Al Petteway

[Silence Dogood]

I know he's been around a long time, and I've seen him in guitar mags over the years, but I just discovered the music of Al Petteway this week.   Very good stuff!   I tend like to more melodic playing over the flashy/slappy acoustic stuff.  Are there any other guitarists who play like this that I should know about? 

[Queequeg]

Yes, I am an Al Petteway fan, too.
He mostly plays in open and altered tunings.
So if you enjoy his music you might like Jeff Peterson "Maui On My Mind".
Billy McLaughlin "Fingerdance"
Muriel Anderson
Ed Gerhard
Helen Avakian

[ducktrapper]

I know he's been around a long time, and I've seen him in guitar mags over the years, but I just discovered the music of Al Petteway this week.   Very good stuff!   I tend like to more melodic playing over the flashy/slappy acoustic stuff.  Are there any other guitarists who play like this that I should know about?  

Only about a million or so. For every ... I won't say it ... there is a Doc Watson. I've always thought if I want noodling, I'll do it myself. To be honest, from what I've heard, Petteway strikes me as another noodler. Is he a good player? Very good. Do I want to listen to that?   

[Silence Dogood]

Only about a million or so. For every ... I won't say it ... there is a Doc Watson. I've always thought if I want noodling, I'll do it myself. To be honest, from what I've heard, Petteway strikes me as another noodler. Is he a good player? Very good. Do I want to listen to that?   

Yeah, "noodler" is a good term for those guys that just play a lot of notes.  Petteway is pretty melodic though, and many of the tunes are catchy, to my ear anyway. 

[ducktrapper]

Yeah, "noodler" is a good term for those guys that just play a lot of notes.  Petteway is pretty melodic though, and many of the tunes are catchy, to my ear anyway.  

Like I said, he's a very good player. As guitarists go, however, I'm just more into Doc, Chet, Merle Travis, Marcel Dadi, Tony Rice, Richard Thompson, Billy Strings, Joni Mitchell, Mary Flower, Molly Tuttle ... guys and girls who more tunesmiths than new age melodists.    

[Queequeg]

Like I said, he's a very good player. As guitarists go, however, I'm just more into Doc, Chet, Merle Travis, Marcel Dadi, Tony Rice, Richard Thompson, Billy Strings, Joni Mitchell, Mary Flower ... guys and girls who more tunesmiths than new age melodists.    

Like it or don't like it.
Petteway's music doesn't fit my definition of New Age.
Ancient Celtic tunes and the tunes he writes in the Celtic tradition, and his Ken Burns' soundtracks I think of as far more "traditional" than anything that I consider  "new age noodling".
YMMV

[ducktrapper]

Like it or don't like it.
Petteway's music doesn't fit my definition of New Age.
Ancient Celtic tunes and the tunes he writes in the Celtic tradition, and his Ken Burns' soundtracks I think of as far more "traditional" than anything that I consider  "new age noodling".
YMMV

Maybe I need to give him more listens. I don't deny his obvious abilities. However you define it, I guess that Celtic and DADGAD stuff doesn't do a lot for me. It's not so much that I don't like it, it's just that it doesn't hold my attention. Where's the beef? For me, 30 seconds of it goes a long way. Then again my mileage often varies.  

[Silence Dogood]

Maybe I need to give him more listens. However you define it, I guess that Celtic and DADGAD stuff doesn't do a lot for me. It's not so much that I don't like it, it's just that it doesn't hold my attention. Where's the beef? For me, 30 seconds of it goes a long way. Then again my mileage often varies.   

Definitely different strokes etc.  That exactly sums up my feelings about players like Billy Strings et al.  I have absolute respect for their abilities but it bores me to tears after a few seconds. 

[ducktrapper]

Definitely different strokes etc.  That exactly sums up my feelings about players like Billy Strings et al.  I have absolute respect for their abilities but it bores me to tears after a few seconds. 

I just tried to listen to Caledon Wood and reached the same conclusion after about two minutes. I'm sorry I commented. I'd remove them but then the reactions would make no sense. Each to their own, I guess.     

[Queequeg]

I just tried to listen to Caledon Wood and reached the same conclusion after about two minutes. I'm sorry I commented. I'd remove them but then the reactions would make no sense. Each to their own, I guess.     

Each to their own, to be sure. 

[mike in lytle]

Definitely different strokes etc.  That exactly sums up my feelings about players like Billy Strings et al.  I have absolute respect for their abilities but it bores me to tears after a few seconds.  

Billy is a great guitar player, whether flat picking, crosspicking or fingerpicking, and a darn good singer too, altho it helps a lot if one has an interest in bluegrass or any kind of folk music to set one's brain a place to sit when listening. I grew up with that stuff. Any of his videos are lessons. He is going to go down as one of the greats. There is a video I saw his band doing a tune live called Southbound, it was part of a concert doing Doc Watson stuff, it was wonderful.
Being bored with Billy after a few seconds is like throwing away 90 percent of American music, like anything between the two mountain ranges.

I found the link... its  a good show.
Billy Strings_Shady Grove: The Music of Doc Watson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk4SWmDbMNI

Mike

[Silence Dogood]

Yes, Billy will probably go down as one of the greats, and like I said, he has my respect.  I also do not reject American music or its heritage, and I love folk music etc: I just don't enjoy fast and flashy playing in any genre.  YMMV.  

[eded]

Larry Pattis comes to mind...  El McMeen is another.  Both have offerings on YouTube to get you started.  Both are excellent players.  Robin Bullock is another.  I guess he won't this year, but he did holiday shows along with Al Pettaway for years and years.

Scientists say that as folks age, they react most favorably to music they are familiar with.  If it's the same song done by different people, listeners usually go for the one they are familiar with.  It's because of two things...  memories associated with those songs and hearing changes.  The brain fills in parts that are no longer heard as well.  That's why people who grew up with 50s music think it's the best stuff ever, those who grew up in the 60s, 60s music, etc.

If you prefer bluegrass, Jimi Hendrix just sounds like a bunch of feedback and noise.  If you prefer opera, Carole King is just some loudmouth New Yorker.  To deny the genius of either Jimi or Carole is misguided, though, IMO.

Ed

[Silence Dogood]

Larry Pattis comes to mind...  El McMeen is another.  Both have offerings on YouTube to get you started.  Both are excellent players.  Robin Bullock is another.  I guess he won't this year, but he did holiday shows along with Al Pettaway for years and years.

Scientists say that as folks age, they react most favorably to music they are familiar with.  If it's the same song done by different people, listeners usually go for the one they are familiar with.  It's because of two things...  memories associated with those songs and hearing changes.  The brain fills in parts that are no longer heard as well.  That's why people who grew up with 50s music think it's the best stuff ever, those who grew up in the 60s, 60s music, etc.

If you prefer bluegrass, Jimi Hendrix just sounds like a bunch of feedback and noise.  If you prefer opera, Carole King is just some loudmouth New Yorker.  To deny the genius of either Jimi or Carole is misguided, though, IMO.

Ed

I believe there is a lot of truth in that, about how people like what they grew up with etc.  I still like a lot of what I grew up with.  Having said that, I grew up on what's now called "Hair Metal" and tonight I've been listening to choral music from the Renaissance.  People grow and change.   When I was younger I loved all the flashy guitar solos, but now it sort of bounces off my ears.  Players like Billy Strings, while technically brilliant, remind me of the hair metal shredders.  To be sure, many of those players (Billy included, I'm sure) could also play melodically and less flashy, but most times they don't.   Driving fast is just more fun and exciting to most folks. 

[Tuba Mike]

My 2 cents, for what it's worth.

Stephen Bennett does some pretty mean Fingerstyle guitar playing.  I would guess he is mostly known for his harp guitar stuff but he has a lot of regular six-string recordings along with a real nice National slide guitar recording.  

As for Al Petteway, check out his Dream Guitars recordings (two volumes) and his Mountain Guitar recording for more traditional stuff (IMHO).

There is also a nice 3 CD set called Six Strings North of the Border that has many fine Canadian guitarists on it.  A real mix of things.  All good stuff.  

[Tuba Mike]

I forgot to mention a few others.

Pat Donohue.  Three recordings of note are American Guitar, Freewayman and Two Hand Band. 

Toby Walker. His Speechless recording is all solo guitar. The rest of his stuff has vocals.

Dakota Dave Hull.  I have his recording Another Cup with upright bassist Liz Draper.  Wonderful playing.


Enjoy