Welcome back to Guitardoor.com, where we celebrate the brilliant artists who are defining the future of the instrument. Today, we focus on one of the most acclaimed, decorated, and phenomenally talented musicians in modern bluegrass and Americana: the incredible Molly Tuttle. As a groundbreaking and two-time winner of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s “Guitar Player of the Year” award—the first woman to ever receive the honor—Tuttle is a true triple threat: a jaw-droppingly innovative guitarist, a gifted and insightful songwriter, and a singer with a clear, beautiful, and wonderfully emotive voice.
Molly Tuttle’s musical style is a fresh, sophisticated, and contemporary take on bluegrass. Her music deeply honors the rich traditions of the genre while fearlessly infusing it with modern songwriting sensibilities, complex arrangements, and a bright, infectious pop melodicism. With her brilliant band, Golden Highway, she is at the forefront of a new, young, and virtuosic generation of musicians who are carrying the torch of bluegrass into the future. But beyond her instrumental prowess, she is a songwriter of incredible depth and character. In the same vein as other master storytellers we’ve covered, like Patty Griffin, Tuttle writes with an emotional intelligence and a unique perspective that elevates her music far beyond simple instrumental showcases, tackling themes of empowerment, belonging, and personal history with grace and power.
The guitar playing of Molly Tuttle is a stunning display of both incredible power and intricate, detailed finesse. She has taken the foundational flatpicking techniques of bluegrass masters like Doc Watson and Clarence White and elevated them to a new level of complexity, speed, and melodicism. Her most celebrated and signature technique is her absolute mastery of crosspicking, a demanding flatpicking style that uses a continuous, rolling motion across three strings to create a fluid, banjo-roll-like cascade of notes. It’s a technique that requires immense right-hand control, and she executes it with a power and precision that is simply breathtaking. She also incorporates an innovative use of the clawhammer technique, a style typically associated with the banjo, to add a unique percussive and rhythmic texture to her playing. Her incredible sound comes from world-class acoustic guitars, including a treasured Pre-War Martin D-28 and her own signature models from boutique builder Preston Thompson, all chosen for their power, clarity, and rich, woody tone.
To truly appreciate the incredible, multi-faceted talent of Molly Tuttle, diving into her Grammy-winning work with her band Golden Highway is an absolute must.
“Crooked Tree”
This is the powerful and deeply personal title track from her celebrated album, a true anthem about embracing what makes you different and finding your own way in the world. For a guitarist, this song is a fantastic introduction to the fundamentals of bluegrass rhythm. To approach it, the key is to master the steady, driving “boom-chuck” rhythm, using a flatpick to cleanly hit a bass note on the downbeat and strum the corresponding chord on the upbeat. The focus should be on creating a clean, powerful, and metronomically precise rhythm that serves as the engine for the whole song.
“She’ll Change”
A fiery, fast-paced, and thrilling instrumental, this track is a perfect showcase for her and her band’s virtuosic talents. This is a masterclass in her signature crosspicking. To approach this demanding technique, a guitarist must practice the rolling, three-string picking pattern (e.g., down-up-up or down-down-up) with a flatpick. It is essential to start very slowly with a metronome, focusing on achieving absolute evenness, clarity, and rhythmic consistency in the notes. It is a serious right-hand workout that builds incredible speed and control.
“Take the Journey”
A beautiful and wonderfully melodic song, this track showcases all of her talents: her clear, beautiful singing, her thoughtful songwriting, and her tasteful yet intricate guitar work. The approach here is to blend the driving rhythm with sparkling melodic fills. The song’s intro features a beautiful, clean, and memorable flatpicked line that outlines the main melody. The key is to be able to play these lead lines with the same power and tonal clarity as the rhythm strumming, a hallmark of all the great bluegrass flatpickers.
In the end, Molly Tuttle’s legacy is already that of one of the most important and exciting artists in modern acoustic music. As a groundbreaking instrumentalist, she has shattered barriers and become a true inspiration for a new and diverse generation of players. She is a complete and brilliant artist who is both a keeper of the bluegrass tradition and a fearless innovator, pushing the genre forward with her incredible talent, her unique vision, and her powerful, unmistakable voice.
Cover Photo Credit “2022-05-31 (Molly Tuttle, ACL Live, Austin)” by RalphArvesen is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
