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View Full Version : Is a guitar a lead instrument in a bluegrass band?



Givensman
Apr-16-2004, 11:54am
A friend and I (both longtime traditional bluegrassers)have discussed this topic at length. Suppose your band has a banjo, mandolin, bass, and guitar. Is the guitar a lead instrument?

Andrew Reckhart
Apr-16-2004, 12:04pm
Two words~
# # # # # Tony Rice



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Wando
Apr-16-2004, 12:22pm
Depends on the player

mrbook
Apr-16-2004, 4:56pm
Tony Rice, Dan Crary, and quite a few other people these days have proved it can be. I can only think of a couple Monroe recordings with guitar breaks (Edd Mayfield comes to mind), so I've been to a few jams where the guitar players are only allowed to strum. Guitars don't usually "cut through" like banjos, fiddles, mandolins, or those high tenor vocals.

Dennis Schubert
Apr-16-2004, 6:46pm
Get yourself a copy of the Kentucky Colonels CD "Appalachian Swing" from the early 60's. Features brothers Clarence and Roland White in a full bluegrass band setting. That should settle any questions you might have about the role of the guitar. While Bill Monroe was not much on lead guitar players, I think it is significant to note that he offered Clarence White a job several times, to fill the guitar slot for the Bluegrass Boys.

George Shuffler (with the Stanley Brothers) and Don Reno (when he put down his banjo) were other early lead guitar influences in a full band setting. Doc Watson and Norman Blake didn't perform much in bluegrass bands, but could certainly handle the task as needed. Newer influences --Tony Rice, Dan Crary, David Greer, Curtis Burch, etc.

However, that doesn't mean that a weak or mediocre guitar player is going to add anything to the sound of the band when he steps up to pick a few notes. Poorly executed guitar breaks are going to suck eggs, and so will a band that doesn't fill in the rhythmic holes while the guitar player is soloing.

Brian Aldridge
Apr-16-2004, 6:50pm
Considering the formula you posed- ~your band has a banjo, mandolin, bass, and guitar~. I think it would depend on how the mandolin, banjo and bass covered the rhythm while the guitar is taking a break. No sense in sacraficing rhythm just so the guitar can do lead work. But of course a guitar can be a lead instrument in a bluegrass band. Listen to Carter and Ralph's recordings (The Stanley Brothers).

Scotti Adams
Apr-16-2004, 6:58pm
..absolutley....when its done right...

jim simpson
Apr-16-2004, 7:35pm
The guitarist in our 4 piece band flatpicks really well. The rythm doesn't seem to suffer when we back him up during his breaks. Being a four piece, it's nice to have 3 instruments to split up the breaks. Our bass player is starting to get a break on a couple of tunes as well. When I started with the group, our guitarist was our dobro player. Our lead singer/guitarist decided to split so our dobro player became our guitarist. I'll switch to guitar on some songs and he gets to play dobro on those tunes. Now if we could just get a really good fiddle player!

Brian Ray
Apr-16-2004, 7:36pm
Hell yeah, make the bass player learn some fiddle tunes too...

Givensman
Apr-16-2004, 9:49pm
Brian, you hit our discussion right on the mark .....

"Considering the formula you posed- ~your band has a banjo, mandolin, bass, and guitar~. I think it would depend on how the mandolin, banjo and bass covered the rhythm while the guitar is taking a break. No sense in sacraficing rhythm just so the guitar can do lead work."

Recordings, or listening to recordings, don't count. You'll always have rhythm in recordings. I'm talking live.

mando bandage
Apr-17-2004, 6:54am
Hell yeah, make the bass player learn some fiddle tunes too...

And if you want to see/hear a bass player play fiddle tunes, go see Edgar Meyer. According to Sam Bush, he and Bela Fleck met Meyer when they found him playing fiddle tunes on the doghouse on the sidewalk in Telluride. Bela's comment: "the guy's obviously a nut case, but I really want to get to know him."

When you see Meyer pull this off, you will be filled with the wonderment of a child discovering the world for the first time.

R

R

futrconslr
Apr-17-2004, 9:04am
It can be if you want it to be!http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/blues.gif

AmosMoses
Apr-17-2004, 7:32pm
It seems to me that my favorite artist Del McCoury doesn't do much real fancy yet provides solid rhythm for the rest of the band.

In our band (guitar, mando, banj, bass) our guitar player can't flatpick real fast but he's pretty solid rhythm.

Mark Normand
Apr-19-2004, 8:42am
I'm no group leader for sure, but in our local jam, if I'm singing, I will always give the guitar player a break if he wants it. Even if it means extra breaks as needed. He gets his chance just like everyone else. But thats strictly a jam setting, all for fun.
When I got my Martin some months ago, I find myself drawn to learning how to flatpick breaks.
Is it me or does it seem that a really good fast bluegrass guitar break is always well appreciated by the crowds? Seems like that guy is really working harder than anyone up there. I, for sure, absolutely love it. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

JDARTGOD
Apr-19-2004, 11:13am
When played in "proper context", any instrument can be a lead instrument.

Every traditional Bluegrass Acoustic instrument has a vital role in the lead and rhythm departments, depending on the tune and the caliber of player on that particular instrument. (In my opinion)

KevinM
Apr-22-2004, 7:23am
Each instrument is a solo instrument in a bluegrass band.