Articles
IssueM Articles
Rudy Lyle: The Unsung Hero of the Five-String Banjo
Soft-cover. 147 pages. Includes banjo tablature. Illustrations by Giselle Harrington The Bill Monroe band of Blue Grass Boys that included Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs (1946-1947) has often been called the “greatest bluegrass group of all time.” But, as Tony Trischka says in his intro to Max Wareham’s new book, Rudy Lyle: The Unsung Hero…
Parabolic Tension Strings
When you build the signature guitar of one of bluegrass music’s greatest ever players, Tony Rice, it’s no surprise that the Santa Cruz Guitar Company puts equal attention into the design, quality and production of their in-house guitar string brand as they did in Rice’s personal instrument. Santa Cruz Parabolic Tension Strings incorporate…
With a Tribute to His Hall of Fame Career
In May of 2022 it was announced that Keith Whitley was to be inducted as the newest member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, with thousands of his fans and followers celebrating the news. But back in eastern Kentucky, plans for a musical celebration and a tribute had already been in the works for…
Katie Glassman’s Fiddle School
Photos By Erin Nutini Katie Glassman’s Fiddle School (fiddleschool.com) has everything that you’d want in an online music teaching platform. The site offers instruction from two world-class fiddler players who thoroughly know their subject and expertly present their lessons in a well-designed, step-by-step teaching method that has something to offer fiddle players of all…
Same Old Moon
By Jack Shannon “Same Old Moon,” written by Jack Shannon, stands out from more traditional bluegrass subject matters of trains, murder, and whippoorwills. Sweet, thought-provoking, and a touch whimsical, the song was recorded most notably by Jim Hurst (Looking Glass, 2014). Shannon also recorded it on his album, The Bloomingdale Boys (2018), which Hurst produced….
Gold Tone “Bluegrass Heart”
Béla Fleck Signature Banjo I am excited about the new Béla Fleck Model from Gold Tone that today’s top 5-string banjo player, Béla Fleck and Wayne Rogers from Gold Tone have designed. Now anyone can take advantage of Béla’s expertise in tone and set up, which is extensive. Wayne explained to me all the detailed…