David opens with “John Riley the Shepherd,” introducing the informal musical conversation.
John Riley the Shepherd
Learning The Standards
How traditional fiddle tunes are learned by ear, passed between players, simplified, and reshaped into personal versions.
John the Shepherd Simplified
Clarence White
David recalls growing up around bluegrass royalty, meeting Clarence White, and learning one of White’s signature scale ideas by ear.
Clarence's Scale - tk1
Clarence's Scale - tk2
Clarence's Scale - tk3
Dueling Banjos
Learning And Musicianship
A wide-ranging discussion of starting young, learning through curiosity, instrument-specific musicianship, capo positions, tone, and self-directed practice.
Forward Roll Relaxed
Scale Relaxed
Crosspicking Patterns
David explains how he expanded three-string rolls into string-skipping and six-string exercises of his own.
Forward Roll Relaxed Slow
Forward Roll Relaxed A String
Crosspicking Threes Etude
Arpeggio Six-String
Arpeggio Six-String Progression
Double Escape Picking Technique
A close look at David’s crosspicking motion, including anchoring, relaxation, pick grip, accents, scales, speed changes, and the single-string test.
Dave's Sleeveless Improv
King Wilkie's Skip - tk1
King Wilkie's Skip Demonstration
King Wilkie's Skip - tk2
Forward Roll Slide Pickup
Forward Roll Improv
Arpeggio Four-String Relaxed
Arpeggio Four-String
Arpeggio Four-String Improv
Forward Roll Accent E String
Forward Roll Accent G String
Starting the Car - tk1
Starting the Car - tk2
Scale G Major
Scale G Major Two-Octave
Scale G Major Two-Octave Descending
Bluegrass Vocabulary
Chromatic “Black Mountain Rag” ideas, fiddle-like pulse, projection, teaching, and the process of absorbing bluegrass vocabulary.
Black Mountain Rag Pt. 1
Black Mountain Chromatics
Black Mountain Rag Pt. 2
Black Mountain Chromatic Boogie
Black Mountain Chromatic Riff
Black Mountain Chromatic Accents
Pear Tree
Winfield Competition
David remembers competing at Winfield in 1973, 1976, and 1980, including finishing second to Roy Curry and discussing Carl Miner.
Crosspicking Over Chord Shapes
How chord shapes turn crosspicking into a rich rhythmic texture, with right-hand string targeting and spatial awareness.
Wildwood Strums - tk1
Wildwood Crosspick
Wildwood Flower
Wildwood Strums - tk2
G Run Descending
Clarence's Standard
Clarence's G Chord Lick - tk1
Clarence's G Chord Lick - tk2
Clarence's G Lick
Fiddler's Pulse
David demonstrates how dynamic accents can reproduce an old-time fiddler’s pulse on guitar in “Angeline the Baker.”
Angeline the Baker Pulse
Angeline the Baker Straight vs. Pulse
Angeline the Baker
Outro
Closing remarks followed by a performance of “As It Rolls to the Sea.”
