Norman Blake / Tony Rice / Doc Watson - Salt Creek

[sonomabob]

OK who is the "dislike" guy?

[AnimalCorrective]

@sonomabob hahaha

[ststephen909]

@tomcoletti2353 spot on :)

[archtopp1]

Is that a picture of an Ovation guitar that Tony Rice is holding?If so, he never played it.

[JohnnysCoolStuff]

@archtopp1 Actually Tony did play an Ovation. He recorded with it quite a bit (the whole Backwaters album was recorded with the Ovation) and you honestly can't tell it from a Martin because if his picking style. I wouldn't have believed it, but it's in his biography.

[XLIVwhodat]

The Three Best flatpickers, can't get any better than this.

[tozour]

The reason everyone defers to doc is because earned his freakin stripes playing in the north carolina mud patches creating the world that both TR and NB are able to exist in. Doc lived the music before it ever was popular : )

[lkb3rd]

Music is not a competition. It is for people to enjoy and connect with each other.

If you turn it into a contest you are missing out on the best parts.

[fngrpkn06]

Three giants of flatpicking. They set the standards !

[Wokkaiser]

Did anyone wonder why music doesn't equals music?

Whatever, this is music in my ears! :)

[jipidibipity]

This reminds me of the Dady Bros here in Upstate NY who taught my older bro and of "the blind musician" mentioned by fictitious Michael in my copy of The Music Lesson.

[crowmatic1]

Well, As a European Guitarist I'd like to say this is wonderful playing, but until I came across Norman about an hour ago (bless you,YouTube) I'd never heard of him or Tony. But I have been aware of Doc since my school folk club days (circa1969) . More of a blues player myself but this is brilliant music and why these class musician's aren't better known beats me. Thank you USA for providing me with my life's joy from Blind Lemon to SRV. xxx

[wick2107]

@crowmatic1 America does have a fantastic history with guitar. I am in the same position as you. More of a blues musician myself and I am curious as to why it is so hard to discover great bluegrass guitarists.

[Microverse1]

@wick2107 Blues basically uses the same pentatonic scale, almost all the time. Jazz musicians need to know all the scales, and the subtle nuances of every musical mode, so that they can alter the scales by using passtones to transition between the modes. And they have to do it all the time. If you think playing blues and jazz is "just different" and one doesn't take more skill/talent than the other you are just wrong. Blues just doesn't take much skill to perform IMO, speaking from experience.

[wick2107]

@Microverse1 Even in the realm of jazz guitarists...Pat Metheny is nothing when it comes to blues. He is not nearly as good at blues as Wes Montgomery. As far as Metheny's blues? It is more boring than elevator music. Just because jazz requires more knowledge of scales does not make it better. It is tough to make bends like SRV...I do not care what genre you are from. Hendrix's feel (acid) brought him to play things most jazz guitarists would never think of back then. Knowledge is not skill.

[Microverse1]

@wick2107 You are right, the fact that jazz requires more knowledge doesn't make it better. It makes it harder to play, which means the musicians need to be better and more skilled. The only respectable top guitar list i have ever seen in rolling stone gathered professional musicians together to break down and analyze guitar players on different attributes. ie versatility, originality, chops/speed etc. Wes Montgomery won hands down. #1 best ever. popularity aside, just skill.

[wick2107]

@Microverse1 I agree Wes Montgomery is the best overall guitarist in jazz history. But knowing more scales does not require skill. It only requires extra years of study. Who cares? Phd's in physics are not better at physics than Einstein because they knew more about the theories and he delved right into hands on experience in the matter. That is basically what you are saying. Jazz musicians are better than blues because they know more about theory and blues delved right into the hands on exp.

[Microverse1]

@wick2107 Its cool, i'm not going to argue anymore. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, and that last post honestly didn't make any sense. I mean the sentence structure and punctuation was fine, but the logical progressions had more holes than swiss cheese. I am sure you are very proficient in the pentatonic scale, and "feel" the shit out of it, so go on with your bad self. You can have the last word.

[wick2107]

@Microverse1 For the record, if somebody said Clapton was better than Metheny, I would defend Metheny. Basically jazz guitarists are your favorite, does not make them factually better than blues guitarists and vice versa.

[Microverse1]

@wick2107 Damnit, you made me come back for one more. The exact distinction that i HAVE been trying to make is that favorite DOES NOT mean better. I never said that jazz was my favorite, and i don't even listen to that much jazz. I have spent most of my life as a professional musician and have played both blues and jazz, and jazz is much much harder, and requires a much higher level of musicianship, thats a fact. I can masturbate in pentatonic blues in my sleep, i can train a monkey to do it.

[TruegrassBoy]

I have their first album and it's great. Is the 2nd one still in print??

[1Bluesboy1]

@TruegrassBoy

Looks like Amazon has it.

[jedmarum]

@TruegrassBoy this 2nd album is terrific!

[omahabee]

what a beautiful song!

[omahabee]

sounds real good, guys

[deborahkauffman09]

Norman, Doc, Tony all true artists...none have dry hands, this is my music

[anitadavideduo]

Great!!!!!!!!

[Mudguaard]

We miss Merle

[blugrassgrl38]

Hey fridrikur, I bet BOTH your hands are dry....the right AND left one...

[W2n1dowsx]

fridrikur...i have witnessed some dips trying desperately to demonstrate how amazing their "taste" is and how "elevated" they are above the rest of us, but the level of idiocy you indulge in regarding Rice and Blake is a new high. Congrats you lead the loon line boy. There hands sound "dry"? You pretentious moron.

[fridrikur]

Doc's tone is the clearest and most precise. Those of Rice and Blake are good but compared to Doc's precise and spot on accurate timing, they somehow sound muffled. Tony is very talented but his right hand, allthough fast, sounds dry compared to Doc's, same goes for Blake.

[GeorgiaBoy1961]

@fridrikur: I like Tony and Norman's playing a great deal, but next to Doc, they sound second-best to me. Doc's taste and tone are always the best, and his time - his precision - is like a metronome. Just my two cents... all are greats.

[GeorgiaBoy1961]

@GeorgiaBoy1961: I agree with you; I like Norman Blake and Tony Rice, and own recordings by both of them - but there is only one Doc Watson and never will be another. His time is indeed like a metronome, and his sound is always so full and round. His taste is impecable, too, and I love his voice. Can you tell I'm a fan??

By the way, Doc is also a great comic and storyteller in the old tradition.

[Microverse1]

@fridrikur pretty much what W2n1 said. It's almost impossible to knock any aspect of Tony Rice's musicianship.  While i love all of these guys, Tony is arguably the best overall musician in the group. Maybe you -prefer- doc's playing but that doesn't necessarily mean he is the best. But whatcha gonna do, the general public thinks that Clapton and Santana are better guitar players than Pat Metheny so...

[wick2107]

@Microverse1 comparing blues/rock guitarists to jazz guitarists is ridiculous. Blues focuses more on feel and jazz is more on technical. I love both but to say Clapton and Santana are not as good as Metheny is a horrible assesment. It is tough to get Santana's tone and Clapton is tough to match creatively...he has changed rock and blues numerous times. Metheny makes technical music beautiful...a feat in itself. Metheny is amongst the best in jazz. Clapton/Santana amonst the best in blues.

[Microverse1]

@wick2107 Yeah, the "their styles are just different, and you can't really compare them" argument is pretty stale IMO. I can claim that Tommy Maddox is as good a QB as Tom brady because his style is more about just "feeling the game" than being technically good, and their styles aren't really comparable. I am entitled to that opinion, but it doesn't mean it is a valid one. Big dif. here is that metheny sits in with claptons band, he gets it. Clapton sits with metheny's band, he can't play along.

[wick2107]

@Microverse1 You don't know if Clapton pursued a guitar career in jazz if he would be considered one of the greatest guitarists in jazz. Yeah comparing their different styles is ridiculous. It is like saying Robert Johnson isnt as good as Dick Dale because he can't do tremolo as well or saying Tony Rice isn't as good as Duane Allman because he can't play slide guitar as well. Metheny plays jazz better than Clapton. Clapton plays blues better than Metheny. That is that.

[sailorbobk]

I've seen Norman Blake once and Doc Watson twice. But I can't say it was possible to get a clear look at their fingers. They move way too fast!

[gombakhillbillies]

Just love that Mountain music!

[IBG67]

@gombakhillbillies dont mistake this for real "mountain music" cause its not. its just unbelievably good bluegrass. ha!

[FeralReason]

This is one of the tunes I've never learned. I mean... after listening to this... where do you start ?!?!

[hotrock410]

Search 'salt creek power tab' on ultimate-guitar website. I made an arrangement of this for Doc and Tony's first breaks. Can't play it very clean though lol!

Hope that helps.

[Leifhackman]

flatpikinguitar: I remember Doc saying in some interview in the 50´s he played Les Paul in some Rock 'a Billy band :)

[Lafforte]

Yes and they didn't have a fiddler so he played fiddle tunes on the Les P so that people could dance their square sets. He says he had to play 10, 15 min., until the dancers were done, almost killing his arm. Ironically that is where he first really played those fiddle tunes on guitar.

[manakamar]

foottappin',kneeslappin',handc­lappin' music-yeeaah

[mosrite60]

no one makes runs like Doc. amazing stuff

[MartinGuitarLover1]

Beautifull!!!!!

[solflare111]

Well that was incredible.

[Galacticplane]

Wow! Super Group! Doc Watson! Norman Blake! Tony Rice! Wow! Three Maestro's!

[gheiller]

Its interesting to see when Doc plays with a duo or group after a few songs he's in charge and everyone is looking to him for direction. He's a true leader and respected by all.

[phjost]

@gheiller

You're right, but I would rather call him "natural authority" (or something like that) than "leader".

[crosswalkstudios]

@gheiller Meaning no disrespect, I would say that's because he can't look at anyone for direction, so the rest of the group has no choice.

[AnimalCorrective]

@crosswalkstudios At this level of musicianship, the word "look" is used only figuratively. Listening for direction would be a more appropriate way to say it. I've heard Doc Watson play backup, and he's a mighty fine backing player. These guys follow his lead because they respect him, not because they have no choice.

[rbassmanw]

I Would like to hear Tony rip it up on an electric Telecaster. Don't believe I've ever heard him play electric?

[gheiller]

I would like to hear Doc Watson play slide trombone also, but I don't think it will happen

[rbassmanw]

I know one thing. A truly gifted musician such as Doc would make any instrument sing. And my Grandfather taught himself several instr. after the age of 70. I know Tony's an acoustic player. I believe I was intimating he would be great on the electric also. I don't think it will ever happen on record anyway.

[flatpikinguitar]

he would also way over play it as hard as tony rice plays. as good as he is on acoustic guitar. he probably wouldnt be much of an electrick guitar player. it would be a sight to see and hear though.

[kentuckymandolin]

Tony is one of the lightest flatpickers around.