A friend of mine turned me on to this and I have watched it more times than I care to admit. The audio/video editing is nothing short of genius and Steve Gadd’s casiotone drum sound cracks me up only slightly less than when the sax chimes in. I don’t know who StSanders is but they’re brilliant.

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Here is a medium tempo demonstration of the quintessential flatpicking tune. This is based off Doc Watson’s original recording in the key of D (capo 2nd). Apart from Doc most people generally play the tune in the key of A.
Disclaimer: As with all my videos I do not have any tab available. I believe learning by ear is the only way to fully grasp the intricate timing of old time fiddle tunes.

When I first heard Gene Meade play guitar I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of him. I guess that’s what happens when you share the stage with Clark Kessinger and his fiddle. If, by chance, your underwhelmed with this guitar performance I suggest trying to play along with Gene’s bass runs.

A new video of an old band courtesy of Shostopa.

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Loch Leven Castle is an old Scottish tune in Am (Dorian) that lends itself well to floating. Although not a common tune among guitar players you’ll pick it up in no time if you’re familiar with tunes like Jerusalem Ridge or Old Dangerfield. I play through the tune twice and use an Am(add9) up the neck for effect. If you’re unfamiliar with this particular voicing it’s really easy to play since it only requires two fingers but makes use of all six strings (ring @ 7th fret D string, index @ 5th fret G string).

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The Red Haired Boy is a popular Irish reel that is a staple of Bluegrass jams. As with many fiddle tunes it goes by different names such as The Red Headed Irishman and The Jolly Beggar; the latter of which is based on the title and lyrics of an 18th Century Scottish ballad with a similar melody.

The tune is in the key of A (Mixolydian) and although I play it out of the G position capoed at the 2nd fret some guitar players prefer to play it in A without a capo.