The 6 priceless lessons from Molly Tuttle are incredibly important to any guitar geek. Whether you’re just starting or you’ve been playing your whole life, these lessons are incredibly valuable.
In today’s show, we’re going to take a closer look at some of the nuggets of guitar geek wisdom Molly Tuttle has said over the years. And, if you don’t know who Molly Tuttle is, be sure to stick around!
In her career as an award-winning musician, Molly Tuttle has encouraged women across the world to take up guitar, especially bluegrass guitar, which I think is something to be celebrated. But Molly Tuttle also has plenty of wisdom for all guitarists that I definitely think you need to hear.
Also featured on this episode of Acoustic Tuesday is Molly’s Signature Preston Thompson guitar. It’s an absolute beauty made by some of the best guitar makers out there, so I really want to encourage you to see how these guitars are made!
As always, you can catch Acoustic Tuesday at 10 am every Tuesday in these four places:
- Acoustic Life YouTube channel
- We Play Every Day Facebook Community
- Get show notes emailed directly to your inbox.
- Listen to audio-only below or in iTunes
Show Notes
Interviews
Q on CBC with Tom Power Interview – https://youtu.be/LRK32n_SXNs
eTown Interview with Nick Forster – https://youtu.be/va1wjhfTsUU
Preston Thompson Segment
Learn more about Molly Tuttle’s Signature Thompson guitar – http://pktguitars.com/acoustic-guitars/portfolios/molly-tuttle-signature-model/
Learn more about the Thompson Guitar crew – https://youtu.be/xyBVWrsfZps
See Molly Tuttle Play her first Thompson Guitar – https://youtu.be/6aCiEWnA9jc
Checkout Molly Tuttle’s live show where she plays her Thompson Signature model – https://youtu.be/f-jPBzK0ng8
Question for Molly Tuttle: What goes through your mind when you are improvising? Are you pulling from riffs you have worked on or are you following a melody you want to accent or your fingers are just moving in creation? Are your fingers ahead of your thoughts or are your thoughts ahead of your fingers?
Molly, thank you for your support of Why Hunger.. Thank you for encouraging women in music. Thank you for being open to the person you are and encouraging others to do the same (Good Enough). You are an amazing guitarist and song writer and I would welcome the opportunity to see you perform in person… Maybe at Red Rocks.. Until then, I am making a donation of $1000 in your name to WhyHunger.. And Thank You Tony for highlighting Molly today…
Your awesome dude!……..we are all human and we all need help at some time or other. Those that provide a hand up are blessed!
Regarding the comment about expensive guitars, I’d support the theory that owning one is an incentive to becoming a really good player. It’s easier to play, and hopefully you play more!
Great show Tony! In this episode (146) I was glad to relate your thoughts to my experiences in college. I was extremely fortunate to attend a university that had a fantastic art school. I was also very happy they had a great music school. BUT the competition from music students was stifling and was intended to weed out as many others as possible. My love of drums and music in general was squashed. Thank goodness for your point of view to grow and have fun. Now that I play guitar on my own terms I’ve left those awful experiences behind.
You are exactly right to encourage everyone to find their path and truths to their joy.
Love the show. Bradford M.
What would you do if you had no one to learn with, no family to jam with? How would you motivate yourself?
Hi Tony –
I’ve been watching for the last couple of years and really enjoy the show. It’s great to be exposed to the various comings and goings in the guitar community, especially since the “outside” world has gone crazy.
Much as i love seeing the incredibly beautiful high-end instruments you regularly feature, I wonder how relevant they are to your average watcher – not to mention the playing public in general. On several occasions I’ve seen pieces on the show that looked worthy of investigation only to find that they cost what I tend to spend on a used car. The last Heartbreaker Guitars featured on your show – $20K??? That’s more that I have invested in guitars, amps and her piano. Lovely for those of us with NHL/NBA incomes, but if $20 K shows up on my AMEX I’ll be looking for a new address.
Pretty much on your recommendation alone, I recently took a flyer on a Recording King “O” and have found it to be everything you suggested. Oh – $125.92 delivered to my door. Is it an equivalent to a Gibson Keb Mo blues box? Well, for most purposes – yes. As nice? No. But, easy on the wallet means I might be able to convince my wife that that alternate dreadnought I want for open tunings might be in my future… Or that 12 string… Although she’s thinking that 6 is enough.
Keep up the good work, Jim
Thanks Tony, here is my question, How often does Molly practice a day and has that changed as she has progressed in her playing?
Tony,
Another great show. I just wanted to say that I can relate to both you and your viewer about “deserving” a nice guitar. I had the same 1959 Silvertone Jumbo acoustic for 40 years. The case is a fiberboard design held together by countless applications of duct tape. And though I love the big sound that guitar produces, the intonation is terrible and the action is so high that it’s murder on the fingers. For years my wife told me I deserved something better, I always felt that I wasn’t good enough to justify the cost. Well, after retiring and deciding to spend more time with my old friend, I decided that a nicer guitar would actually help me become better. In the end I settled on an Emerald X30 carbon fiber jumbo, which I first heard about on your show. My logic was, I wanted something beautiful and easy to play, and something I could leave out ready to play without worrying about humidity, etc., since that’s what kept me regularly playing my old beater–having it right where I relaxed in the family room. Thanks for the review–I really do love the X30, and although it’s just as wide and thicker than the old Silverstone it feels so much smaller because of the contours. Keep up the good work. Best regards, Mike
Molly, I used to play a lot of guitar when I was in my early 20s. No lessons, just played by ear. My “dream” was to play just like Michael Hedges. I am now 60 and want to reintroduce myself to play again however, this time I have a clear focus on how I want to play.
Any advice on getting back into guitar and or instruction? (books, online instruction etc.)
I’ve been with your program for less than a week, and I already know that this is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! So glad I found this!
Molly Tuttle, I had Never heard or heard of until I Joined ‘TAC’ ….uhm….sometime in March, *luckily*.
I Thank You, for bringing ‘Molly’ And ‘the somewhat disregarded? Art of Bluegrass Music, to ‘My’ somewhat? disregarding *mind* ? I now listen to Bluegrass Music at least Half the time that I listen to Any thing!! Great variation, but I only *Wish* that ‘Molly Tuttle’ had *More* recordings out there!!!
*Comparing Oneself* I (now) believe is a Huge mistake in Many aspects of any ‘Life’ !
Good show today, Tony. Love, Love Love Mollie Tuttle. I also stopped and really listened to your “soapbox” about ego and not comparing yourself to others. Your timing is perfect. Just when I was getting down on myself and thinking I should just give up…this isn’t my natural talent. Now I say, “So what!” As long as I’m entertaining myself (and my dog thinks I’m awesome) it’s all good.
I have a question for Molly Tuttle. Molly, I was wondering how many hours a day you practice and what types of warm ups or scales you do to keep your amazing speed and dexterity?
Aloha from Hawaii!
Alan L
I’ve seen Tony’s “Best way to restring your acoustic guitar” for a solid head guitar…it was why I started TAC. In the lessons this week, Tony is using a 12-fret slotted head guitar. I have one that does not hurt my hand, but it needs to be re-strung. Does Tony have a video showing how to restring a slotted head video? I have searched TAC and Google, nothing comes up. Is there such a video or one Tony recommends?
I haven’t been able to access any actual teaching, just endless videos of Tony talking. So, please stop sending me stuff; I don’t want to sign up before seeing what an actual lesson looks like.
I suggest you make the plunge…A year is less than 3 lessons in a shop. Here you can redo those lessons over and over again …till you get it…when you leave the shop you better have a great memory. Beside Tony I believe has a 30 day money back guarantee…So if you don’t like it…..
Molly,
I often back-burner a song or two that I’m working on, only to return to “finish” writing it when I feel the inspiration to revisit that song; not a good habit. Can you comment on how you do or do not discipline yourself in songs you are working on or have back-burnered, because of either the lyrics or music?
Hi Molly, How did you learn to move your fingers so fast, when playing the guitar?
Hea Tony, loved the show as always. Thanks for getting on your soap box! I have been going thru that ego crap again and making my journey a job & forgot the fun again. And if you think you fuffeled fingers with the case, wait till he sees your guitarsenal. I know I cant wait. P.S Vasi. is back on the ice today in Tampa, look out. Thanx buddy
Hi Tony,
How are you doing?
My fretting fingers are slow for playing 8th and 16th notes in the context of phrases, melodies, licks, etc., not scales, when I am improvising or not. I‘d like my fretting fingers to play faster and I wish to control them better, being able in a conscious manner to select and to fret these notes quickly, and not relying only on muscle memory. My goal is not shredding.
Please, how can I improve the speed and the mental / muscular control of my fretting fingers in such a context? Would you consider a payment for the viewing of a video you may do about improvement of speed and mental / muscular control of fretting fingers in this context? All work deserves a fair reward.
Cheers,
John
I’ve played and owned a lot of different acoustic guitars GIBSON,Yamaha,Alvarez,Epiphone, Guild,,Takamine but my favorite all time is my Alvarez PD85SCAV. It has Rosewood sides and back Cedar Top what I have found was same guitar model doesn’t sound the same that and when they went from Cedar to Spruce.I Took my guitar to Guitar Center and went to. The high price models room Gibson,Martin,Taylor ,Yari by Takamine found I would have to pay over 2000.00 to get a comparable sound.Seems like they did a great job of making mine .I was very lucky. just thought I would add this for those who think they can only get a good guitar if they spend a lot of money,by the way I got mine for 770.00 case included.AJ
Question for Molly: What do you recommend practicing to improve picking accuracy?
Tony, thanks for your comments regarding skill level related to level of guitar purchase. I needed to hear that. In my guitarsenal picture I posted the other day I included the story behind my Martin D-35 purchase. Basically I was using some money inherited from my mother and wanted to purchase something related to music as she was immersed in music all her life. I looked at several guitars and ended up with the D-35. I think you are right, it called out to me. While I have never regretted buying this guitar, when I show it to someone, especially a guitar player, I find myself telling them that I don’t play at a level deserving of the guitar, but that I will grow into it (almost included that in the guitarsenal notes). But dang-nabit, it IS my guitar and I love it! And I probably play it more often because it is what it is. Thanks for pointing that out to me.
A question for Molly Tuttle
How do you personally prepare for a performance when dealing with, what I would assume to be, a large number of tunes that you might choose to play? It makes sense to me that making a set list and rehearsal in preparation may be all that you need to do. On the other hand, do you have a fall-back list of songs that might be optional and how much time do you devote to said list? What if an audience requests a song that you have not recently rehearsed, and you (for whatever reason) feel uncomfortable doing cold? Perhaps performing for a living makes this a nonsense question, but I suspect the pandemic has made for some changes in your approach. Thanks for your thoughts and your graceful musicality!
Tony,
Your comments about owning and being “deserving” of an expensive instrument hit home with me. While there can be lots of territory between affording ANY guitar and shelling out five or six figures for an instrument, there is another point to be made beyond that of an instrument that inspires you to pick it up and play it. I would suggest that owning a guitar that is “above” your level is aspirational, inviting you to make the instrument-player combination ever better at making music and the joy it brings to your life. I would rather be pulled forward into better music by a “too-good-for-me” guitar than held back by a cheap one that just refuses to sing.
Thanks Tony, Now i do not know i will pick up the Fender CPS 60s That i thought i wasn’t worthy of.
Hi Tony,
I have been glued to your transmissions for months now and this one was particularly special. However, I have to say that when inserting videos into your broadcasts that have subtitles telling you who the speakers are (the Thompson crew in this edition), it is really annoying that you Acoustic Life logo is superimposed in the bottom left corner and obscures the subtitles. I get it that you can’t control the location of the subtitles but you can control your own logo placement. So could you please either relocate the logo when subtitles are shown or just hide the logo completely if you can relocate it. Sorry, pet peeve over, please continue to do your THANG my Guitar Guru!!
I think Molly Tuttle is a fantastic artist.she plays wonderful and I love her signature guitar.if I had a question for her it would be,besides bluegrass what other type of music do you enjoy to play.thanks Tony,I love your show.i watch it very late,but I watch it.see you at show#147.thank you💡👍😷
Question for Molly Tuttle: What did you learn from your time with jazz musicians that you are incorporating into your current playing?
Thanks, Tony, for your thoughts on expensive instruments. I, too, “bought up”, but it was a dream guitar for me, as well as my retirement present to myself. You have helped dispel my moments of doubt!