What is flatpicking?
Flatpicking technically refers to the general approach of playing the guitar with a guitar pick. However, it is commonly understood to refer to a specific style of acoustic lead guitar playing used in Appalachian and bluegrass music.
Learning to flatpick
Even though I’m a big fan of modern flatpickers like Molly Tuttle, David Rawlings, Kenneth Pattengale, and Billy Strings, flatpicking has always seemed like a completely unattainable skill to me. (I mean, click on any of those names to see what I mean.) Until a few months ago, I figured that for me, acoustic guitar meant strummy-strummy and electric guitar meant bluesy noodles and ne’er the twain would meet.
But this summer, Erin and I starting hosting a monthly bluegrass jam and I got bit by the bluegrass bug hard. So for the last couple of months, I’ve been diving in to flatpicker YouTube and scouring old Acoustic Guitar Magazine articles with names like “10 Tricks To Spice Up Your G Runs.”
I thought I’d share my flatpicking progress with you all by occasionally sharing a quick video of me picking a fiddle tune or taking a bluegrass break.
Soldier’s Joy
“Soldier’s Joy” is one of the oldest and most played fiddle tunes in the American cannon. It would be fairly unusual to get through an old time or bluegrass jam without someone calling out “Soldier’s Joy.”
Fun (but mostly sorta sad) fact: the title is thought to refer to the combination of whiskey, beer, and morphine that Civil War soldiers would use to relieve pain.
Share this post