David Grier's Wheel Hoss: Fast, Faster, and Fastest!

THE MAGNET CAMERA MOUNT IS NOW ON KICKSTARTER! Film your own playing just like we did with David! www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
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Man, bluegrass flat pick master David Grier plays the prettiest stuff. In this clip from our latest interview with him, we talk arranging standards for different tempos, and how David streamlines his arrangements for smooth pickin' when he hits the gas pedal. Asute observers will note the distinct change in his picking mechanics as he ramps up the Monroe classic "Wheel Hoss" to around 300bpm eighth notes. Get more David here: troygrady.com/interviews/david...

[@nelsonkerr1119]

He finishes "Wheel Hoss" at 295bpm flawlessly and says "something like that" then casually sips his coffee. Awesome stuff Troy.

[@troygrady]

Hilariously, I can tell you after he reviewed the footage he was bummed he hit the pickguard at one spot, said he wished hadn't done it. I'm like, you're kidding right?

[@andybowen1249]

Lol I heard it but come on man, don’t be so hard on yourself. Have you ever come across Allen Shadd?

[@2204JCM]

Troy Grady Yeah its near the very end of this video as you can hear it. But this dude can play 8th notes at head cutt’n speed!

[@troygrady]

Yes I filmed Winfield in 2007 during our first Carl Miner interview and Allen was a competitor that year.

[@andybowen1249]

I thought you’d of come across him on your travels? I always enjoy his stuff on Dream guitars channel. I don’t know, but he just seems a little bit different to me? Every note Allen Shad plays, always seems essential to me. I know he can play the well drilled fast stuff, but very much like Carl Miner, who you mentioned, he’s so good at doing the real beautiful, slower stuff.

[@EricMooreGuitar]

David is such a monster player! That right hand accuracy is so insane. His left hand is so smooth. He is absolutely amazing.

[@1bassman9]

That is some of the most amazingly flawless and accurate picking I have ever witnessed ! WOW !

[@PICKERY]

Davids been killing it for years. I think its awesome to see him becoming a more common name in the guitar world. One of the best in the world, no exaggeration.

[@funshorestudios]

Hey Troy, just wanna say you’re doing God’s work. Your videos solved a problem I had with alternate picking for 20+ years. I hope you get all the blessings and good will you deserve.

[@damonstewart70]

Man Troy you cover EVERY spectrum of advance guitar... BEAUTIFUL STUFF

[@troygrady]

And don't forget mandolin. If it's got a pick, we'll film it! But yeah, David is always so eloquent.

[@damonstewart70]

@@troygrady you rock man no one has done stuff like this not only that you YOURSELF are a picking monster I think we NEED an album from you

[@troygrady]

@Dissonant Timbres I think we mailed her several years back and never heard. We can try again, I'd love to talk to her. And her husband Justin Moses too. Both great!

[@RC32Smiths01]

Can you ever get Rick Graham on the show? He is one of the most technically clean and consistent players out there. Great work

[@skullkid112]

I think Rick and Marshall Harrison are some of the best talent on KZbin and the guitar game in general.

[@bingefeller]

@@skullkid112 They are technically brilliant, they're certainly not songwriters though.

[@I0MSammy]

@@bingefeller Yes so they are talented then... I am sick of hearing people make this same old argument. I know you are not saying you're a better player than Rick but do you honestly think you could write a better song than he could if you tried? Probably not. We get it, it doesn't have to be stated every 5 minutes that Rick is no David Gilmour, but then again David Gilmour is certainly no Rick Graham.

[@bingefeller]

@@I0MSammy I'm not a songwriter either..... I'm just a bedroom warrior playing covers and jamming to backing tracks on KZbin. I don't try to write songs.

[@I0MSammy]

Then you're not really in a place to judge. Don't get me wrong I am not trying to be disrespectful but everyone always rips into technical players as if they can't write songs - they definitely can, just not as well as acclaimed artists

[@woodbox665]

So the Martin in the background is on standby in case the one he's playing catches fire?

[@troygrady]

Guess we got lucky!

[@perihelion7798]

I believe that the pick guard started curling up...

[@ISLXGaming]

0

[@Del_Puerto_Musica]

Great as usual Troy! I have been using your videos to better my technique and it really helped speed the process! I am a gipsy jazz player myself but this bluegrass stuf is just is pure gold!

[@TruthSurge]

I guess it's fair to assume he's been playing for more than a year?

[@brianj4090]

6 weeks with the Esteban DVDs

[@vonmilash823]

i was naturally an upward pick slanter my whole life and knew i was limited. I became a solid rhythm player with a bag of tricks. Then, one day, Troy's video with MAB got me experimenting. Now i can easily downward slant and relied on it almost entirely. Then Troy's videos with Andy Wood got me taking another look at upward slanting and those quick transitions between UPS and DPS. Between Andy Wood and this guy, I'm now always trying to look at ways to incorporate both slants to find the best (most comfortable) way to do something. The lick im working on is simple... 16th notes at 143.... simple descending 3nps on two strings.. 14,13,12 on G, 14,13,12 on D, starting with a downstroke on G. Repeat. All alternate picking. Two way slanting and those quick wrist rotations a la Andy Wood got me there and beyond. This little exercise is the foundation of the solo in Gel by Collective soul, which few people other than Ross Childress can really seem to play. (Not well, anyway). Troy and I are about the same age I'd say... started out the same... rocking to old records and trying to figure out how some guys did things that i couldn't. But he got those instructional vids years ago and watched them meticulously and finally cracked the code. Hats off to Troy. His vids made a world of difference in my playing.

[@mitchmatthews6713]

I jammed with David once at IBMA a few years ago. A great guy, fantastic and totally underrated guitarist.

[@DoodlesHD719]

Troy Grady has helped me realize, even more so, that every one plays guitar different.

[@752brickie]

Wow is all I can say !!! WOW !!!!! Thank you Troy and David !!!

[@countryguitaronline]

Nice one! I love David Grier's stuff. Sounds great!

[@brownmonkeybananayellow]

Thanks for posting this. There are not enough videos of David Grier.

[@dennismeredith6944]

Wow....What a joy to watch and listen......Thank you!!!

[@ShawnBrockMusic]

You got to love David! I teach this song and many other flat picking selections over on my channel, for those who are interested in the pursuits of bluegrass guitar. Great job on this guys! Love it!

[@priteshugrankar6815]

Another fantastic upload. The Carl Miner bundle was an eye opener...This seems even better.

[@troygrady]

David's technique may be somewhat more gettable, maybe? Not sure! I think what I mean to say is that it's more obvious to me what he's doing at these different speeds, and it's also more similar to what I kind of do already. Both David and Molly Tuttle are in sort of the same familiy of pronated arm position players who use wrist, or mostly wrist motion.

[@priteshugrankar6815]

@@troygrady you have no idea how much your videos and most importantly the bundle has helped me. I practice intermittently but still I can feel and hear the smoothness...Man you are a genius...🙏

[@iloverumi]

amazing playing and interview. thanks.

[@andybowen1249]

What a humble, brilliant man.

[@laudnivek-k9]

Great content as always.

[@RobertoDallaVecchia]

Awesome video Troy, thank you

[@lordviewer7305]

I love all the stuff you have on guitar an technique. Fanboy here

[@troygrady]

Right on! Thanks for watching.

[@daf827]

Holy moly! I can’t hear that fast! I first saw one of these neck mounted cameras on a Molly Tuttle video. DG is a crosspicking beast.

[@mdub2000]

Thanks for this Troy....i love blue grass....even though i'm more of a rock and jazz guy...they way they skip strings with their pick its so intuitive for em.

[@troygrady]

Indeed they got skills!

[@theophany1770]

Really appreciate you introducing me to this guy. Have considered doing a vid on or interviewing Chris Impellitteri? He's often overlooked for some reason. Thanks for the vids and inspiration man!

[@hilaryhahn]

Love this video , good job . Thumb up right away !!

[@greekflatpicker]

My favorite flatpicker . THANK you!

[@bubba4001]

Troy, This man, David Grier plays great. Thanks for sharing. Regards, David D.

[@troygrady]

Thanks for watching! David is the best.

[@terrinpeterson9899]

Rick Graham deserves to be on your series of these type of videos, please get him onto here somehow. 😁👌🤘

[@theohwlf]

Up

[@mdub2000]

Man rick graham is a freakin beast.... makes you want to quit hahahaha

[@Afurthyclays]

Give us a 1-2 punch! Rick Graham & Guthrie Govan! Hell, you'd have enough studying on those 2 to last you a YEAR.

[@SLP-eb1wp]

Wow excellent player and the camera angles are great!

[@troygrady]

David's the perfect candidate for the overhead - he's a rock and never moves!

[@SLP-eb1wp]

@@troygrady thanks for bringing such a good picker to our televisions

[@googe2312]

I just want to say thanks to Troy and his team. Im learning alot . 🤘

[@troygrady]

Right on, thanks for watching our stuff!

[@SlowerIsFaster139]

the picking accuracy is really impressive

[@troygrady]

David is an all time great!

[@cerimccoy]

Absolutely beautiful!!!

[@rayberczik5654]

I can't say enough about everything you do for musicians that pick their instrument. I would have never thought of the pick slanting and things you have picked apart and demonstrated at regular speeds and slow motion. You have helped my picking a great deal. It was a struggle at first having to relearn and retrain my brain and muscle memory but it has been well worth the effort!!! Wish I could shake your hand!! Thank you!!!

[@mutantkoffee]

Thoughts of how much time for training just techinque? Im doing 1 hr of technique and im seeing progress faster than doing noodling and just playing. I used to do that thing, its fun and all but I was not making progress.

[@martinrotolo]

Awesome! Would be good to see some fingerstyle players on here too

[@MICKSHRED]

I TV practice alot, it's my favorite pass time. As far as what I practice, it would be small parts of a necrophagist solo, I'll go threw them slow amd then build up. Then analyze what's not working or even rearrange the note to better fit my finger muscle memory. Also go through solo fragments that I've building as my own that I've stole from Gilbert, dimebag or zakk. Then work on my rythm chops too.

[@ncsludgefactory5445]

Front porch for me, learn a new riff, been chopping off that black dahlia murders moonlight equilibrium and all the bluegrass licks I can get ahold of, I heard somewhere of you ain't practicing something you don't know you just jamming 🤘(no tv, laptop movie, throw those tvs in the trash guys

[@Progmium]

Lot of pick hopping! Pretty awesome stuff!

[@kadourimdou43]

Will have see if there’s any sheet music for this.

[@RJ-lf8ex]

Is the shoulder angle of his picking hand new? Nice addition! Sweet. Great camera work, thank you for posting

[@RJ-lf8ex]

3:58 for those curious

[@troygrady]

We’ve done it for a few interviews including Molly Tuttle and some more recent players as well. But David is ideal because his posture is so consistent.

[@legalize.brokkoli]

It's not only technique with David, somehow i get carried away by his playing after the first few notes, each time. Amazing.

[@markchristopher4165]

Man, what a killer player in every respect. Awesome

[@maffooo2040]

I think it would be really cool to see tosin abasi on the show - he seems to have quite an unorthodox picking technique that I would love to see up close

[@TheCrimsonIdol987]

I'm curious to see how close Tosin's technique is to Frank Gambale's. In his scalar and arpeggio runs, it seems VERY similar. But, Tosin's a different player, so maybe he's doing some interesting things.

[@alwolf2325]

Fantastic.

[@dondickfisch4102]

Great!!! Great!!!!! Great!!!!!!!! Greetings from Germany!

[@purplehaze7495]

What a guy!

[@axeaddiction796]

Incredible

[@Wyrdo999]

I love Davids playing. His lines are fantastic, the way he weaves them together. Although he's not improvising, all the time, his playing like this allows for improvising the fills between the melody. Wheel hoss reminds of something Jimmy page would have like to have composed in his Gallows Pole days. If I was a movie producer that needed music for a Western scene, or any scene that called for the " Down Home " sound, I wouldn't even have any parts written. I'd just have David come in, look at the scene, and say, " play something you feel will fit with this scene." David would be first call for stuff like this, before ANY session guys.

[@craigyoung8541]

Troy, love your stuff...did Grier mention what pick he was using here?

[@MecchaKakkoi]

Would love to see you analyse an oud player as they have some crazy picking skills! Ahmed Alshaiba has some great stuff on youtube

[@brianrancourt6315]

Ahmed alshaiba

[@GuitSiva]

Good job David..👏👌 Warm cheers 😊 God bless 🙏🎸🎶

[@TheMidnightModder]

A well setup guitar, thick strings, thick pick and a bunch of practice.

[@jdhaole7650]

Don't forget boatloads of talent!

[@richardcrowson9265]

If I'm not mistaken, his father was Lamar Grier who played banjo (and roomed on the road) with Clarence White back in the day. David has a good bit of Clarence in his playing.

[@troygrady]

Indeed! We talk aboute Clarence a lot in this interview and play some of his lines.

[@tecnolover2642]

Ok,, im sold. This guy is one of the best flat pickers on the planet!

[@TheCrimsonIdol987]

Spanish flamenco and bluegrass are the two genres I wish I was good at, and David Grier's just flexing on us.

[@acedaytona1884]

I've always found tv practice a great tool, especially for scales!!

[@Swampster70]

This isn't the kind of music I normally listen too but this guy impressed the shit outa me. Great stuff.

[@jmdbb]

Bluegrass Flatpickers are some of the best players on earth but get overlooked by a lot of guitar players unless they're specifically into this kind of music. Check out Tony Rice and Norman Blake as well. Norman isn't as fast of a player but the talent is incredible.

[@michaelcraig9449]

Troy is this part of the cracking the code lessons? I just want to get right to the stuff to play fast..

[@activistarts7722]

His picks sound like a tap dancer . Amazing

[@chilljlt]

what a guy!

[@mbsnyderc]

Dave is just cool as it gets.

[@justincase8533]

That was great! The string skipping off the charts.. thank you!

[@bernarddover1442]

Class

[@Feverdream7777]

I watch all Troy Grady videos at half speed, not to learn easier, but to listen to him sound like a drunk.

[@troygrady]

Just wait til you watch our drunk videos in half speed!

[@MrCelistaskin]

Legend

[@supremoluminary]

Awesome

[@OneMoreGrave]

That is a bad bad man. His right hand floors me.

[@kelvinburigo2430]

Troy, please, bring GUS G to your lab! I think we all would love to see you analyzing his picking technique!

[@TMWilson71]

Kelvin Búrigo gus g ?

[@___and_memes_for_all]

@@TMWilson71 from Ozzy’s band. He played on the album Scream

[@EmotionalShredd]

Hi Troy, it would be very interesting to get Michael Sagmeister on the cam. He is one of the greatest Jazz Bebop Players and never seen such a smooth picking trchnique before. Seems like a mix of alternate picking and economical picking. He doesnt really move his wrist while alternate picking, he seems to get the alternate picking motion through thumb and finger movement

[@troygrady]

Haven't listened to him before, but yes, seems to be finger movement, and a mix of alternate and economy. Good catch. The motion itself looks simiar to Martin Miller who we've interviewed. If you haven't seen any of our stuff with him, we have a few things right here on the channel you can check out.

[@EmotionalShredd]

@@troygrady yes, have seen it. I follow all you're content. Martin Miller is fenomenal, what a beast. But I really recommend to analyse Michael Sagmeister, never seen someone hold the Pick with the top of the thumb tip and switching over to a different pick grip now and then. Also playing extrem smooth with extrem small movements even through he is doing alternate picking. Thanks for you're answer

[@williamstraney4041]

If you slow the video down to .25 speed during the last song, you can see that he leans his pick into each direction. When he's picking down, his pick is tilted so that the point is pointing back up at his chest. When he picks up, the pick is tilted so that the point is pointing towards the ground. Also, his pick travels much further on his downstrokes than on his upstrokes.

[@troygrady]

Great observation! But that's not exactly what's going on. The pickslant (the leaning you're noticing) is determined by the last note on the string. When the last note is a downstroke, he uses the upward pickslant. When the last note is an upstroke, he uses the downward pickslant. This explains why the pickslant and the direction are not always correlated. For more on this topic, feel free to check out our latest series on Frank Gambale, where we address pickslanting in great detail.

[@jamesbowen8960]

His dad was Lamar Grier, a banjo player for Bill Monroe.

[@ollecederborg4468]

tv practice for me is playing the same thing over and over. Real simple things like triplets. Triplets with a string shift etc. It works for sure. Metronome in one ear.

[@troygrady]

See that's the mystery right there. I don't think it's one thing. I think in David's case he's using it as a creativity generator, by playing random stuff without thinking too much about it. That's how he explains. Other people when they talk about it, may be talking more about trying to learn a specific technique or phrase. It's unclear to me if it works better for one or the other.

[@thanosfisherman]

Crazy! Does he abandon the cross picking and switch to pickslanting on the fastest version?

[@troygrady]

You got it!

[@monkface]

Did I hear the Flatt run a time or two?

[@Afurthyclays]

I wish I had a band name called "Wheel Hoss". It sounds f*cking cool! 😁

[@Guyallknowing]

Troy you NEED to get Andre Nieri under one of those cameras!

[@LibbysBluegrassVideos]

Have you considered doing a video like this of Jake Workman? The picking hand camera view would be amazing.

[@andywoodmusic]

master

[@quintinpace2627]

TV practice is me noodling, then I get into it and forget the tv.

[@boneal4942]

This dude is a ripper!

[@TheBigwillistyle]

Holy...

[@erikrainieri1772]

anyone know what pick is that? thanks

[@justpassing5324]

Hey guys! Could you consider bringing Chris Poland here? He's an insane legato player, and ex-Megadeth(Peace Sells).

[@Wildart2]

I wonder if he prefers old strings?

[@randyriggs5457]

I'd like to see Billy Strings on here, if he hasn't been already. I watched him play "Tennessee Stud" on Fretboard Journal. They didn't show his hands for a lot of the song. I know that song isn't that technical but I'd like to see him playing it in one of your videos. Thanks

[@troygrady]

Billy is great! We haven't interviewed him yet but he was there when we met with Molly.

[@markrobinson891]

The Eric Clapton of Bluegrass flatpick style. Or as Jack Black said. “Face melting” riffs.

[@PapaGinseng_]

Sounds about like my VST guitar .. epic!

[@DevelopingNL]

What kind plectrum is he using?

[@BigCleverName]

Hey Troy, I've got a problem. With alternate picking you're supposed to go "Down-Up" and "Up-Down" on the next string, but since I've started I go "Down-Up" and "Down-Up" on the next string. What I wanna ask is if it's bad for picking and I should start practice ACTUAL alternate picking?

[@troygrady]

Alternate picking is just a continual sequence of down-up, no matter what string. However, what is left out of the traditional teaching is that there are different kinds of physical alternate picking motions. And some have special requirements. For example, some motions move the pick along a diagonal path where upstrokes go up in the air. This is the kind of motion that Eric Johnson uses. If you use that kind of motion, you have to arrange the fretting so that the last note on every string is an upstroke. And this is what Eric does. By comparison, John McLaughlin's motion is the reverse. He must arrange phrases so the last note on every string is a downstroke. Those are just two examples. All this is to say, there is no universal good or bad. It just matters which motion you're using, and what phrases you're trying to play with it. They need to match up.

[@BigCleverName]

@@troygrady Hey thanks for the info and a bit of a confidence boost! I'll try to teach myself actual alternate picking

[@teratism143]

the best.

[@bobdeluxeandtheideals1356]

👏👏👏

[@cryptoskywalker1714]

I still miss strings playing Ain't Talkin' Bout Love and Sweet Home Alabama. Fuck!

[@skullduggery3377]

phew...so sick.

[@someguy4505]

Its getting your picking hand in synce with the fretting hand. Each finger typically doesn't work that fast.

[@hotdoggravy]

Wow

[@nylonsteel]

00:02 2:14 3:38 for thy practice

[@guibox3]

How the f****** can he be so accurate when his wrist is damn near floating over that bridge?? I HAVE to have my pinky anchored to the body to pick like that. He such an unbelievable player.

[@troygrady]

David rests the hand on the bridge most of the time. That's what provides the tactile reference. However, even if you don't do that, he still has the forearm anchor point as well. That's also a prett powerful reference. In our first interview he shows how he can start with his hand a foot away from the guitar and pick any string with his eyes closed. He doesn't think it's a difficult ability to develop, i.e. the spatial location.

[@wyattnielsen2937]

For a second I thought you were using the clamps in order to play harmonics