Tony Rice's "Church Street Blues" is incredible

[@brandavi77]

I'm a massive fan of Tony. I'm super impressed a TR/bluegrass newbie picked this up so fast and with great tone. The tone is what really set Tony apart from others in this style. Great job!!!

[@hypoflipzy1157]

Everybody in the hero era had great tone, Tony was more known for fast speed and crazy licks. Many love him for this, but he often got too far off the original tune for me. Norman Blake was from the same era but had much better tone, plus he stuck to the tunes a lot more. I agree that this guy picking up church street blues was very impressive though.

[@gardnerfiddle2927]

Tony Rice was the GOAT! Thank you for telling people about him. Seeing him play live in the 1980s was an inspiration to my guitar playing. He was the definition of economy of motion.

[@CharleySuede]

When I was first learning to play guitar, Tony Rice heavily discouraged me 😆 I thought, “well there’s NO WAY I could ever play like that.” Fast forward 16 years and I can play wild stuff like various Randy Rhoads solos and intricate Jerry Garcia pieces. Guess what…I still struggle with bluegrass pickin’! I am capable of many of the fast runs and such, but the memorization of pieces and playing flawlessly just takes so much more practice. Those guys and gals of the bluegrass world are heavily underrated when talking about world class musicians.

[@reno145]

Flatpicking that song, that fast, and that clean is pure SHREDDING! Tony was one of the all time greats.

[@mangooleh]

Everyone comes across that magical video of Tony playing the church street blues and then find themselves going thru all the Tony Rice videos there is and in the process get awestruck by his casual excellence and his incredible music. Thank you for making this video.

[@jmlloyd521]

This is literally the video that's taking me down this process. haha

[@walterlippmann6292]

I'm doing that right now, hoping my boss doesn't see me.

[@mathewhutchins2539]

It’s always so refreshing to see Tony Rice get some love in the greater guitar community

[@LightningDogg]

This might be my favorite of the many videos of yours that I have liked. You introduced a little Tony Rice into some lives that were unaware. You had to work at accomplishing a goal, even at your level of ability. You showed that, even if most of us just want to get to "that next level", there's always another level. Finally, that was a touching speech by Tony and now I will look at the entire video for context. Great job all around Sammy.

[@lukedaymusic4585]

Thankyou for this. 😢😢 I am a Tony Rice fan. I have spoken to his family since he passed. This video brought me a lot of joy. ❤

[@HunterSkyeMusic]

I’ve been crazy about this song for years and have never been able to play it! Thank you for writing coherent tabs and doing a play through. You’re the GOAT brotha!

[@herothehedgefox]

loved the transitions for each section.

[@williamduvall2800]

Excellent work. What an insightful, inspirational and thankful message to go along with the song itself. How appropriate for Thanksgiving. Thank you for sharing.

[@zenheretic]

one of my favorite songs of all time, thanks for covering this one Sammy G

[@fortunefavorsthebold3459]

I feel so lucky to have found your channel. I struggle with a nerve disease that affects my hands and my playing, but watching your videos is the first time I've felt hope that I can revive my guitar playing in over a decade. Thanks man!!

[@danielstone8708]

Thanks for sharing your struggle, your process and how you dealt with your self doubt. It was very relatable and made this, in my opinion, one of your best videos yet.

[@AlfonsoGarcia-hj7lp]

Hello. As an amateur banjo and bass from Spain, I´d suggest (if you don´t know it yet) to you the Punch Brothers record "Hell on Church Street". I´ve been always Tony Rice fan (I have "Church St. Blues" on LP format) and The Punch Brothers also are, for sure. The have not simply make a rendition, but also something great, with both respect and innovation. I hope you´ll enjoy it (the final is really surprising to me again and again). Thank you for your videos.

[@edeledeledel5490]

Punch Bros are pure genius...

[@benjaminfournier4430]

Don't forget this was written originally by Norman Blake! It was on his 1975 record Whiskey Before Breakfast. Norman plays it a bit differently, but it's also an amazing guitar performance.

[@oldtimetinfoilhatwearer]

I found it harder than Tony's. Norman's syncopation and wide spaced crosspicking is intensely sophisticated

[@davidleinweber]

Glad to see you make the point that such nuanced tone voicing can come from simple “cowboy chords.” Jazz sometimes makes chords more complicated than they need to be. It’s all about melody and phrasing, how the overtones of the passing melodic lines resonate with the basic simple chord structure. Really nice video. Also, I bought a tortoise shell pick once and ended up giving it to someone who liked heavy gauge strings and thick as a brick flat picks. Hope you can do more on some of these classic North American guitar styles

[@micah_lee]

Tony is heavily influenced by Jazz. Look into some of his music, it is so great. Like his Backwaters album or others from Tony Rice Unit

[@davidbartos214]

Beautiful 😊 great storytelling mixed with practical steps

[@EzyoMusic]

Thank you for talking about Tony Rice and taking a look at this song. He's one of my favorite pickers and to this day, I'm still trying to nail this song.

[@JaMeshuggah]

Love Tony Rice and think of this song all the time

[@applemarker4731]

4:02 This is such a minor detail but I love the way you use your finger to show where in the tab you are

[@PedalChainsAddiction]

I always take away so much from your videos, and this one is no exception. Thank you for the inspiring and uplifting content.

[@NickJardine]

This is great timing. I’m just getting into acoustic and fingerstyle after years of primarily electric blues. Thanks for turning me onto Tony Rice!

[@Panda-rb7fl]

Hey Sammy G, I don't know if I'm a typical viewer, I don't play guitar although I have a deep and long-lasting love for all kinds of guitar music. This is an amazing video, and I want to express my appreciation for the amount of effort and heart you put into your work, both musical and photo/video/editing. I wasn't expecting to get emotional while watching, but the attitude and philosophy really struck a chord this time around. Love your stuff, keep being your awesome self, and best wishes to you and yours this holiday season.

[@OFeeliamyhinny]

Thank you, I needed that lesson. I already new how to cross pick. I need to work on the other part of the lesson never give up on life. It truly is amazing when you can receive and recognize a message from someone that didn’t know who they were sending it to. I’m sure I’m not the only one that it was meant for but I hope that anyone else that needed to hear it was listening. Thank you so much!

[@DavidPerry-ui2qz]

Great video, great song!!!! I really enjoy bluegrass guitar playing, especially when the skill level is just guitar god level. It’s unfortunate the unless you’re in the genre most people have never heard of most of these tremendous artists. Keeping it real Sammy G and giving us all that special knowledge only the way you can. Thank you 🙏

[@LPKJFHIS]

Thanks for this! I thought I'd never be able to tackle this one, but the tab really helped me figure it out. Within a few days I can play this close to full speed without the tab now - very proud

[@happymadison1978]

I was already so inspired and blown away by this video. Then I found myself floored and in pieces by that clip of Tony. Wow. Thank you so much for this.

[@lnxguit]

Love your stuff! Thanks for all you do! 😀

[@PitkinPickin]

This my favorite video of yours, hands down! Many blessings to you for sharing this process, and expanding Tony's reach just a little bit more. He truly is one of the greats, and is much less well known than he should be.

[@urkosh]

I watched this twice, thank you, Samurai, for sharing about Tony Rice, what a wonderful player he was! So are you too, Samurai, and, at that, you have a big heart.

[@Joe-bv8be]

Nice way to honour a great musician. Thanks for the lesson.

[@samuelhatman8995]

Dear Sammy G. Sammy H. here... I am 70 now. I am groomed to play Tony's style bluegrass for 66 years and counting. Selah. Did you hear in your clip where Tony says, "If my Heavenly Father is willing right now..." I know you did. You nailed this content, ohhh my Gosh, you beautifully gave us the keys to the Rice method of cross-picking. I thank you. I bought strings for my dreadnought at the music store where Clarence White jammed. I suck at bluegrass. Still trying to honor my Dad's love for the Bluegrass genre. I love it too. But like you, music is wide man... sooo wide! I want to share a key to his "off" timing. He sings in the recording of Church Street Blues, and the picking lead follows/errr.../mirrors the lyric and vocal timing of his wonderful approach. I prayed he would gain his voice back those last few years. Sammy? Your work is awesome. We both share the magic love of that song. Someday I may play a rendition of it on my own KZbin channel, like at 72.... lol!!! Great work. Great work!!! Sincerely, Sam Hatman, son of Sam Hatman, two really old pickers, but I'm still kickin!

[@nicolasg9662]

Tony Rice was the first Bluegrass musician I discovered, his Church Street Blues video is one of my all time favourites, that I could never play a single bar from. Until your video. Thank you.

[@TenThumbsProductions]

Playing with clarity, tone and precision that Tony plays with… it’s unrivaled.

[@sukilu1964]

Beautiful. Great vid, awesome explanation. Really enjoyed this.

[@PaulMills1963]

man...I truly appreciate your channel...its cool that you cover an amazing array of "guitar related things and tomfoolery"...and you do it extremely well. Thanks for turning me on to yet another new very cool tune...and awesome lesson. Great job!

[@c_rollins21]

This TR video is literally why I started playing guitar. Thanks for sharing this to the masses!

[@brianhefflefinger6723]

Tony Rice…so amazing. Thanks for shining a light on a legend.

[@davidcraft4919]

I've been playing guitar for 50 years.... self-taught.... mostly rock, Southern Rock, blues, country.... I always loved bluegrass, but was very intimidated by it. This song is a very tall mountain to climb, and you did it so well. I'm now subscribed. HOOYAH! Rock on, Guitar Friends! 🤟🎸🍻🥃🍹🧑‍🌾

[@davidcraft4919]

Tony Rice was the finest acoustic guitar player I've ever heard. That is a very tough song to play, and he made it look so easy. I feel very blessed to have listened to his music. Rock On, Guitar Friends!!!! 🎸🤟🍻🥃🧑‍🌾😊

[@martifingers]

A very wonderful and fitting tribute to one of the great guitarists of the last century.

[@thepneumanator]

This was so good. I learned so much about guitar, music, and myself through this. Fantastic work man. Incredibly inspiring stuff here. Very glad to have come across this. Thanks for what you do mate!

[@shanebentley5630]

i'm not much a bluegrass listener, not sure why as something like this I really love. I was amazed by that intro. And this is going to send me down my own bluegrass rabbit hole! Loving the transitions in this video! All of them were so 🤌 and it never hurts to be on a couch for thoughts! lol

[@thFaust]

Beautiful video. I feel like the class of that great historic bit of music shone through your entire video, the way you handled the challenge and made it a tribute to Tony Rice.. Great stuff, keep challenging yourself! :D

[@RobotronSage]

I feel very grateful for the content, not quite sure how to explain, as I learn more about playing guitar I feel a more shared sense of understanding and companionship and also gratitude (etc) Much love!

[@vincentizghra6144]

Saw that exact video 15 or so years ago and fell in love. I was very young at the time, but this is a song and performance that I often go back to and it gives me great joy. I've occasionally tried to learn it, it's tough! Tony's got some really weird thumb motion with his downward economy picking. He's a master for sure, great job on learning it!

[@micah_lee]

Thank you for exposing everyone to this great Norman Blake tune. More importantly, to one of the best guitar players ever. I can’t help be listen to some of his work IN AWE. As a music lover who has gained such an appreciation for music due to this youtube platform and videos like this, I wish that more people could listen to his music in awe like I have. You can listen to Manzanita to get the bluegrass, and then Unit of Measure to get the pure bliss that is tony rice. Underrated albums because they were released by Tony Rice Unit rather than just his name sake

[@JeremyKroeker]

This piece is beautiful. And it’s beyond me. But I love the thoughtful analysis. (And the video details that probably took a bunch of work for a few seconds of content - like the record player transitions.) ❤

[@HankMorris-el6jg]

I’m 45 now but when I was 17 an old blue grass guy gave me a Tony Rice tape. It changed my life. He was a cool dude, the song is actually written by Norman Blake, he is a cool dude as well. Tony’s version is amazing. Very inspiring video. Thanks

[@JosephBergstromMusic]

Professional bluegrass musician here; tickled to see you discover and highlight Tony’s amazing picking. You did a great job. Put mediums on that guitar and your tone would be closer, I think. (Bonus points for whittling out the sound hole with a pocket knife.) 😉

[@ChrisHodge]

and use Monel like Tony!

[@JosephBergstromMusic]

@@ChrisHodge Yeah! Heard great things about the new Martin monel (especially the Tony Rice ones), but I’m too in love with D’Addario Nickel Bronze, right now. I’ll put some monel on my backup, someday.

[@ChristianLoftusMusic]

Beautiful analysis and lovely video.

[@Dogeatbicycle]

Awesome breakdown! Great tips. Thanks for demystifying music!

[@codymmusic]

Man, thanks for this. Great to see such dedication and paying homage to a bluegrass hero.

[@Antoniolovesjesus]

Awesome job bro, I play guitar and mandolin I love bluegrass, I'm 16, been playing 5 years, but I'm new to the traditional flat picking bluegrass style. Tony Rice is definitely one of the greats, bluegrass is a style that I'm glad to see is being appreciated.

[@billmiller9332]

This one got me in the feels and proves three chords can be all you need!

[@underwoodvoice9077]

Tony Rice was the greatest bluegrass/dawg music (see: David Grisman) guitarist of his generation. Currently, only Molly Tuttle comes close, in my possibly limited experience. Church Street Blues was written by Norman Blake, and is on his album Whiskey Before Breakfast. Norman's more firmly traditional in his approach, but he's also a monster picker.

[@86vibrato]

SammyG Ive been playing for the past 23+ years everyday and i wanna tell you, I respect you as a guitarist and your phislosophy. Would love to jam with you one day. Keep the great stuff coming.

[@Bass-dude]

Thank you for all the ways you inspire !

[@jftruthseeker989]

Tony Rice has been one of the best guitar player ever , he’s my top 1 no doubt about it , what a gift of quality music he gave us . Every time i listen to him , it gives me the motivation to play and practice .

[@stoopidvideoz]

Tony's Georgia on my mind is a masterpiece and masterclass of playing a simple song in the most creative way possible.

[@prharrington]

Love the 'find your perfect string' thing. Will be checking that out!! Many thanks on this great Thanksgiving!!

[@RandySchartiger]

one of the toughest tunes I ever learned too! I made several lesson videos on it.

[@mateogarcia3190]

Simply beautiful.

[@brianjames5685]

I've never quite got this one down, I think I may need a bigger practice couch? It's such a perfect song dude, I'm in NW England and I too only heard of Tony a couple of years ago. You can tell it's effortless when he plays and he's such an awesome guy during interviews. Thanks dude.

[@bam232]

Thank you for posting this. More people need to know about Tony.

[@rhmlsiddle]

Tony did some amazang work, . Iboth instrumental and vocal. I have been a fan since 1983

[@mcswordfish]

This was really nicely put together video, nice work my dude

[@sushmag4297]

This was a great video. Please make more videos like this. Stuff exploring great guitar riffs and songs and showing us you learning them.

[@GermanMusician4125]

Sammy G nerding out over the great Anthony David Rice… I feel complete.

[@cscheid]

I had heard the punch brothers spin on this song, they do it in five which ends up being so beautiful. How cool to see this!

[@garydunham335]

I LOVE this video format! Would love to see it more!

[@caleblittler1194]

super engaging, editing and segments ruled. good video :)

[@EM-df6mo]

Incredibly interesting, and meaningful content. Thank you Sir.

[@mrbassman7184]

Thanks for this! Very inspiring.

[@oguitars3531]

Very nice analysis Sammy!! I'm going to try this one!

[@kylevandeusen]

Woah dude, this was an epic video. You mashed a bunch of your skills. Excellent work!

[@samuelhatman8995]

Really!! I mean awesome... I'm gonna listen to this again! Sooo well done, and worth the effort!

[@spacejamgoliath]

Thanks for introducing me to this. What a treat

[@GregTuckerKellogg]

Such a beautiful and surprisingly rich tune. I love the use of the tone analyzer. Your points about direction and timing are right on the money. I hate to be that guy, but you missed a chord, and it matters. In addition to the C, F, G, and Am shapes, there's an Em7 on the last part of the intro (and when the corresponding part is sung). You have it tabbed (5:09) with chords F / G / Am / G, but it's actually F / Em7 / Am / G. (Thin / Dime / Hard / Times). The Em is played xx2030, so the D is played as the 3rd fret on the 2nd (B) and the E is played as the 2nd fret on the D string. The only difference to the G (as you have it written) is playing the E instead of the D on the D string. But it matters, because the feel at that moment is a walk down. The first part of the walk down is (in chords) F -> Em7, and in notes, F -> E (3rd fret -> 2nd fret on the D string). The second part of the walk down is from the Am to the G. If you play the G instead of the Em7, it loses that walk-down feel and just bounces to the G and back. Cheers!

[@TheDanielJauch]

Wow! You‘re really speaking from my heart….struggling for years to play it properly

[@dcallan1]

Great job on getting Tony's tone on a budget!

[@xdoctorblindx]

Editing is next-level in this video! Should have saved the upgrade for a Curiosity Stream sponsorship! Haha

[@ZxjPH]

Man, absolutely beautiful.

[@TheKlaun9]

I would pay money to learn to love this sort of music. This is the perfect thing to play for Christmas when the parts of your family that aren't that musical want you to show them something. Easy to everyone's ears, innocent, can be enjoyed from small kids to people at a retirement home. Thankfully, Mr Samurai has such a great on-screen personality and his production quality is so good that I can still watch this. So for me, this video is a brilliant, surreal piece of art. Wondering about what guitar strings to use for the most nothing music ever while describing it as a rollercoaster - with geniune passion for it. And somehow, it's really hard to play. That's exactly my kind of humour. And please, if someone actually reads this and feels disrespected because that music makes them feel things and they really like it, please consider that not everyone can like the same things. I really respect your right to enjoy whatever you like. In fact, as I said, I'd pay money if there was a teacher that teaches people to love this style of music.

[@OutclassedMusician]

I would love to see you dive into more bluegrass stuff, I've always preferred bluegrass over country since I'm from Kentucky and I like seeing other people also enjoy the technicality of it

[@AlexWBKK]

Good Video :-) I had basically the same experience with a song from Jimi Hendrix. I think that could be another one to cover :-) actually there are 2. Hey Baby and Rainy Wish. It's using the most basic chords one can imagine. But presented in a way that only few ppl could copy (in a way that would trigger the same emotions. ) Learning (understanding) those songs helped me so much to be better. Sometimes it doesn't have to be the most complex stuff, if it's done right.

[@dariendingus7038]

I started learning guitar when Guitar Hero with all the craze. My guitar teacher was a dedicated bluegrass student. He idolized Tony Rice. I wish I had learned more of what he loved before he passed away from cancer.

[@uriahedwards]

I would LOVE to see you cover more bluegrass guitar content! You really should get in touch with Marcel Ardans from LessonsWithMarcel. He’s kind of like the SamuraiGuitarist of the bluegrass flatpicking world.

[@CaptainFalcon73]

A Samurai Guitarist x Lessons With Marcel collaboration would be awesome

[@dantheman348]

Tony used Martin monel strings in gauges of his choice (they’re called Tony’s choice). Part of that mellow yet rich sound that tames a usually overly bassy d28. Awesome work on the tune broseph.

[@darksu6947]

Martin actually makes a replica of Tony's guitar. It's a Martin HD-28 LSV..............LSV stands for Large Sound Hole Vintage. One of my best friends has one and for some unknown reason he's nice enough to let me borrow it occasionally. I couldn't possibly pay for it if something happened to it and he's a gigantic Tony Rice fan, lol. Clarence White's orginal guitar had to have the sound hole enlarged because it had basically worn away over the years. I have no idea why Martin doesn't call it the Tony Rice signature guitar because that's what it is!

[@rockrep]

Inspiring. Glad you stuck with it.

[@patrickgrounds2157]

That was definitely inspirational. I'm going back to learn more than the first 30 bars of Asturias.

[@guit40]

Love your channel. The one thing you don't touch on but do when you're playing Tony style is his light touch. His tone very much depended on it, and he even speaks of it in instructional video. No effort. Bryan Sutton has a slightly stronger attack, and Trey Hensley has a very strong attack. All great players, with very different tones.

[@aadityakiran_s]

Very moving video. Thank you so much.

[@jayypluss]

Your channel is awesome! I wish I knew it before, thanks for this video!

[@SpartanLaserCanon]

This is a great video. I like how that song intro kind of sounds like it's not in 4/4 until the last few bars are played which makes it stand out for an acoustic intro. I also like D'addario more with its new features on their website. My favourite string brand after trying many different strings is D'addario for all my different guitars.

[@paulvinova]

Brilliant video and a beautiful song that I've never heard before. Thanks for sharing.

[@fezzypepper8525]

Great job !!!❤

[@higheststandards3344]

Thank you for educating these people:) love you

[@gscgold]

Tony Rice..Legend. Doc Watson... otherworldly

[@ploonhimself4803]

This video was so well produced and shot