Bryan Sutton - Texas Gales

[Patriksundvik]

i got this lesson on my channel :)

[IommiFan70]

1:23... WTF!!!! I think he wins guitar!

[IommiFan70]

8-O ...... dude!

[academyofbluegrass]

He just won IMBA's Guitarist of the Year, go Bryan!!

[pearpiece97]

I think this is amazing! And my prefered genres of music are Death Core, Metal and Dubstep xD but this guy is incredibly talented!

[MrWallacabayka]

The only fair way to rank musicians is by personal favorites. My favorite flatpickers in order: 1. Doc Watson 2. Tony Rice 3. David Grier 4. Bryan Sutton Dan Crary.

[ChiefLinesider07]

1:23 ............... 1:26

[shredrik]

This guy is at the top of the flatpicking food chain for sure

[shredrik]

This guy is at the top of thew flatpicking food chain for sure

[erezlevi420]

dfgbhdjkdbgflhbd

[123jozef]

Good stuff. 

[EduardoAllo]

add to my coment: if someone doesn´t play the guitar and says this is not great playin´, he doesn´t know what is speaking about...if someone plays guitar and says this is not a GREAT GREAT playin´, he´s just jelous

[EduardoAllo]

killer player, man

[usefulchannel]

not fair

[fngrpkn06]

awesome!

[amateurschallenge]

This is awesome, he has great control with his volume, and....everything in general!...love the tune

[mrbdb64]

Is that a Martin D28 ?

[ecurbdnyl]

@mrbdb64

I believe that's a Bourgeois - Country Boy. It's much nicer than any D28 with the exception of those 30's and 40's gems and maybe even some of the new D28V's.

[Peggy91193]

OMG...that's fantastic!

[MauroPavanelli]

He is a great inspiration, 50% of his playing is sufficient for guy be considered as an awesome player! Hope someday I could play those 50% LOL!!

[G3r0n1mo]

Tab? :-DDDD

[guitarchris83]

@flatopguy i dont think you will find an answer soon! :-)

[TheWholetones]

he's got the best, most clean tone I've ever heard. Every note is perfect. ridiculous.

[wankatronic]

@TheWholetones that's why they've called him "The Executioner" since he was 17.

[lte33]

@wankatronic

Can someone please tell me how to issue a video response.

Thanks

[TheArneDude]

I heard some Stairway to Heaven in 1:25 - 1:36. Great playing!

[BenRamble]

its great but not the kind to play solo

[arkrob89]

i hear a hint of cherokee shuffle

[Calaloo94]

uhh yeah,, kinda fast, he is not from this earth!

[catstomp500]

he's got such great control over the notes he plays

[Canawadry]

a lot of notes indeed ... but not that much melody unfortunately so what's the point ?

[catstomp500]

lol, what are you talking about? no melody??? i hear a melody...

[Roadking335]

@catstomp500 Bela Fleck, Chris Thile, and Ricky Skaggs heard it too...!!

[brandonch25]

@catstomp500 he probly means he is taking original melody and improvising over it so much you can hardly tell what song it is

[guitarpkr76]

Ha! That's hilarious. I just watched your video and you are definitely not in the position to talk.

[flatpikinguitar]

I hear a lot of melody. bryan sticks closer to the melody than a lot of the hot pickers out there.

[PCPrabbit]

simply amazing. i need to see him live.

[pretourious]

Indeed the master! :)

[PINEPUPPY]

Lord help me...

[knoxchris04]

rofl, pro

[flatpicker15]

1:25  wow

[bleedx2]

i cant decide if this makes me want to practice more or quit :)

[RAzersedGE24]

you should practice more ^^

[jimmyskins]

haha, been there before! I have to agree with the other reply though: practice more! Let it inspire you more than discourage you...it's 50/50 and the choice is yours...work well!

[tunefultony]

Bryan shows us how!!!!!. His picking is phenomenal ....clear, strong & precise. Bryan is another important link in the chain of bluegrass greats & is obviously heavily influenced by Doc Watson.

Notice the almost imperceptible movement of the fingers of his fretting hand. That is the secret of speed playing. Oh...plus 12 hours a day practise.

[sweetdixieguitar]

Not bad..haha...I think its safe to say Bryan has practiced a time or two in his day. :)

[iwatatatsuya]

Mandolin1944:

I totally agree with you. I like Bryan's exact and clear pickings and believe nobody opposes such pickings of him. BUT I prefer first one minute and want to skip hearing the rest. It's something like his exercise of picking. I also believe Bryan will play in another way after ten years with exact and clear pickings which I like.

[tkrantz55]

He is amazing! check out the video of ricky scaggs, litte maggie

[BluesBrother93]

So neat!

[SwitzerlandStudios]

Okay... I quit guitar...

[toxicmegacolon]

phenomenal

[GTO8383]

What type of Bourgeois is he playing? the D-150?

[djlb54]

I think it's an a Country Boy.

[flatpikinguitar]

yeah. it's his own country boy delux!

[flatpikinguitar]

country boy delux

[WingleDingus]

no it is a d-150, bryan plays that guitar most as well as a slope shouldered dreadnought and an om model, all beautiful guitars, he prefers rosewood bodied guitars as opposed to the country boy, which has mahogany back and sides, more loud and vibrant while rosewood is more deep and resonant

[flatpikinguitar]

But he is playing a Bourgeois Country boy delux here. you can tell by the wood on the side at around 0:18 that it is a mahogany guitar.

[flatpicked]

amazing

[KittraKittra]

When I first got on Youtube, I accidentally gave a video (Nat King Cole) a three star rating instead of a five star but found there was no way to retract it. Perhaps this is what happened here because I can't imagine anyone giving this video anything less then five stars. He's awesome.

[baddd60]

What a great, great video.

[demando3342]

To each his own. Although, I'd take Sutton in an all out flatpicking cage match against just about anyone out there.

[KittraKittra]

God Bless Bryan. I'll never forget his performing at Grady Martin's big send-off at the Belcourt theatre in Nashville three days after Grady's burial. Bryan is so brilliant yet so kind. His fingers tell his life's story so beautifully.

[JoJaDaRu]

This guy is great! Love is tone and style. Very smooth. I wish he'd record an album with Chris Thile (and not just a posted jam, although that's cool too). They play beautifully together.

[Mandolin1944]

Sutton is an outstanding flat picker -- no doubt about that.

But I did not like this version of Texas Gales much -- in my opinion it was played WAY too fast and so many EXTRA notes and runs that the orignal melody was nearly lost in the flurry.

The "A" part was there -- the the "B" part unrecognizable, and the "C" part somewhere in between.

It a really pretty fiddle tune ordinarily.

[flatpikinguitar]

yeah but its a good kind of flurry right.

[jocwalk]

I agree. Sutton is a fantastic guitarist but improvisation can be, and often is, overdone but lots of folks. It's like the version of "Lonesome Moonlight Waltz" on Youtube by Sutton and Thile. After about the first minute, you have no idea what they're playing. Likewise for Andy Falco playing "Cherokee Shuffle." Great musicians all but keeping things at least somewhat familiar is sort of the point, isn't it?

[maurieer]

The ability to play within the chord structure

makes for a great jazz guitar.

Why not here?

[jocwalk]

Improvisation is great but bluegrass and old-time are not like jazz in which it's often a deal where five guys are in the same key doing their own thing then periodically get in unison. Basically, this is an old fiddle tune and as with any existing tune, isn't the goal to do it in such a way that it's clean, in time, and familiar? Sure you can dress it up a bit but getting to the point that it isn't familiar defeats the purpose of performing an existing song.

[jocwalk]

Check out this music clip: Leftwich, House, Kilby - Melee on the Backstretch (just copy and paste).

[jocwalk]

What the hell? Someone gave me "thumbs down" just for pointing out another video with an excellent guitarist?

[holymolybob]

I checked them out and they threw it down. good call. by the way, kilby is gnarly a this craft.

[jocwalk]

Glad you liked them. Cody Kilby is incredible (on several instruments: national champion on guitar and mandolin and runner-up on banjo). There are just some really amazing flat-pickers out there.

[EvanPhillips1]

i think brian and cody should have dual off

[jocwalk]

I would definitely pay to see that.

[EvanPhillips1]

me too.

[jackthrift]

I would yank off while watching that!

[gibsonbanjo96]

Bryan is great I have played locally around with him and his father, trust me it's a great jam with Bryan and his dad and sometimes Bobby Hicks all playin togethor.

[flatpikinguitar]

Your right, he's using his bourgeois country boy delux. My uncle has one just like it.

NICE GUITAR.

[ZekeCuevas]

hey do you know what kind of pick he uses? I have been getting into bluegrass lately and want to know more about it

[jocwalk]

Picks in bluegrass are as hot a topic as any other. I like the Cool Cat Tongue 1.00mm but preferred the 1.14mm until they quit making them. I like the texture that makes them easy to hang onto. Many just use the Dunlop Tortex while others use real tortoise shell picks (actually illegal in the U.S.) I've seen some using buffalo horn. Some use picks as heavy as 1.5mm while awesome guitarists like Steve Kaufman only use at .76mm nylon pick. Buy lots then find what you like.

[oklahomasongwriter]

Just plain awesome!

[baddd60]

I love seeing players like Sutton and Thile taking over the reigns of bluegrass instrumental prowess. Its shows that this music lives on and on.

[hamshank76]

Good attitude bro

[tayman1519]

i do believe he's using his bourgois

[Rubinsky27]

who knows what guitar he's usin in this?

[mrgrasskat]

Whats to compare?Bryan is the best living player of this type of music.Hands down!!

[jocwalk]

No offense, but that really is an absurd comment. Bryan Sutton is a superb guitarist but go see guys like Steve Kaufman (3-time national champion), Roy Curry (two-time national champion and second and third), David Grier, and Cody Kilby live and then tell me that anyone is "hands down" the best guitarist. There are MANY excellent guitarists out there, many of whom play fiddle tunes/bluegrass/old time music extremely well.

[Mexmando]

Bryan i still the cleanest that has followed in the White and rice shoes

[jocwalk]

Clarence White and Tony Rice (were/are) excellent as is Sutton. However, unless you've personally seen guys like Steve Kaufman, Roy Curry, Cody Kilby, David Grier, (all of whom I've seen live) and many others, it really is just a silly statement to say Sutton (or ANY one guitarist) is the best, cleanest or whatever. I watched one of my Steve Kaufman videos just last night and I'd put him up against Sutton any day, tell you to close your eyes and say "Pick one."

[SantaCruzOM]

While I agree that Bryan is way out there in terms of talent, it really is absurd to continue to perpetuate this idea that there has to be a "best" in music. Music is not a competition. As others have pointed out, there are many exceptionally talented guitarists out there. On any given night, any of them are capable of delivering mind-blowing performances.

[SantaCruzOM]

To try to rank them in terms of their talent completely overlooks the point of music. Frankly, it's the diversity of talent and styles that makes it so compelling and enjoyable.

[muzinfo]

You're absolutely right. Just enjoy the good music and the diversity the musicions all offer us.

[guitarice]

Bryan is just about as fluid and mistake free in his playing as possible. I don't like comparing players because it can turn into a bash-fest, but I don't think anyone was/is better than Tony Rice when he was at his peak from about 1973 through about 1993. Tony's still up at the top now, but he has company now too.

[Froike]

Horse Shit!!! Bryan is one of the best flat pickers I've ever heard! I've been playing 45 years...all different genres. He has incredible technique, plays with great taste..and is capable of playing anything he wants to!

[banjobilly32]

Lord have mercy on any aspiring new pickers! This could be cause to put your instrument up for sale!! Fantastic picking!!

[jbprider]

oops i meant a steady stream of notes, and not a subtle stream of notes. doh!

[jbprider]

i guess i could have used some more subtleties in there, rather than a subtle stream of notes, but you cant bash him for his take on the song. a gale is a pounding storm so if thats the way he interprets it, then so be it. all i know is that he plays in a band with jerry douglas and in order to do that you have to be very musical. great picker without a doubt

[grundlechive]

Everything changes between generations and bluegrass is no exception. You don't have to be in love with where some of the new pickers take it, but you have to admit it's original and in cases like this insanely fuckin' impressive. Bryan's the man.

[orlandofriend]

That was too steeped in scales and not very musical. It's good scale playing, but he's got a ways to go before he is truely musical.

[ALyn67]

orlandofriend! You're joking...right?

[chickenwbroccoli]

i have to say, bryan doesnt play like tony that much. i mean the reality is they both play bluegrass guitar. bryan, his attack is completley different than tony's. he got pegged as "Tony2" probably for all the FILLING IN he did for tony rice! bryan has definatly been influenced by tony, but he has a style all his own, they are both phenomenal players! i have this video bookmarked!

[xms32]

For all of you who like to make comparisons, this music is way over your heads. You're better off listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd.

[brazilgrass]

Bryan better than Tony?

Could Sam Bush be compared to Bill Monroe?

Can you separate the historic significance from the technique?

Tony was there at some historic moment, Sutton was wearing diapers at the time, and there's nothing anyone can do about it, sorry to say.

God bless the pioneers, George Shuffler, Doc Watson & Clarence White AND Tony Rice. Without them, there would be no Sutton.

[Mexmando]

I agree from Doc comes Clarence from Clarence comes Rice from Rice comes Sutton from Sutton comes....?? lets wait and see eh!!

[iizabunghole]

Um...maybe Cody Kilby

[EvanPhillips1]

maybe cody kilby?

[bush555]

JIMMY PAGE IS BETTER THEN EVERYONE THE JIMI HENDRIX IS 2nd

[gtrpiker]

I hope you are joking

[sleestack]

Well, they were both great composers and innovators. Which means a lot to me. APples and oranges to these guys though

[Froike]

Tony Rice would probably say Bryan is great. But why compare apples and oranges? They are both wonderful musicians. Yep, I agree, there are thousands of great pickers out there!

[KittraKittra]

Bryan Sutton is not only a phenominal musician, he is a very kind person. He performed at the Grady Martin tribute 8 years back. He's a lovely gentleman. Sutton, Thom Bresh and Lil' Frankie Carter are among my favorite flat pickers.

Interesting to note that each of these flat-pickers has a unique personality all their own that can be heard in the way they bring deliver their music.

[traiser09]

Hi KittraKittra! You wrote about Lil' Frankie Carter. Who is he, where can I find anything about him? Tried Google an YouTube success. Can You help me?

traiser09

[KittraKittra]

I did a YouTube search to find there are no links to Frankie Carter.

The kid rocks!

What's wrong with this world?

Frankie and is siblings were recently signed to a major label.

(Artists sign to a major label because major labels (supposedly) have superior marketing skills.)

yeah, right... NO "MySpace" visibility!

That's alright. We love you, Frankie.

You and your gorgeous sisters will survive "major label" stardom and live far beyond.

[KittraKittra]

Hey, I found an old Frankie Carter video. I'll post it as soon as I get a chance. He looks about 10 in this old film. He's now a wild and crazy young country rock star. He's just darling!

[dlivers9704]

Thank you ALyn67 for that. Finally someone who agrees that there is someone as good if not better than Tony Rice. But before you write a nasty comment about this listen to a song or two off his new CD.

[gtrpiker]

amen

[HillbillyJ]

Ummm...There was a melody in there somewhere, wasn't there?

[vaudevillediscjockey]

Where?

[HillbillyJ]

I don't know, how do these people get by with this stuff? You bombard us with a truck load of notes and you try to pass it off as a song? Sure, its impressive to watch their fingers move so quickly, but what good does it do?

George Shuffler is a good guitarist, and if he can't play the melody, he don't play. If only modern pickers followed his example.

[95cooks]

Actually, this is very musical, and the song and melody are very clear because he's simply playing the notes of the chords. Because you can't hear it it means that you don't have a very sophisticated or developed ear. That's not such a bad thing, as it means that you need everything slow and deliberate. But you're makingthe mistake of thinking that because something doesn't sound the way you understand it means it's not musical.

[gtrpiker]

The melody is there you are all just to old and close minded to get it

[HillbillyJ]

I'm sorry, what was that now? Old? I'm younger than you are! I just happen to like the old Bluegrass, at least those guys could carry a tune!

[gtrpiker]

sutton is the most technically advanced guitar player thats in bluegrass right now. Don't bash him for bein different. It's way to easy to learn the song note for note and bore everyone to tears with the same break everytime.

[HillbillyJ]

I wasn't saying that you can't variate! You totally missed my point! Earl Scruggs, for example, usually plays the melody, yet 2 of his breaks on the same song can be totally different, like Dear Ol Dixie, the melody is there, but no 2 breaks are exactally alike. Thats just the kinda picker is, he can actually play the melody and not have to rely on just a boat load of notes to make himself look skilled.

[bmcgee420]

Seems like everybody "steals" from Tony Rice- but in a GOOd way I guess!

[ALyn67]

More like Bryan's giving TR a run for his money. Now don't get me wrong, TR is a very talented guitar player, but...

[zloop]

ooh my god,,,this guy is thiiii most wiicked,,,,i'll be sitting here the whole week trying to figure out what and how the hell is doing these things! I'll love this style and he's one of the best I've seen,,,

[dlivers9704]

He won a grammy for his song with Doc Watson 'Whiskey Before Breakfast', on the CD Not Too far from the Tree

[somedudewithvideos]

bryan's my cousin.

he's a good guy.

[Grobunny]

bryan sutton is soooo sexy hot!! I've met him and he's crazy cute and humble. Talent and recognition has not tarnished his nature. Rock on sexy!!!!

[ALyn67]

He is a hottie! :-)

[syncopater999]

nice and very smooth with no generic bluegrass licks

[suhnami]

sickness. crazy good. i'm afraid

[scheerhorn]

i wish there were more vids like this of bryan.

[duhcrackuh]

this guy is one of the best ive personally ever seen. there only 2 ppl ive ever met that can play as good as him, there names are mark and ronnie edwards

[e7rachael]

well, then you've got to hear jim hurst, tony rice, robert schaeffer, clay jones, david grier, steve kaufmann and the most amazing i've seen..the incredible larry keel from natural bridge va....wow, there are so many great flatpickers these days!

please, not saying your wrong at all...bryan is fab.

[popoaggie]

You forgot John Moore

[21Criminal]

Great video, great close up shots, too. Thanks for posting this!

[ALyn67]

I have the "Not Too Far From the Tree" CD and it's one of the best Cds ever. His music epitomizes happiness.

[snatchpussylesbo]

bryan rules, so does his album "not to far from the tree". one of the best bluegrass guitar players today!