Bryan Sutton’s Secrets For Successful Flatpicking

This extraordinary lesson is filled with spectacular picking, detailed instruction and invaluable advice for aspiring bluegrass guitarists at all levels. Bryan Sutton thoughtfully and methodically lays out his “tricks of the trade” to help you play any tune and improve your flatpicking speed, power, timing and musicianship.

Bryan addresses many of the problems that he sees in aspiring pickers, and passes along tips on how to keep your picking hand and arm tension-free and your fretting hand supple and quick. He provides drills and exercises, teaching an arsenal of licks, bends, double stops, slides and other devices that will help you build powerful and memorable solos.

In a special section on rhythm playing, Bryan plays backup to Cody Kilby’s lead solos and shows how, by varying his chords and bass runs, he builds a groove and enhances the tune. He breaks down, in detail, famous bluegrass jam session tunes – Daley’s Reel, Texas Gales, Wild Bill Jones and Beaumont Rag – each of which shows a different aspect of the flatpick experience.

Magazine Review
“Once your technique and fundamentals are down you can just play and let the ideas take over.” – Bryan

“The Bluegrass community will be the better for watching this DVD. This is not just a “put your fingers here” kind of lesson. It’s a nearly two-hour intelligent and thoughtful discussion and demonstration by a master guitar player on the mysteries of the guitar. There’s no ego that steps in to distract the student and Bryan seems genuinely humble in discussing his style and that of others. He almost makes it seem like anyone could do what he does with the right approach and dedication.

Bryan takes the student through pitfalls and problems to techniques that will help your playing be tension-free. His emphasis is on relaxed playing that will improve tone. But he doesn’t just say, “Play with a lot of tone.” He shows you how to get there through exercises and techniques.

“In my opinion this is one of the best instructional DVDs for flatpickers because its aim is not to teach you to play note-for-note solos, but to show you how Bryan thinks and how he has learned to execute the techniques that got him to where he is today. Highly recommended!” – Flatpicking Guitar Magazine

“If you are serious about moving up to the next level with your flatpicking, this video delivers the tools you need to make that leap.”
– Vintage Guitar

Another Ricky Skaggs’ band alumnus, Cody Kilby, provides rhythm guitar throughout, and as usual with Homespun videos, the production is of high quality with wonderful sound, and includes a helpful booklet with tablature of the tunes and exercises. For any aspiring guitar player, this is an essential DVD to own and refer back to again and again. Highest recommendation for players of any level.”
– Bluegrass Unlimited