Molly Tuttle Teaches Tony Rice‘s Distinctive Bluegrass Guitar Style

[@AcousticGuitarMag]

TAB and notation for this lesson is available here: acousticguitar.com/molly-tuttle-teaches-tony-rices-distinctive-guitar-style/

[@RobGale]

Maybe pin this comment to the top?

[@AcousticGuitarMag]

@@RobGale Good call, consider it pinned!

[@markyboo]

Her smile can cure cancer. Her singing can cure cancer. Her guitar playing the same. I'm not one to fanboi over an entertainer, but cripes the amount of talent packed into this one gal makes it hard to resist geeking out over her.

[@pauldelorme2394]

That's awesome Mark. Made me laugh out loud.

[@brucetoo3294]

Too true! But watch out for those eight year old girls picking at the festivals--they can amaze you on all those fronts. Molly must have been one of them. They channel that energy.

[@jasonkeith9317]

She makes me melt.

[@drewby613]

OMGosh! I am so with you on this. I was getting a bit distracted from time to time, actually. She's a tad bewitching, I'm not gonna lie.

[@kevinhennessey3189]

Not a musician, but when I see Molly play she has this gracious smile when watching others playing. It is very endearing how generous she is with the people she plays with. Very special person I suspect.

[@drpacman9996]

It’s not often that great players are great teachers, but Molly proves the exception here! Thanks

[@glenguldbeckmusic3410]

Molly is such a bright light. Her passion for guitar is so transparent, and her reverence for Tony Rice is very apparent. Thanks for sharing your amazing gifts and insights to us mere mortals....

[@charlesing9520]

Church Street Blues i love so much !!! Molly you are a beautiful and wonderful performer of Tony Rice

[@JayKeller]

I don't think an advancing guitarist could find more pure gold in a 10-minute lesson than you pack into this one, Molly. Thank you!

[@robertfox499]

Gash, Molly Tuttle: I did not realize what an excellent teaching style you have. I'm an amteur manodo player... but I learned quite a bit just watchng this little vid. Thanks. You, and also your brother Sullivan are absolutely my favorite pickers in all the entire world.

[@kendrinkard1921]

Thank you M.T. You have no idea what an inspiration you are to B.G.guitar fans and beginners.

[@azcharlie2009]

Church Street Blues is one of my all time favorite songs! Anytime I think about him, I think of that smile he gives on the last verse of that song.

[@jlange6171]

The spirit is alive and well in this one! Love you Molly! RIP to the great one.

[@jonmarq1886]

Thank you for highlighting “Church Street Blues”!! It’s my favorite Tony Rice song and I love the KZbin tutorial version of it even more than the album version.

[@timothybaker6596]

Me too!!!

[@netterstyl]

Pretty gracious comments from her - and well-deserved. The same kind of stuff that gets directed at _her_ - and equally well-deserved. One can never hammer this home enough: She is a master at arranging/interpreting - and of course playing - tunes. When she gets ahold of it, you can take it to the bank, and rest assured you're probably not going to hear it done any better. I know we're all wowed (and rightly so) by her technique/skills, but it's her special treatment of tunes that really stands out for me. The "Tuttle Version" never fails to disappoint.

[@Neuren123]

Never fails to impress.

[@JohnMoseley]

Never disappoints. Never fails.

[@saullouis]

Thank you Molly. When I first heard Tony my ears perked up. He was Jazz, bluegrass, pop, folk and classical all rolled up together. What he did with Shenandoah was such a big surprise.

[@daveguitarnowski4402]

Molly... thanks for a great lesson/explanation of Tony's style. You obviously get it, and are so much fun to watch as you effortlessly do his parts.

[@docwill184]

Saw Tony with Grisman's original Quintet at Catalyst, Santa Cruz. Astonishing, never heard guitar, even Doc Watson, like that. Went backstage (loose scene in those days). Gushed a little, had a pipe of Humboldt that David, Tony & a roadie each hit off of. I said, "Thanks for the show, you guys are awesome," (they really were) and left. They revisited several times over the next few years. Astonishing, blessed times...

[@stevehutchinson2336]

Molly, Thanks, we all miss knowing that Mr Rice was walking the same earth as us, and as we process what his passing means, its great to delve into what a treasure trove of recorded music he left behind for us...by all accounts he was a generous and kind player, and its good to see some of that, as well as a whole bunch of choice licks, rubbed off on you. Cheers, S

[@Maydoggie]

Thanks, Molly. Looking forward to when you can tour again.

[@c.chelseathedog7987]

Molly and Tony(R.I.P.)!!...Two great guitarists !!Salutations and respect from France.

[@WmHildy]

Thanks Molly for doing a Tony Rice lesson. He is probably my favorite Bluegrass picker. That was a bonus at the end with the Church Street a blues!

[@thenorthroom5614]

I simply could not adore this video (or Molly's playing or Tony's playing or this style of playing) any more than I do; I wish I had a "like" to contribute every time I nodded or smiled or high fived myself while watching it. The choice to examine Tony's rhythm playing not only amplifies his impact on the genre and music in general, it also highlights how musicians like Molly are able to see past his chops (and their own) to play what the song needs and not everything they *can*. A+, 10 out of 10, make more anytime you see fit.

[@AcousticGuitarMag]

We appreciate the kind words

[@Krahss25]

There are very few musicians who inspire me to the point where I will sit and watch their videos for hours. One such musician was Tony Rice. The first video I saw of him was when he played with J.D. Crowe and the New South, and Tony's presence, musical virtuosity, and the cool way he carried himself inspired me to learn everything I could from him. When I first saw Molly Tuttle on KZbin, I had the same reaction. I ended up watching her videos for 9 straight hours. These videos provide evidence of her immense skill as a bluegrass guitarist. I do not say that lightly since I have played guitar, pedal steel guitar, and banjo in bands for over 30 years. Her right hand picking, strumming, and clawhammer technique is the best I have seen. I saw her live show recently in Alexandria Virginia, and she was incredible. It's great that she is also making so many instructional videos.

[@AcousticGuitarMag]

thank you for sharing this!

[@jamesbrown8303]

I am just as gobsmacked by his rhythm playing as his solo work. Another example I love is “Model Church.” What he does is so simple, but so perfect, and precisely what is needed. The first time I tried playing along I was dismayed to find that it is not that easy to emulate. :-)

[@ClintonCaraway]

As a acoustic guitar fan I get flagged for any video with the name Tony Rice. I often hear how he changed players lives. However you don't often hear how he influenced young fans. I saw The Tony Rice Unit at the Down Home in Johnson City Tenn. while in junior high school and many, many more times all the way up until he retired. I have listened to his music almost exclusively my entire life with just a touch of New Grass Revival and now Billy and Molly. He was a lot of things to a lot of people but to me he was the benchmark that no one else could match. RIP T.R.

[@mflee6590]

Such a great guitar player! Such a joy to watch her play

[@raymondeaton5692]

Tony used the "four fingered" G chord which was actually still a three fingered chord since he used his middle finger on the low e string to also damp the A string. Clarence White started that practice and Tony picked it up from there. Tony did almost everything Tony's way. You couldn't put that genius into a box. YOU ARE A GREAT PLAYER MOLLY!

[@DavidHoney]

So much love for Molly and Tony. Amazing tutorial

[@uncledougie1071]

great video Molly. I absolutely love Tony and his effortless style. I was fortunate enough to witness him in some of the videos that you mentioned...My uncle is Chuck Henage who did all the Home Spun recordings in Chapel Hill NC. Absolutely amazing stuff. keep picking that Grass girl...lol

[@Plymouthmusicschool]

Molly is such a beautiful soul. A real treasure of an artist, such a blessing to listen to her

[@sabeesunwar7558]

Your smile is so sweet as your guitar playing, Molly... Thnx for the lesson...

[@jonathanfinks8019]

Molly Tuttle playing in tribute to Tony Rice is the just the best of the best.

[@francescodomenichetti3787]

Molly is a recent discover, for me. Can't wait to see her playing live!

[@coryCuc]

Welcome! She's amazing and you'll love watching her play live. I've seen her a few times solo as well as her performing with others which she does often and it's always a blast.

[@fastguitars4380]

MOlly's Charm and Talent just keeps expanding.

[@davideastlee9983]

Yeah saw Tony about 38 years ago in LA. Magical. Thanks Molly. You sound great!

[@OneAfter505]

Molly, thank you for the nice video. I've been enjoying watching Tuttle family videos for a long time. It's very interesting that you talk about Tony's guitar playing, especially rhythm playing. Moreover, I have to learn a lot from Wyatt's way. I first learned about the 4-finger G when I encountered bluegrass music in high school. It was my bad friend who taught me the G and wine. Since then, I've been crazy about the Bluegrass Album Band and any more. My guitar heroes are Tony Rice and Michael Hedges, but I remember some of my fingerstyle guitar buddies didn't even know the traditional 3-finger G and any other basic chodes. It was more than 20 years ago, I was really surprised.

[@berrytunes]

Really nice tribute. Thank you for taking the time to share this.

[@peterjarrattmusic]

such a lovely human. Thank you for these lessons!

[@duaneulman9915]

Thank you Molly !!!

[@therealdill74g36]

Thank you so much Molly!!!

[@da324]

The three finger G chord makes some transitions a lot easier than a traditional G chord. Much easier to go back and forth from G to C, and it makes playing a G7 much easier because the hand position is already there, not much movement required, same as with the transition to C. If you play the 4 finger G, you have to change the hand position completely to play those chords. The best players play effortlessly because they play more efficiently, this is a prime example.

[@RocketTrolley]

Molly - we love ya & you do a great job covering Tony’s technique and unique sound! Thx for everything. Tony is my all time favorite guitarist.. church street blues and his version of freeborn man (especially the live performance with Sam, Bela, Mark) just go straight to my soul. Btw, you and Billy Strings are almost single-handedly reviving bluegrass music.

[@smokinjamgrass]

Thank you so much Molly! You rock. ❤️

[@elijahrice6437]

The three finger G cord was used all the time back in the old days of bluegrass I think that’s why he used it so much on that album because their goal for that album was to recreate what they had heard growing up

[@venician2face]

Hearing your Tony Rice runs brought tears my eyes.

[@kkdeveauxgue2784]

She's so...peaceful,I'd love taking lessons from her🙏💙🤎💚❤❤💜🌹💓💓💘💝❣💜💯💯🌹💝💞💋

[@bubba-rh3hz]

Molly, thank you. You have a wonderful gift and thank you for sharing.

[@quintinpace2627]

I heard the 'live from KZbin' version first and that's the one I prefer likely because I listened to it so much when I transcribed it. Took a long time back in the day, but I was determined.

[@thomastommy1192]

A truly awesome video with great instructions. I wish you would do more videos like this. Thank you so much for sharing this video.

[@400_billion_suns]

She is just fantastic.

[@richardchristensen1768]

I've just come across this channel 5 minutes ago and am subscribed,spiked the like! But I'm also very mad at 4 serious jerks! Why would anyone give a thumbs down! Trolls & haters need to stay away! Ridiculous! I am thankful for finding this channel so I can learn stuff that isn't in the realm of my normal rock stuff but I've always wished I could play but had no teacher until now! 😁✌👍👍👍👍

[@rickharris7786]

Love this girl/woman! Amazing musical mind talking to those hands. So exceptional- not many players at her level. 🎶🎶🎶

[@writereducator]

MT's technique is just astonishing.

[@roadie3124]

Apart from any natural talent, she has worked very hard from a young age. That's dedication and should be acknowledged and applauded. People talk about 10,000 hours. Molly sounds like she's put in 1,000,000 hours.

[@writereducator]

@@roadie3124 Absolutely! Imagine if every one of us got this good at SOMETHING. That can only be accomplished by intelligence, hard work, and time.

[@alan4sure]

@@writereducator and innate ability.

[@mojo6778]

Thank you Molly for the lesson!

[@Hasselblad9999]

Wow. What I came away from this lesson from the incredible Molly Tuttle is that a song is a living, breathing creature, and it needs space to breathe. I don't think I will ever look at any song the same again. It has really changed my playing style. Thanks Molly!

[@Stephen_Lafferty]

Some great examples and excellent playing from Molly - thank you!

[@richarddelvecchio9960]

Thank you for a very informative and inspiring video!

[@ioanniskostoulas3843]

Great.. Thanks Molly, just ordered the magazine!

[@maxbrown961]

I've been rewinding this one a lot, really cool licks, thanks Molly!

[@StephaneFitch]

If there’s any justice in this world, Tony’s legendary guitar will pass through to Molly Tuttle.

[@RagtimeAnnie]

Tony's "legendary guitar" - was once Clarence White's "legendary guitar" ... and I totally agree with you !

[@NoraBrown-y9f]

Molly Tuttle is a great guitarist! And I love when she sings. Perfect for traditional bluegrass! You should hear here sing Workin on a Building! It’s angelic.

[@Blueridge1]

You rock Molly.....appreciate this......

[@golds04]

Beautiful. Tony I think also learned a great deal from Django Reinhardt and Pat Martino. His brilliance was tying it all together. His singing was also wonderful.

[@todda9060]

Not a guitarist, been called a musicians musician. Love Tony's music and sound. Molly you got it. My first listen was at Winfield in 87 also he played w/newcomer then Nancy Griffith. Miss them bunches. Love what you present & Lawrence, KS does too. Winfield 50 years this Fall. Wanna go?☺️ Take care.

[@billielafollette7013]

I just love you. You have been such an inspiration with my guitar playing. I cover Gentle on My Mind and wanted to throw my guitar a few times, but hey, I have improved a lot.

[@richardlindquist5936]

Wow! Great analysis. Really lays it out. Thanks!

[@MattiaAncillotti]

Amazing lesson! Molly is an incredible Guitarist!❤️

[@1965RonnieP]

You are so gifted and beautiful. Thank you for a great Vid on Tony. He will be missed but his legend and incredible music lives on

[@jonathonhunt935]

Molly Tuttle is just fabulous in every way!❤️

[@gsmeeuwsen]

Thanks, Molly! Great lesson!

[@alexkatsanos8475]

Great Tribute from Molly!

[@dieselman7453]

Cheers molly great stuff thanks from Ireland 🇮🇪

[@silviabressan7116]

You're Amazing ...more and more lesson please!!

[@lovekrav]

Molly, Your guitar playing is beauty is only exceeded by your own beauty. I am a big fan of bluegrass now. Keep up the good work.

[@brandonessick775]

Thanks Molly!

[@jessicafalstein]

excellent lesson!!! you're a very good teacher.

[@kencampbell9297]

Great teaching!

[@learnfromourmistakes8227]

Beautiful. Thank you. I've discovered you tonight and im grateful. You inspire me

[@jiritregler2333]

Hi Molly, a fan from the Czech Republic greets you.

[@datapro007]

Great video Molly. Thank you.

[@markbegley1564]

fabulous, thanks mate

[@srisidvicious]

Thanks that was great!

[@nicolen.9642]

Sweet Molly. Thanks for sharing 🎶🎶🎶

[@Rixster53]

I remember Deputy Dawg singing Bury Me Neath The Weeping Willow when I watched cartoons as a kid! Never knee it was a bluegrass standard!!!🥰

[@robgerety]

One of my missions in life is to get his version of church street blues under my fingers. She plays it very well.

[@leeharper8363]

Molly you're a treasure!

[@umbertocapasso67]

You are incredible, when you speak in interviews you are sweet as a kitten, but when you are on stage you show a determination like a panther ....!!!!!

[@BennyG33]

Thanks, Molly!

[@M21zen]

Yay Molly! Yay Tony!

[@bennyshaversmusic590]

Shes a great player and interpreter

[@rstevenhanson]

Does she ever not smile? I think I'm replacing Jerry Seinfeld with Molly when asked who I would most like to have lunch with. With or without her guitar. She's just a ray of sunshine!

[@katryanaorange2092]

Her smile melted me! Into a blue blue puddle.

[@michaelconnors4748]

Thanks Molly.

[@michaelford495]

I can’t imagine how hard and long you must have practiced to be this great. You are just unbelievable 😮

[@scotthoover6689]

She seems awesome!

[@ZionForman]

great stuff

[@TheGuitologist]

Love Molly. Nice explanation of some bluegrass tropes.

[@400_billion_suns]

How's your secession coming along? You got your rough draft constitution for New Kentucky written yet?

[@curiousman1672]

Very nice deconstruction young lady. Been a fan of TR since I saw him in 87'. Such a truly gifted man. Somebody needs to take up the mantle for the generations to come. So get on it ma'am.

[@jokermaan1]

I think that MT is doing just that, along with other great young talents like Billy Strings.

[@curiousman1672]

@@jokermaan1 I think you're right. Both great talents. There are others as well. Thank God.

[@eytonshalomsandiego]

thank you Molly for introducing me to someone new!

[@752brickie]

Molly you are absolutely AMAZING !!!!

[@martinlutt]

Read your story in AG on Tony Rice. Bravo! That was a nice surprise when I opened the mag.