Jake Eddy says you can't handle these bluegrass speed tips.

Thanks to Jake Eddy for another great interview, we had some technical difficulties this time around but I think we still stuck the landing.
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[@jakeeddy6768]

Sorry about my camera quality here y’all. I wasn’t at my normal set-up. Go practice and get off KZbin!

[@Steve-si8hx]

What kind of pic are you using there I can't find one I like still

[@deano41.123]

And to think, I thought you were using a fancy filter for effect.😉👍

[@adamyoung2147]

Wow….just introduced to your playing wow again.

[@candera]

Starting a new channel: Slow-ny Rice: Tony Rice Songs, But Just One Note A Day

[@jakebush8941]

This was great to hear. I am working on a little practice project I’m calling ‘100 fiddle tunes at 100 BPM.’ It’s been super fun. Playing them on both mandolin and guitar. I also think learning tunes on both instruments is helping my ear a lot

[@alanjerram9258]

Absolutely. Found out playing slow is super hard. Whatever stresses your hand for strength and stability needs that strength for twice as long. Discovered millions of flaws less noticeable (or understandable) at fast tempos. Also, I find super exaggerating your phrasing at slow tempo allows it to come out and be hear at faster tempo automatically without thinking.

[@hvmu6500]

Learns one fiddle tune goes straight to this video

[@theoldmann6608]

Another excellent video. (If I play really fast) "will I win at guitar?". Funny

[@timmuto7824]

Thanks for these videos 🙏

[@bpipermclean]

Bob Minner is a great example of someone who plays beautifully and doesn’t shred at fast tempos

[@oldtimetinfoilhatwearer]

He certainly can

[@hairlab9646]

I think the most important thing said in this vid is "140 is just fine." I think we sometimes forget that the idea of a break is to serve the song. Anything faster, unless the lines have an easily identifiable melody or are joltingly interesting, ends up sounding like the musical equivalent of gibberish. I can think of about three players who can do that consistently. But playing at 160 does impress other guitar players, that's for sure.

[@waylonfingers]

Thanks Jake Eddy, thanks Marcel! Soon as I get off work I'll be home practicing!

[@ejtonefan]

Starting at about 160 bpm, fluidity and rhythm start to appear while flat picking bluegrass tunes.

[@robertnewell5057]

Excellent. Tunes are exercises. Steve Kaufman recommends taking dozens of tunes and working them through each of the 5 CAGED positions. The idea is that you learn to improvise by getting the sounds of the vocab in your head, so you hear the common sounds rather than working out of patterns. Makes sense. We don't teach babies grammar. We teach them Mama (more or less!). WIth apologies to E Scruggs.

[@cmcapps1963]

I agree 100% with fiddle tunes: unlike some other genres bluegrass fiddle tunes often act as etudes. The basic versions of the standard repertoire is almost the equivalent of Carcassi's etudes for classical guitar: grat for technique beautiful in their own right. Then they can be improvised on at more advanced levels.

[@MichaelMarkGuitar]

Steps to being a fast guitar player: 1. Be named Jake

[@LibbysBluegrassVideos]

That works

[@trampley]

Jake Workman...checks out

[@Steve-si8hx]

The secret is play every minute you have free

[@tylerdixon8178]

Great takes here gents

[@bpipermclean]

You should do an interview with Jake Workman too

[@unsurprisingly]

Marcel , this is a lot of fun I love Jake.... And by the way I love your shirt sir pretty nice Marcel.... Marcel's wagon dragons baby

[@AlfonsoTQuagmire]

I think what Jake was saying that the focus is the song-- it's all about the song, if it makes sense to play a little fast so be it, but much of the time its about being tasty and not speedy.

[@TheRubiconInvasion]

Jake Eddy Rocks! Dave in WV (Parkersburg)

[@musik102]

Talking about the best way to hold a pick. Now, a lot of electric players swear by "the George Benson method" but I've tried this but I don't it's suitable for bluegrass playing where quite a bit of force is needed to produce the required tone and volume.

[@martymcpeak4748]

there's a sessions player named Carl Miner who has great technique and is such a clean melodic player. i think Marcel would really dig his playing.

[@neddoon3717]

“Playing fast is a marketing deal.” Jake Eddy.

[@danbromberg5909]

I was hoping for my technique (like holding the pick @1:54) than talk, but you're a great interviewer and teacher so it was a good watch nonetheless.

[@michelsavoie6971]

I tend to use my right hand pinky on the guitar for reference.

[@docloftis]

Nice interview. It would be nice if more players understood we need less gimmicks like speed for speeds sake and the guitar slapping…restraint can actually be refreshing!

[@thefreese1]

I agree.. but it is hard to slow down songs you're used to playing fast ... I do feel , that when you start to approach speeds of 170+ it's just too fast ... the beat is even hard to hear.. Mostly though, without slow songs , and a steady diet of fast songs will get boring to onlookers after a while... Slow songs and good vocals sure keep it from getting monotonous....

[@MikeHlav]

Marcel: I don't want to bash on beginners or anything... Jake: I do! 😲 😾

[@johngeddes7894]

One teacher said: “Exercises, not EXORCIST!!”

[@russellschmidt4541]

Normal metronome BPM or Bluegrass BPM where it is doubled?

[@sundaydiver]

Great video. Here’s the question: When we talk about 120 bpm being a good tempo to have as a bench mark, are we talking straight time or cut time?

[@ejtonefan]

He is talking about 120 quarter note bpm, straight time.

[@matthewtayloryowieresearch1912]

@@ejtonefan I thought he was talking about recent reports illegal artificial insemination of ocelots in Uganda caused the mini-submarine implosion at the site of the wreck of the Titanic recently I must be confused?.. y'don't f*$%in' say! is this dude for real? seriously wtf? cut time?... er, basic 4 beats per bar, 4/4 time signature @120 beats per minute.. some mothers indeed do have 'em apparently, I commend your restraint responding to this abecedarian query @ejtonefan. Curmudgeonly Guitarcheopteryx🎸Didyabringyabongalong Station🦘Central QLD

[@TheTinker6871]

I don't have speed. Every one says speed isn't everything. Maybe not, but if you want to join in on some bluegrass tunes, you'd better muster up some speed

[@robertnewell5057]

Indeed. Provided you have basic good time, of course speed is everything. IF you have speed you can always slow down. If you don't have speed, you can't speed up.

[@brandonpiper3763]

Hey Jake, great pickin and thanks Marcel for your contribution once again. Was curious what pick are you playing Jake? It’s always a question I like to ask good pickers. And your definitely one of them. Thanks 🙏🏻

[@uriahedwards]

The one in this video is probably a toneslab

[@brandonpiper3763]

@@uriahedwards Not sure o heard of them.?

[@uriahedwards]

@@brandonpiper3763 look em up on Instagram, can’t say much else about them other than people really rave about em. I’m pretty sure jake has a video somewhere on his Instagram where he explains his gear he uses and picks in particular

[@alan4sure]

​@@uriahedwardsnot a huge diff between blue chip and toneslab. There won't be any "eureka" moments comparing them. Lol

[@michaelwebster8389]

So, I've always used those fender heavy style faux tortoise shell teardrop shape picks. Are the big triangular picks used a lot by bluegrass players? And do they help with speed? You definitely get a whole lot more pick to grip onto by the looks of things.

[@robertshorthill6836]

Michael Webster, find somebody with a drill press and drill a .375 hole in the middle of a 1.2 or 1.5 mm pick that costs about 2 bucks. You will be able to grip the pick better. Buy a more expensive pick and do the same if you like the way to feels and works under your thumb.

[@MrNocaster]

Thanks for another great video. Where I'm struggling is going from a chicken picker using my fingers to only using the pick. I've slowed things down a bit but playing live i do have to cheat a little and throw on a compressor when the song is faster than my comfort zone. It's funny because i can play the song with ease using the pick and my fingers. Is it "cheating" to use your fingers when playing bluegrass or frowned upon. I do love the challenge. Oh, and Hello from Richmond County, NC!

[@ejtonefan]

No, it's called "hybrid picking" many flat pickers use this right hand technique.

[@MrNocaster]

@@ejtonefan Good to know. Thanks.

[@oldtimetinfoilhatwearer]

​@@MrNocasterimportant to consider that if you aren't playing into a microphone, you will not be able to hear your fingers plucking the string over the sound of a banjo or fiddle player without banjo picks on your middle and ring fingers. You'll want to straight flatpick close to the bridge. However if you're playing into a mic, Clarence White and Norman Blake and Tony Rice and a few other players have stock licks that use the third and fourth fingers

[@MrNocaster]

@@oldtimetinfoilhatwearer Thanks. I've been working on my flatpicking. Hard to believe but, I bought a mandolin and learning to play that really helped my technique. The funny thing is, my left hand and right hand are developing at different speeds. Thanks for the advice and encouragement. Love your youtube name by the way.

[@oldtimetinfoilhatwearer]

@@MrNocaster thank you!

[@MrAlembicMan]

Speed will mess up your fingers and you might get Carpal Tunnel if you're not careful! Just play as fast as you can play and be happy with where you are at. If I was judging someone who plays super fast, I would want to slow them down to half speed and then see how it sounds. Really good fiddle players sound really good at half speed but they still make mistakes if you listen super closely. Micro mistakes but they are there, Kenny Baker, Tater Tate, Paul Warren, they all have some notes that aren't quite perfect sometimes at half speed playback. One thing I got out of this video is that I need to listen to Jake Eddy on You Tube! Never heard of him until I watched this video, I am old school big time... Appreciate the discussion! People need to hit that gear button and listen to the tune at half speed over and over and over again... Get it in your brain... Then 3/4 speed and maybe play along... Don't even try full speed. Play it the way you hear it a .75 clean. Now get the metronome out... The guitar is not a fiddle or banjo, so my biggest challenge is figuring out how to play the guitar at banjo and fiddle speeds! I play banjo and fiddle most of the time, guitar is just a side deal... a lot of work and a huge challenge! Off to watch the Jake Eddy stuff, see what you're talking about.

[@thefreese1]

My problem is playing slower ... I play so many songs with people who like to haul boogie .. then I get around another group and they play at 80-100 ... the same songs that I was doing at 140-160. . I feel the need to theow in more notes to fill the gaps .. even though I know simple is usually better...

[@wolftijuana]

what camp is he referring to? Does anything have any favorite bluegrass flatpicking camps?

[@mynameisdave613]

Probably Bryan Sutton's camp.

[@wolftijuana]

@@mynameisdave613 I’ll check it out thanks

[@joereadel]

"...Of this group, Paul Desmond stayed truest to the ultra-cool aesthetic. He had little interest in adopting a flashier style, jokingly referring to himself as the “world’s slowest alto player.” On the surface, Desmond’s solos appeared to offer a lush romanticism, but only careful listeners were apt to catch their richer implications."

[@owlcarnival]

😀👍👍👍

[@caseywebb7914]

First to comment on a speed video. I've got the need... the need for

[@MTDesolator]

Am i the only one who thinks that you guys look a little bit like brothers? xD. Nice Interview :)

[@timquarles2716]

dude i been playing 25yrs nobody told me how to old how to hold the pick.....guess i'm in the minority on that pick holding thing....2 fingers an a thumb...I tried the way you showed but its like learning how to play all over again.

[@LessonsWithMarcel]

I played for ten years with two fingers and thumb on top. Got into bluegrass and I had to switch. I feel the pain.

[@alan4sure]

You'll be limited cuz you can't pick hard with that grip and won't be heard in a jam. It's that simple.

[@dominickdececco145]

I've been watching a bunch of videos here about pick grip, trying to find the reason for the "proper" grip as opposed to using the pad of the index finger on the back. Is it just a volume thing as @alan4sure said? I'm trying to switch to the proper grip here - it's tough after many years so I'm looking for this explanation to keep me motivated! I don't see how the proper grip makes me any faster - I should add what I've been doing does have the pick coming out sideways from my thumb like a thumb pick but my index finger behind it is closer to the pad than that proper position. Can somebody tell me why I need to change it? Like how that would affect speed?

[@oldtimetinfoilhatwearer]

I have to disagree with the pick holding. Only because of Dan Crary

[@Enryu_CZX]

He sure is fast almost like Aubrey king

[@MyBackHurtsALittle]

I love it when people who can play fast say that other people shouldn’t worry if they can’t play fast.

[@booswalia]

I honestly don't like speed. It always sounds very tense to me. As for bracing the pinky, don't do it. After 30 years my pinky is starting to collapse and it hurts bad after a few minutes of playing.

[@trukapipa]

555 fiddle tunes!? I know Jake was half joking but how many fiddle tunes are there? As a bluegrass newbie I’m thinking that that’s a lot of ‘standards’ to learn and hoping that the actual amount of fiddle tunes that get called in jams is much smaller…

[@oldtimetinfoilhatwearer]

Thousands. You won't run out. Norman Blake once said in an interview that the RFSE could play 24 hours a day for a week without repeating. Finding old tunes and researching is very mentally rewarding

[@Jay-lr3me]

Yeah thousands, and if you wanna get into old world ones from England, Ireland, scotland, Wales too.. Then probs tens of thousands

[@alan4sure]

And 95% of those will never ever come up in a typical jam.

[@robertshorthill6836]

All beginers need to know about playing guitar, fast or slow, and when taste dictates the speed, is by watching Norman Blake. He is maybe the best picker in this era. The late Tony Rice and Doc Watson being right up there as well. Forget going 900 MPH or 195 bpm. It's in bad taste in many instances. Yes, some pros can do it, but too fast turns me off. Fire On the Mountain should be played fast as possible. The faster the better. Play a recording of it on KZbin and speed it up to the max. That's what I'm talking about.

[@scottsimontacchi8815]

hahaah

[@oldtimetinfoilhatwearer]

Norman is relaxed at all speeds, no tension anywhere, guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, or Dobro. He's on a short list of massive vocabulary, multi instrumentalists, with flawless technique

[@jeffloewi5632]

A terrific conversation between two great players and teachers. "Playing fast is boring." Thanks for that Jake. It's also kinda boring to listen to because for me, too fast, and the beauty of the music gets lost.

[@icemanlee666]

The faster I get the more I realise it’s entirely about what you play not how fast you play it, now when you get both that’s fire

[@georgelange5272]

Who wants to play fast?

[@taylorford5437]

His voice is higher with out his mic

[@ejtonefan]

I got nothing out of Jake's advice that would help my speed or playing for that matter. There is no place for teaching with his flippant attitude. Jake brushes over certain techniques that would be very helpful but you get the feeling from him that you are wasting his time. Every flat picker wants speed to some degree. There are reliable videos and techniques out there that will help you achieve your flat picking goals.

[@Datanditto]

Ive been playing guitar for 44 years and one thing that has never failed to be annoying is when FAST players go on and on about how speed is not important and how speed isnt everything. Fellow players- keep one thing in mind: they did not ‘get fast’ by constantly repeating in their minds “speed dont matter”. Speed is everything, and its everything to back away from and hold in reserve-->> once you can do it! So I say unto you fellow pickers: obsess on speed til you get it down, so that you too can then sit back smugly and say: “Hey kids, speed aint everything”.

[@MichaelMarkGuitar]

I think Jake’s point was that speed is less important than tone, timing and taste in the grand scheme of things, not that telling yourself speed isn’t everything will make you faster. Which, speed DEFINITELY isn’t everything and it’s a trap young players often fall into (like me)… I was so focused on just playing fast when it would have been far more helpful to build my repertoire and technique instead.

[@johnsee7269]

Agree! Like bends in Blues... It took a month for me to be able to do a two step bend with vibrato at the end. Essential to be able to do it when appropriate imo.

[@Datanditto]

@@MichaelMarkGuitar You just enforced the point I was making. They all try to say ‘tone this feel that’. Ive heard it from everybody for 44 years. Yeah we get it- and speed is speed. You get to tone and feel only AFTER you get the speed and realize there is more to it. No one masters tone, understands and implements ‘feel’ then says: “Hell, I think I’ll tackle speed next”. And by the way- I was not implying they actually got fast telling themselves speed aint everything. You missed my point. Im saying when a player wants speed- nothing else matters. When you are at that stage- IT IS EVERYTHING and rightfully so. I say pursue it until you burn holes in the neck. It is only after that part of the ego is satisfied that taste, feel, and tone can even begin to be important. And if a player stops at speed - in other words to be clear- he just keeps obsessing on fast playing- then they were never cut out for ‘tone and feel’. But make no mistake: EVERY fast picker obsessed on speed to get there.

[@johnsee7269]

Greatest musician I ever heard live was BB King and I don't recall any 'speed' in any of it. I could 'feel' it and the guys with me, we all kinda looked at each other at the sametime occasionally; just in awe!

[@Datanditto]

@@johnsee7269 BB yes but you are wrong about him and speed. Go listen to some of his early live records. Theres a player that could play fast anytime he wanted to. Make no mistake- there is some lightning fast BB out there.

[@josephsimone3362]

Damn you guys didn’t play anything Yakety Yakety Yakety Yakety give us a quick rift to imitate anything sheesh

[@kevingruenofficial]

Step one - buy a guitar with some seriously good action

[@235buz]

No emotion in fast music.