I’ve been thinking about this lately. My daughter asked me how many guitars I have. It was fun coming up with the answer. Some of us seem to be “one guitar people.” We find our instrument early on, learn it inside out, and ride with it for decades. Same neck, same sound, same feel... it's part of our identity. Other folks are more like a coffee menu. A dreadnought for bluegrass. A smaller body for late-night practice. Maybe a resonator when the mood gets swampy, or an electric for recording. Different tools for different jobs. I’m curious where you land. If you have a main one, what makes it the guitar for you? Tone, feel, history, or something else? If you have several, how do you think about their “roles” in your playing? No right answer here. Just good conversation for guitar people who also have real lives.

Let's talk about Nine Pound Hammer. Played at almost every pick you'll ever attend, this one is a must-learn. I'll share resources here to help everyone get started on their own and then we can dive deep and do some jamming together. Stand by for more!

This video will eventually live inside the Nine Pound Hammer course I’m building for the Classroom, but I wanted to share it with you all right away. In this session, we work through the tune in a very practical way: - A quick look at the song and why it shows up at almost every bluegrass jam - A full-speed performance so you can hear how it’s meant to feel - Then three play-along passes at increasing tempos, giving you space to practice timing, rhythm, and taking your own breaks The goal here isn’t perfection or speed. It’s learning how to stay in time, feel the form of the tune, and build confidence playing along with a steady groove. If you’re working on timing, flatpicking stamina, or just getting comfortable jumping into common jam tunes, this one’s for you. Try playing along at whatever tempo feels right, and feel free to share what stood out or where things started to feel shaky. That’s useful information.

One thing I’ve learned the hard way is how important good teachers are. Bluegrass is an oral tradition. Most of us don’t figure this stuff out alone. We borrow phrasing, timing, and feel from people who can clearly explain what’s going on and show us how to practice it. For me, Music With Ryan and Ryan Kimm’s approach really clicked. I want to be very clear that I am not paid by him, I do not receive any benefits, and I have no affiliation beyond being a student. His method just worked for my brain, especially learning simple songs note-for-note before trying to improvise. That said, there is no single right teacher or path. I would love to hear from you all. Who has helped you make progress? What courses, YouTube channels, books, or teachers have really worked for you? Please share links and experiences. I’m genuinely excited to see what has helped other people succeed.

Well to start I’m a big fan of bluegrass! Born and raised in Harrisonburg Va currently living in Billings Montana I’m in Alex Grafs bluegrass guitar course on Skool. If you want to get better at guitar and love bluegrass it’s totally worth the $25/mth. I went looking for a similar banjo course on there and found this group. So yeah I play guitar and banjo. Not great at either but getting better everyday. I play both daily. I started playing guitar in late 2019 and I did have 2 breaks the first one was a year (yikes) and the second was about 6 months. I was just frustrated with how slow my progress was. These days ain’t no breaks. I’m 44 and don’t have time for that. I’m a dad of 4 kids. 3 girls and a boy. Gonna have 1 more and call it good. Divorced once. Retired from the Navy where is was a Diver. I’m a stay at home dad who loves my kids and my instruments.