The Sound

Photo by Eleanor Wilkie Matt Flinner was touring nationally in a bluegrass band as a pre-teen.  Around 1980, Ted Shupe of Ogden, Utah formed a band of 10-year-olds around his fiddle-playing son, Ryan (now with Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband) and they called themselves the Pee Wee Pickers.   The band’s talent earned them spots…

For Over 50 Years, Great Homespun Artists Have Taught Us How to Play Music For many bluegrass musicians who have tried to improve their skills over the last 50 years or so, whether it is professional artists or campground pickers, the Homespun Music Instruction Company has played a part in their journey. There is most…

Video Instruction for the 21st Century If you are a banjo, mandolin, or guitar player and spend any amount of time on YouTube, you will know about Banjo Ben Clark.  Ben was one of the first instructors to start teaching video lessons via YouTube and he has grown those humble beginnings into a bluegrass instruction…

By the time it got into Tony Rice’s hands, the iconic 1935 Martin D-28 had seen more than its fair share of wear.  Known as “The Antique” or “58957”, the guitar rested under Joe Miller’s bed for nine years before Tony acquired it in 1975 and soon brought it to Randy Wood for a neck…

Photo by Bud Osborne Maybe it’s something in the Pacific Northwest’s air or water, or perhaps it’s being surrounded by the grand mountain forests of Idaho and the Pacific Coast that inspires brilliant luthiery. But whatever it is, that majestic region has spawned some of the world’s finest woodsmiths, including mandolin masters Michael Heiden, Fletcher…

Photos By Shelley Swanger Providing a combination of sales, repairs, rentals, workshops, performances, and musical fellowship, The Violin Shop has been the choice of Nashville’s finest fiddlers for over 30 years. Meeting the needs of four- (and even five-) string devotees from bluegrass to classical, Celtic to old-time, The Violin Shop (at 2504 8th Avenue…