good he is.
Great video about a great player. I can’t flatpick worth beans, but I love to listen to it. Bryan Sutton is another good’un. Love Pat Flynn’s work with New Grass Revival. Russ Barenberg comes to mind, as does ‘Deacon’ Dan Crary. Tim Stanford with Blue Highway will blow your mind.
Clarence White needs yo be mentioned when talking about the history of flat picking. Not only are these pickers great players but they are also amazing improvisors as that is a huge part of bluegrass.
Yeah doc didn’t even hit the scene until the folk fests of early ‘60s. Clarence was already a permanent lead guitar player for 5 years by that point. Reno was doing it earlier that decade, as was shuffler but it wasn’t the same as white.
Ricky always has the best pickers in his band. He finds these young kids and brings them up through KY Thunder similar to the way that Bill Monroe brought Ricky and so many others up through the ranks with the Bluegrass boys.. Don't forget about Clarence White's influence on flatpicking and hybrid picking for bluegrass lead playing. He was a huge influence on the way Tony Rice played. In fact Tony bought Clarence's Martin after Clarence was killed by a drunk driver when he was only 27. That's the one with the oversized sound hole that Tony called "The Antique" and it has become one of the most famous guitars in the world. Martin made a copy of it called the "CW" model and also Santa Cruz Guitars made the Tony Rice model initially just for Tony, that he played on tours after "The Antique" became just too valuable and fragile to tour with. Clarence played in the second version of The Byrds and was influential on the Sweetheart of the Rodeo album and the Byrd's evolution into Country Rock. You can see footage of a teenage Clarence White playing that old Martin, with his brothers on the Andy Griffith show.
Thanx for showcasing this bluegrass picker extrodamaire. Bluegrass often doesn't get the recognition/credit it deserves for high level musicians 🎸🎸👍👍🎸🎸 My opinion: Only so many songs can be written about beer and partyin on the tailgate 👍🎸
Ricky Skaggs always hires the hottest up and coming talent. I used to be big big into bluegrass (still am, just don’t have the time to pick and travel like I used to) and I’ve gotten to pick and hang with Russ Carson (banjo in first clip) a few times. That right there is another reason Bluegrass is so cool - most everyone is accessible, friendly, and down to pick and teach. Everyone gets there the same way, tradition and then hours and hours and hours of woodshed time!
I have been saying for most of my life that a great Bluegrass player can humble any shredder you put in front of them. Everything a shredder is doing on a set of 9s with a lot of gain and delay/reverb the flatpicker is probably doing on 13s on a big massive necked acoustic UNPLUGGED in a room live.
Fast doesn't mean good. I really like the music but really it's not a direct relationship. What IS good is the melodic inflections of rubato they use in the middle of these speed runs (typically leading tones like #7 to 1 or #4 to 5)
Hey if your gonna be the lead flatpicker in the Skaggs band.. yer gonna be one of the best.... Like Cody "Killed Me" Kilby. There's good. then there's BLUEGRASS GOOD. Not too many of them commercial country performers could hang in an average neighborhood bluegrass jam... Maybe Vince Gill, Marty Stewart (oh yeah them guys came up in BLUEGRASS)
