RIP Tony Rice

Photo by Rahim Sofri on Unsplash

When I hear Tony Rice play, my first reaction is usually “How did he get a guitar to do that?” As an acoustic finger picker, he has no electronics to amplify his creativity. It’s all phrasing and timing and grace.

This performance of “Shenandoah” from an instructional DVD (produced by fellow guitarist Happy Traum) purports to show Rice’s “method,” but no matter how carefully I watch the video, all I see is magic.