Tony Rice Unit - Tipper

[strawman8]

Tony can tickle those strings and its real bluegrass for sure.Thanks for sharing.

[australianfan]

@strawman8 Oh my now that is some pickin to be sure !!great upload thanks strawman8 for the link..Aussie :)

[Kennymurraycampbell]

Incredible!! All great players.

[strings6able]

Tony is an awesome guitar picker

[strings6able]

that is just amazing bluegrass at its best Mr Tony Rice and his band

[rocmaven]

Looking forward to see the great Tony Rice in Watseka IL on May 7.

[shredrik]

Tony wastes no time in this song, thats some damn busy guitar start to finish...

[chrismccrth0]

Tippers a great instrumental! Would like to hear another Tony Rice Unit album released! He's been playin with Pete Rowan for quite some time now - time for a change!!

[51guitardude]

lol on the mullets, the pcikin is supreme

[theOfactor39]

3 people miss the kickass dobro solo

[69superlead]

how could a sane human being DISLIKE tony friggin rice? morons.

[McLeod54]

How is Tony Rice's brother Billy Batts from Goodfellas...

[rocmaven]

Tony Rice Unit is coming to The Watseka Theatre Watseka Illinois on Saturday May 7, 2011.

[DAVEY500MUSIC]

after seeing this it makes a guy want to throw his guitars in a bon-fire

[silentnoise74]

Im curious to hear what he would sound whith a electrical guitar and a whawha pedal.

[rtintle]

Tony can absolutely play jazz.. If you have any doubts I suggest you listen to the first 2 David Grisman albums, and then try his album called Acoustics. Pretty Jazzy in my book.

[Bilco1949]

@mightyafrowhitey Showdown!  I'd like to see both of these guys play. I'm pretty sure that both are fine pickers.

[shishimore]

Geez, when Tony goes off on songs like these,...just amazing. Everytime tearing it up

[Bilco1969]

Day-um!!!!

[bluegrasssingingman]

@TheCdavis2 Well Joe Pass is great for what he plays. Every song he does that i heard is basic the same song. Just redone a little different order. As far as hammers, double and triple pick. The style JP does, it's not going to happen. Not saying he can't play a Bluegrass song,but it won't be in Bluegrass Style. JP just uses the same riffs over and over. Just in different order. Tony Rice smokes him.

[bluegrasssingingman]

@TheCdavis2 Yeah alot of people claim they can do stuff,but that doesn't mean anything.Put it this way someone that plays NewGrass doesn't mean they can play Bluegrass, or play Bluegrass right.

[tompillion]

Now this is what I call great guitar picking (as well as mandolin); makes me feel undeserving to own a Martin. Also a good testement to using a microphone to get tone quality, rather than plugging in with a pick-up.

[blueseruser]

Tony is the man................!!!!!

[Tyotapickup]

damn TONY!

[TheBigdaddydon]

AWESOME!This is one of my favorite videos,and to whoever put this video on youtube,I thank you.

[mightyafrowhitey]

more videos of my playing in the future, of me doing stuff I actually KNOW how to play. then if you still wanna judge whether or not I'm a good guitar player you can. either way I don't really care what you think. it's been most displeasurable talking to you. good luck on your guitar playing and have a good life.

[jmsk2525]

@mightyafrowhitey

I'm sorry, I love you. Let's be friends...;)

[mightyafrowhitey]

practice before I'll get good at it, but I put it up there anyway just because. my comment was directed at the user who stated that "anyone who doesn't think bluegrass music is the hardest music to play is a retard". well, i disagree with that statement. sure bluegrass music is hard to play but i don't think it is THE HARDEST music to play either. Get your facts straight before you start puting words into my mouth because all you're doing is making yourself look foolish.

[mightyafrowhitey]

and my comment was directed at KYBUCKMASTER. I never said that this wasn't hard. simply that I think jazz is probably harder.

[mightyafrowhitey]

well, at the risk of sounding like a retard, I'll venture to say that jazz is probably harder. the hardest thing about bluegrass music is the tempoes, and being creative and original, and most importantly being able to nail the changes within the harmonic framework you're in. you probably have a lot more options in jazz, but a whole lot more technical stuff about scales and chords and subs and alterations to even be agle to fake it wall. plus some of the tempos can get out of hand themselves

[jmsk2525]

@mightyafrowhitey

hey whitey-tard.....why don't you post yourself playing this one?

[mightyafrowhitey]

@jmsk2525 I'm not gonna get into a flaming war with you, I'll just let your ignorance speak for itself. and if I could play this I probably would, because I think it's very good. and btw I do play the guitar.  what do YOU play?

[jmsk2525]

@mightyafrowhitey

I play guitar also and I don't make comments against musicians that have a long history of playing professionally or musical genres for that matter. Anyone can check out your channel titled failing at harmonics to see that you are no authority on putting jazz above bluegrass or vice-versa. Ever hear of Wes Montgomery's song 4 on 6? Mr. Rice's version holds it's own while paying respect by covering the song.

So I guess you won't be trying Tipper, eh?

[mightyafrowhitey]

@jmsk2525 look man, I'm not sure what kind of personal problem you have with me. I never insulted or critisized anyone. I have great respect for Tony Rice and for bluegrsss music in general. and I KNOW I'm not that great at harp harmonics yet, otherwise I wouldn't have titled the video what i did. I've only been practicing on it for a few weeks. I'm a good guitar play but I realize the only way I'll get better at it is by trying things I haven't done yet, and I know it takes a lot of

[mightyafrowhitey]

@jmsk2525 "Bluegrass guitar Lead is no doubt the hardest lead to play and anyone that argues with that is just simply retarded."

that was his commenet btw. you really have some kind of axe to grind don't you? I'm not sure. it amuses me how you're trying to make this into some kind of childish jazz vs bluegrass debate. all I said was that I don't personally think bluegrass is the hardest music to play, and that thinking that doesn't make me retarded lol. I never said either style was

[bluegrasssingingman]

@mightyafrowhitey No hardest bluegrass lead, would be fiddle, mandolin,and banjo. Bluegrass guitar is harder then any other musics leads by far.

[coleyman1]

Wyatt got his tounge around his eye teeth, and couldn't see where he was pickin' a couple of times. Still a great post however. Love that flat pickin'...

[herringbone28]

I'd love to see you pick that one hoss.

[coleyman1]

I don't have enough fingers to pick like that! I've tried to no avail. I'm just a "strummer" now....

[KYBUCKMASTER]

Bluegrass guitar Lead is no doubt the hardest lead to play and anyone that argues with that is just simply retarded.

[grodisbollis4]

@KYBUCKMASTER

Well spoken! I'm a guitar player myself and have been for many years. Only very few people can handle this kind of playing. Such flow and difficult harmonies.

[mablacol]

Tony è semplicemente FANTASTICO!!!FROM ITALY

[wankatronic]

i have a hard time deciding who makes a better case for their instrument in their video: Jimmy for the mandolin, or Tony for the guitar. excellent performances by both.

[xwillxfrostx]

Yes, great performances...but for that particular question sir, there is no option.

[RapIsForGayPeople]

-poor wyatt was always so under Tony's shadow-

[EpiphoneSH4]

Jimmy Fallon on stand up bass?

[Wadensten]

Awesome, just amazing!

And the mullets are to die for for...

[mkismet87]

What a tricky little tune and they all pulled it off like they're taking a piss......musical magical talents....all of them!!

[lowell012013]

Is it even physically possible to be that good at the guitar?€£¥•

[curtisclogston]

no.

[buckbuck666]

the real  talent

[nvdmolen]

It sounds great!!

[bluesbatch55]

everyone who picks up a guitar should hear this guy play. maybe the best ever!

[butchd18]

@bluesbatch55 thats true Tony is best

[arabmd79]

-TONE- -PHRASING- -MUSICALITY-

It's all here!

[whitechoco0502]

very very cool!!

[ShaShaZane88]

Damnit man...look at that right hand. That's where the business is.

"whoooeee dat was a mighty fine a' pickin' i'da tell ya'"

[alexdorris]

It's makin my ears water!

[Entropy56]

Was Tony in pain or something?

[2derrilicious1]

lol, no, that's his guitar face, everyone has one

[hollandmkt]

I am just amazed at how fluid and effortless his guitar work is- keep it up Tony!

[Geepnut]

Words escape me ..

[poeta067]

Tony you are amazing, the best acoustic guitar player for me, i adore you. incredibile!!

[desmogger]

Damn, Damn, Damn!!! Tony is the Best Damn Guitar picker Bar none!! Wyatt is right up there with him..

[ZaneFairchild]

No disrepect to the other guitar players mentioned, they are all great but all T Man has to do is walk out on stage and he gets a standing ovation. Those guys will NEVER be the icon Tony Rice is. There are great guitar players, great super guitar players, phenomenal out of this world guitar players..then there is Tony Rice!!! Z. F.

[oui]

amen, zane!

[cooks95]

Tony Rice is just the coolest thing going. I live in New York City and he's way cooler than anybody here.

[cooks95]

I was at the IBMA last year and there were so many great players, including Clay Hess, David Grier, and many young guys who phenomenal. Then Tony joined Mountain Heart, which is Clay Hess's band. I heard so much about how Tony was broken down and had lost his skills. So I was shocked to see how great he still is--in fact he was a cut above everyone I saw in style, technique, and speed. Even the guys that played with him laughed as the watched him play. At 60 something he is the best I've seen.

[joeys444]

tony,s music is re-inventing itself daily,,tx for post

[suhnami]

sick, dirty, awesome, wicked, tremendous, unreal, stupendous, brilliant, jaw dropping, what more can i say!?!?!?!?!?!

[flatpikinguitar]

wow

[silkypuss68]

Yeah,imagine if the strap broke!

[hd28nvocals]

Its NO coincidence that the greatest sounding acoustic ended up in the hands of Tony Rice...wow unreal Thanks for posting :)

[oui]

you're right. he tracked it down and bought it! ha

[jerseyboy75]

We all love Tony, but lets give it up to Ronnie Simpkins on the bass keeping them all in time.

[resopicker]

Wow!

[NOSMOJEFF]

Oh YEA!

Tony Rice Unit Ann Arbor, Michigan (The Ark)

[mrjoesd13]

sweetttttttttt,thats roots man..

[dragknuckle]

Tony Rice has the rare ability to play hot licks with the level of poetry usually only heard in ballads.

[thiger89]

fascinating how quickly the man plays on the little mandoline

[flyawaytigers]

The first guitar solo is tiiiiiight!

[john77905]

no the fiddle player does not suck.he does pretty darn fair. this is a great video thanks for posting it.

[BushMiller]

Hey ya'll.....to answer, or rebuttle guitarice..the reason that the other genres of music get ALL of the attention is because the general populas, as a whole, is stupid....bluegrass music is too CONSUMING for most of the world to comprehend...that's why RAP is especially so popular, because ANY simple-minded automoton can recognize and comprehend the beat and rhythm.

[XLRJack]

I agree that bluegrass is more of a musician's music however I don't feel it is right to call everyone else stupid because they don't care for a certain style.

[Stewg87]

i think alot of ppl probably don't care for bluegrass because its "uncool". thats certainly how ppl in the UK perceive music like this, or they r jst ignorant and think its joke music that toothless simpletons play. i greatly admire this music. maybe its because im a guitar player but the melodys are wonderful and the rythm and lead playing is fantastic.

[dodgewaldo]

its all about an emotion now,

ppl just wanna listen to a song and not have to think about it a whole lot.

if it gives them the right felling then cool,

but if they don't catch on to whats going on right away then it must suck

[HillbillyJ]

Wow man, thats hot stuff! Tony is deffinetly "the man" of guitar players.

I only have one complaint with the Tony Rice Unit, and thats that most of the time there was no banjo player. You might not be able to tell it live but on the records, without the banjo driving hard behind everybody, Tony's music is seriously lacking. So I much prefer what Tony did with JD Crowe. Of course, this is coming from a banjo player so, yeah I'm bias, LOL.

Either way though, Tony rocks!

[Orsino89]

I like what little stuff he's done with Bela Fleck, as far as banjo goes.

[flyawaytigers]

He was commenting on the little sadie vid that he played it like some banjo player did - so maybe he tries to fill that role somewhat and not have to compete.

[flatpikinguitar]

tonys music isnt lacking in anything, but he does sound better when he was with jd crow, or some of the other banjo pickers he has been with, but he isnt lacking

[guitarice]

Roy Curry does play in band situations a lot and that's probably why I like his playing. There are a handful of players at about Tony's technical level, but for me nobody sounds as good or as cool as he does. Like I've said, when you get to this elite level, it's a personal taste contest. And speaking of other great players, Wyatt Rice plays a great solo on this tune (Tipper) too.

[guitarice]

Speaking of bluegrass and popularity or lack of it.,., I was at a music festival this weekend and the popular music forms like Rap, rock, and classic rock had a couple of thousand in attendance. The bluegrass (which was on at the same time as some classic rock had about 100 people. Bluegrass might be doing some bit better, but it's got a long way to go to get the numbers that popular music gets.

[hollywoodonrecord]

That's probably because most folks think of Bluegrass as some kind of out dated vaudeville sideshow act, or open-mic-Friday night at the fire station type of thing. Most people that aren't musicians, who are just listeners, don't take it too serious, as far as music goes.

[9235092350]

Bluegrass is not for everyone. Just us select chosen few.

[guitarice]

I still think Clooney is a big reason for the upsurge in bluegrass. The biggest song in the movie was probably Man Of Constant Sorrow with George mouthing the words. I see much more Mr. Clooney in popular magazines, tv, ect... than any one else in the movie. This is how I see it. Not proven, but it's what I believe. At any rate, I hope bluegrass can continue to be in the limelight for whatever reason.

[guitarice]

I'm not often a fan of flatpicking contest players. They usually sound to much alike for me. I prefer flatpicking in a more bluegrass setting, where rhythm is much more important. However, I like Roy Curry. The guy has more depth to his playing than most other contest players. Who is the best, really comes down to a personal taste contest. For me Tony Rice is the perfect player. Been number one to me for over twenty years, and he still is.

[jocwalk]

Roy plays in a band a heck of a lot more than he plays in contests. Unfortunately, there are too many idiots here who are hell-bent on condemning anyone other than Tony. Tony is a great player. I never said he wasn't. My point was that Tony's skills really aren't any better than Roy's. Both are fast, clean, rhythmic, and highly creative. I listen to both (and others) and enjoy them all. Most others here are total children when it comes to this stuff.

[guitarice]

Oh Brother, I believe helped put bluegrass in the public eye more because George Clooney was in it more than because of the music itself. I'm not downing the music, I love some bluegrass, but the music got a huge push from George. Anyway, if people liked the music, that's great no matter the reason or reasons.

[jocwalk]

I don't think Clooney had much to do with the success. "Fargo" by the Coen brothers was highly successful too. "Intolerable Cruelty" by the Coens and also with Clooney flopped after "O'Brother." Most folks I know who saw the movie said Tim Blake Nelson ("Delmar") made the movie. That there was an entire music tour (Down from the Mountain Tour) with performers from the soundtrack that did well tells me the music stood on its own merits.

[joshporter08]

burnin it up! awesome

[StringChessy]

Tony is the fucking man when it comes to flat pickin style, lol, saw him in Telly last year, wonderful sound.

[guitarice]

In my opinion, Tony's the greatest flatpicker of all time. He is considered at or near the top in every category of comparison. Technique, speed, tone, timing, phrasing, influence, and diversity of material. All things considered, I think He's the man.

[johntrik]

No one can even come close to the taste,speed and accuracy of Tony Rice solos! Classic!!

[LBM10030]

An amazing performance. Beautifully done IMO

[SpiritLevelBubble]

Wyatt Rice reminds of one the characters from the Muppet Show.

[chillichomper]

AWE-Friggen-SOME!

[guitarro5]

lol i didn't mean that only redneck hicks from Arkansas play bluegrass, I mean that i'm used to bluegrass being an extremely casual type of music thats all.... man I'm a huge fan of pickin' and I'm from kansas. gettin together, playing at peoples houses or random bars is a very casual thing, which bluegrass is meant to be in my opinion. i just would feel weird getting dressed up in a tux and going to a bar and playing some bluegrass with my friends, thats all. everyone take a deep breath

[Minilamppost]

I played this for my guitar proficiency first semester at berklee

[dallassvolk]

Are tony and Wyatt brothers, or is the last name just coincidence?

[swemaniac]

brothers

[Guitarology]

What's wrong with bluegrass people dressing up in suits? So they should wear burlap sacks and wear straw hats with a corncob pipe stuck in their mouth? tony's second solo is da bomb the g run at the end is sooo powerful.

[bigdjindustriez]

Because that's an extremely common misconception. There are plenty of non-hillbilly rednecks who play bluegrass. Tony is a highly respectable man, not some hick from the backwoods.

[flatpikinguitar]

yeah like me, but a lot better.

[bigdjindustriez]

Yeah that's right. I'm a french person from Nova Scotia Canada and I thoroughly enjoy listening to and playing (or atleast attempting to play) bluegrass.

[pickinanddreamin]

Tony always looks so cool and in control. One of my heroes.

[guitarro5]

man what I would give to pick like this...these guys are true masters. Still though seein' a bunch of bluegrass pickers perform in suits has always seemed a bit off to me. nonetheless these guys rock

[wavefield07]

Tony has a ton of soul and talent, you can hear it in his playing. But here is a secret to picking well. Every day for the next year play scales with a metronome for at least one hour per day. Be really picky about the sound you produce (my 16-year old son calls me a "tone whore" because I'll do anything to get better sound). In the mean time learn chord structure and learn to play music that you like (bluegrass, gypsy, jazz, whatever) and at the end of a year you will be a guitarist.

[op3no2]

They dress nice out of respect for thier audience, if they dressed down it would be disresectful to the folks they are performing for. Bill Monroe always dressed in suits because he respected his fans. I guess Hee Haw had an influence on the dress code of Bluegrassers and kind of lowered the standards for years until classy guys like Tony Rice came along and tried to take the Hee Haw factor out, but it seems to have resurfaced after that O' Brother pice of shit movie came out.

[jocwalk]

You mean the same movie that just happened to have created new interest in bluegrass and mountain music with the best-selling soundtrack of all time. Is that that movie you so tactfully referenced?

[hollywoodonrecord]

You mean the same movie that just created ephemeral interest in bluegrass and mountain music.

Best selling soundtracks:

1. THE BODYGUARD 2. PURPLE RAIN

3 & 4. SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER; DIRTY DANCING

5. THE LION KING

6, 7 & 8. GREASE; FOOTLOOSE; TITANIC

9 & 10. TOP GUN; WAITING TO EXHALE

[jocwalk]

Don't you find it interesting that none of the movies listed are within the last 10 years? That's because you looked up information that was compiled in 1998 (on March 3rd), before "O'Brother" even came out. Last I read (years ago), "O'Brother" sold over 7 million copies within six months of the release of the movie which would put it on your list. I had heard on a special on PBS about a year ago that "O'Brother" now topped the list so I assumed the information was now accurate.

[jocwalk]

Wow, all these thumbs down for being right and proving your information to be totally invalid tells me a lot.

[hollywoodonrecord]

That movie was sort of a Tiny Tim moment. Why aren't there anymore such soundtracks being made in Hollywood? The film probably did help Bluegrass and Old Time music for awhile, in a novelty-kind-of-way; Yea I know it's just a movie, but in the end it probably did more damage leaving the impression that the founders of the genre were hayseeds, rednecks and racists.

[jocwalk]

Tony's a fantastic guitarist, no doubt about it. Take a listen to Dixie Hoedown- Lone Mountain Band. The guitarist is the best I've ever seen in terms of drive, speed, improvisation, and, most importantly, tone. Check out Black Mountain Rag (jam) too. You may be familiar with Jack Lawrence from that video although I'm not crazy about his playing. All I'm saying is that there are LOTS of really good guitarists out there who more than come close to Tony Rice's ability.

[teasinthefrets]

Man clean the wax out of your ears that guy from the Lone Mountain Band sounds like a rookie compared to TR. Norman Blake is better than that guy.

[jocwalk]

You just showed how much of an idiot you are. That guy is a two-time natiional flat-picking champion and has placed in the top three three other times including last year at the age of 50. Get a clue.

[teasinthefrets]

I thought that guy you were talking about sounded like one of those National Flatpicking champions, yuck, yuck, yuck...

[guitarro5]

wow apparently you have quite high standards if you think that performers who come out in casual clothing are being disrespectful to their audience. I show up for the music and could care less what they are wearing just as long as they go out there, have fun, play great music and amaze me with their skill. TR is an amazing player and there are definitely others out there who deserve mention b/c of their amazing skill. Why do people always insist on making arguments for who's better?

[flatpikinguitar]

who is the announcer guy? what group was he in

[guitarice]

The man announcing is the late/great John Hartford.

[95cooks]

Tony is so great. Thanks for being there to guide guitarist like me, Tony.

[spitzmannd28]

tha&nks so much all of your's!! that's so the summit of the flat top..technique, and emotion; wooooahh, P

[Mandopete]

You forgot Doc Watson.

[flatpikinguitar]

doc and jimmy mills

[johntrik]

Clarence White,Tony Rice,the heart of american acoustic guitar artistry....period!!!

[glennardskynnard]

That fiddle player has a sweet mullet. Tony Rice is the bombs.

[mandobaron]

yeeeehaw. also got to love the hartford intro

[herringbone28]

Get some of THAT!

[FatBullocks]

Cool song. I must be too young to know the Tony Rice unit, but it sounds awesome.

P.S.

 The fiddle player has a SWEET MULLET!

[donnyaldridge]

That fiddle player sucks.

[BluegrassBassMan54]

This WAS THE UNIT!!! Man I miss them sooooo much.

[guitarice]

Cool song and just in case anyone doesn't know it, Tony wrote this tune and it's one of my favorites.

[djohnson2055]

By far the greatest. This man is the reason I play bluegrass music today. Thanks for the posting.

[1Grassmaster]

Tony Rice is a Guitar Picking Robot!

[banjobilly32]

Now that's some Tony Rice pickin!!