Style

[Lane Pryce]

I thought this would go along with the "whose the best player"thread. I like so many mandolin players that it is really difficult for me to say who I actually think is the best.However I do see quite a contrast stylistically among my favorite players.For smoothness I have to give it to Adam Steffey.The man's fingers just glide over the fretboard.Sam Bush's style in my opinion has the same features as Steffey's but with more of an agressive approach to his playing. Lp

[mandopete]

Not sure how this game is different - are there different rules?

Perhaps we should do this like American Idol and vote someone off the list each week.

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Lane Pryce]

Style is what makes em different.Compare Steffey and Bush's playing; Steffey/mandolin intro and breaks in "Everytime You Say Goodbye" to Bush's "Going Back to Old Kentucky;"two different styles.(1st tunes that come to mind) Two top shelf players with supberb technique and different musical styles. Lp

[Scotti Adams]

..yea..but compare Bushs kickoff/ break on "Reach" and tell me how that compares to Steffey...same key....different strokes..different notes..

[CountyFarm]

Norman Blake, John Duffy, Peter Ostroushko (?) are prolly my favorites. Oh and Jethro ;)
I dont try to play like anyone, I just try to play like me.

[nilodnam]

Kind of related to the topic. Where and with what groups can I hear Adam Steffy. With all the good things said about him, he doesn't seem to have a website, and a search on his name on Amazon returns nothing. Best kept secret weapon of the mando world I guess. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

Thanks

[John Flynn]

Where and with what groups can I hear Adam Steffy
Alison Krauss and Union Station's early stuff and now Mountain Heart

[futrconslr]

[QUOTE]Perhaps we should do this like American Idol and vote someone off the list each week

THAT is a great idea! #lol

[johnwalser]

Don Stiernberg, Evan Marshall and Butch Baldasari all have so much style and I will never tire of hearing them play. Ronnie, Doyle, David, Adam, Ricky and so many others are great mandolin players that simply blow my socks off every time I slip in one of their CDs. Chris's technical perfection quite clearly tells me he is from a planet on the other side of the universe and simply can not be considered alongside men from our own home planet.
Don Stiernberg is in my opinion (and what the heck do I know?) is a great musician that understands jazz on every level and just happens to play mandolin. Maybe something of Jethro rubbed off on him during their time together and I certainly wish he could rub a little bit of it on my play.
John

Ronnie Mccoury's style. He seems to have his own kind of a deal going on. Very complex and very hard!

[Joe Parker]

Don Rigsby's playing on all three of the Longview recordings is,to me,a great blend of old and new styles and I never get tired of listening to his solos as well as his back up playing. He has a knack for creating a fresh sound within a traditional format. In other words,I wish I could play like that!

JPP

[mandocrucian]

I like to listen to players who have taken up a mando as a second or third, or even fourth instrument, and come to it from completely outside of any established "mando tradition". While it may not be the slickest or most polished mando playing, the whole point is that they come up with stuff that a "mando-tradition"-bound player never would. #A lot of these folks are guitar players, usually electric:

Ry Cooder
Johnny Winter
Rory Gallagher
David Lindley
Jimmy Page
John Paul Jones
Richard Thompson
Ian Anderson (flute, harmonica, acoustic gtr)
Martin Carthy (acoustic guitar in CGCDGA tuning)
Davey Johnstone (Elton John's guitarist, but he actually was an acoustic folkie on gtr/mando before going rock)
Peter Buck (guitar REM)
Levon Helm (drums)

I tend to just go to source instrument(s) and figure out how to make the stuff work on my own. #But, hearing somebody do something different can help with the mental breathroughs that open new doors.

Niles H

[neal]

So far, the styles I'm getting into right now are Dave Apollon, Howard Frye and just this week "discovered" Evan Marshall. Previous syles I was having a hard time taking out of my CD player were Compton-Long, John Reischmann and Grisman.

Those first three, though.....How does Evan Marshall do that?!?!

[nilodnam]

Mando Johnny,

Thanks for the lead on Adam. He is on Skaggs Family records which is great since it supports artists more directly and, is so resonable in price.

[mando bandage]

Ronnie McCoury and Tim O'Brien come to mind first.

R

[JimRichter]

Compton, Compton, and more Compton

Followed by:
Monroe
Duffey
O'Brien
Bush
Blake
myself!

Jim

[MDW]

Niles,

I'm curious. What recordings are available with Johnny Winter on mandolin? I've got a lot of his blues stuff but don't recall any mandolin on the stuff I have. I'd be interested in getting it if it's available.

Mark

[mandocrucian]

Johnny Winter -SECOND WINTER "I'm Not Sure" #(electric 8 string instead of elec. guitar - check this track out.) #

Johnny Winter - PROGRESSIVE BLUES EXPERIMENT "Bad Luck and Trouble"

Johnny Winter - STILL ALIVE AND WELL "Too Much Seconal" #(Yank #Rachell-style acoustic mando, blends well with Jeremy Steig's flute

There are probably a few more Winter mando tracks; if you know of any, let me know.

NH

[batman]

Hey Jim, I am a Compton convert as well. I had to see it live though for it to really flip my swithch.Don

[JEStanek]

I'm no big expert but I know what I like....
Anthony Hannigan (Hickory Project(a PA Band)
Chris Thile
Mike Marshall
Ricky Skaggs
Tim O'Brien
Andy Statman

These are the guys I heard that made me pick up my first mandolin. My fingertips have never been the same.

[doublestop]

I like Anthony Hannigan's style too. I think what I like most about him is his unpredictabilty. Wouldn't it be horrible if everyone sounded the same!

[Kbone]

I'm in awe of all the " Newgrasser's, but hitting a million notes a second bores me after a spell of listening _ I love the soulful blues oriented players the best - Skaggs , Wakefield , Mccoury , Compton , Monroe ( of course ),and others , but their name escapes me at the moment.

[resonant68]

I like any picker who can "pick more notes than the number of ants on a Tennessee ant hill". http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif
Being from an electic guitar background I like mandocrucian's pickin' style alot.Saw him pick once in Virginia.Picked a mean oval hole "A" Gibson!
I like Jesse's flat pickin' style too.
Ronnie McCoury
Tim O'Brian
Bill Monroe
Etc......

[ajh]

Someone who is entirely overlooked as a mando player because of his fiddle reputation is Stuart Duncan. I came across him years ago doing amazing "fills" on an old John Prine recording. And since then on older Iris Dement and Kate Mackenzie stuff. Not grassy at all, but incredibly tasty.

Tony

[PlayerOf8]

Kelly Purdue
Sam Bush

[GVD]

resonant68 Posted

..Being from an electic guitar background I like mandocrucian's pickin' style alot.Saw him pick once in Virginia.Picked a mean oval hole "A" Gibson!

Here's another vote for Niles. He can do things on the mando that nobody else has even thought of.

GVD

[garyblanchard]

I guess stylistically I love Dave Grisman's work. His playing on the Shady Grove CD turned me on to mandolin. I also love the playing of Mike Compton. His work with John Hartford was great.

[Scotti Adams]

..would it be too egotistical to say I like my style?...I have taken bits and pieces from all my favs...many who have been mentioned here and intertwined them into my style along with things I have made up on my own. Its worked so far....I cant say that I would want to play like one single person because they all mean alot to me.

[Ken Waltham]

I found Niles' list to be very interesting. The longer I have been away from playing just Bluegrass, the more interested I am in people who use the mandolin without having to sound like Monroe, or .....(put your BG hero's name here)
Led Zeppelin's mando work, either by Page or Jones is very cool, and completely liberated.
It is art, for art's sake, and not meant to mimic anything.
Just a thought....

[travers chandler]

Scotti said:

would it be too egotistical to say I like my style?...I have taken bits and pieces from all my favs...many who have been mentioned here and intertwined them into my style along with things I have ma

scotti you are so conceited...LOL Just kiddin....



I do like your playing though......amongst others:


Vernon Derrick
Herschel Sizemore
Bill Napier
Doyle Lawson
Earl Taylor
Buzz Busby
Gerald Evans
Dewey Farmer

And I really like the playing of Laryy Sparks who doesn't get much acclaim for his mandolin playing but it is almost instantly identifiable....





http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[Scotti Adams]

...I knew I would catch a little flack for that post..but if you could have seen the grin on my face as I was typing it you would realize is was meant in just. Im a firm believer in trying to develop ones own style. It doesnt hurt to learn a thing or two from your heros though.....I just got to the point that I didnt want to sell their(my heroes) records...but it does feel good when you execute a lick of(insert your favorite player here) and you turn some heads.....just at the moment when they thought you didnt know any of "those" licks.

[Kirby161]

Sam Bush
He can be fast but more importantly- when he plays slow he sounds the best.

Ronnie McCoury
Pure Bluegrass in a newgrass era. Cant be any better now that Monroe is dead.

Mike Marshall
Gets a 10 on the style scale. I describe him as "Thile meets Bush."

[resonant68]

And if you haven't done so yet,check out Dan Beimborn(hope I spelled it right).I have his CD "Shatter The Calm" and it it's awesome.He plays several of the mandolin family instruments on there and is a must hear.

[mandolooter]

Scotti...your playin speaks for it's self so grin away my friend! Hows that hand doing? I been busy and tho i check in everyday, i haven't had the time to read posts like I usually do.
Well put comments about style too...I purposely didn't jump on the "lessons" band wagon when I started playing so the "me" part could come out...now Im taking em to enhance that and git a little more "others" into my style. I must admit i don't sound like the masses but im not sure if it's in a good way or not! LOL:)

[Pedal Steel Mike]

This is going to sound weird, but Pete Seeger. Seeger is not really a mandolin player, but he played it for one song- an instrumental at that- on the 1955 "Weavers at Carnagie Hall" record, which, in 1960, was my absolute favorite recorfing and a major influence on me at the time.

When I began playing the mandolin in 1970 or 71, the first thing I learned was that Pete Seeger tune, and I developed my own personal style based around it.

5 years later, when I joined a local country/bluegrass band, (doubling on lead guitar) it drove the banjo player crazy because I don't play even remotely like Bill Monroe.

Of course we all know that if Bill Monroe (or Earl Scruggs) didn't play it, it's wrong. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Milan Christi]

Man, I've been pondering this since the thread started. OK - I'm ready - it's Mike Marshall. I tend to think of him as complete musician who plays the mandolin. I think he could take the mando into any musical group and make it sound like it absolutely belonged there. Not everyone can do that.

Sure do like Steffey's playin', though.

[mandolooter]

Marshall's a monster for sure!

[Chip Booth]

Tim O'Brian and Adam Steffey are huge style influences for me.

[bsimmers]

It depends on what day is, and countless other factors. However, when I get out the LP of "Monroe, Master of Bluegrass," that usually puts Bill at, or near the top for me. Evening Prayer Blues, Go Hither to Go Yonder, Old Dangerfield, etc. That stuff is great.
Most mandolin stuff can be nearly duplicated on another instrument. But this Monroe stuff is definitely "In your face, Big Mon, ..Hoss, Drivin', Lonesome, Shufflin', Dancin',Swingin', Inspirin', Let's Pick Mandolin Now Music."

"All that was left for me was the mandolin........"
Ol' Bill