Top Bluegrass Rhythm Guitarists
This is a list strictly rating bluegrass guitarists off of their Rhythm guitar, not their lead ability. Lead guitarists can be included, but only to focus on their rhythm ability.
Certainly the greatest Rhythm picker in Bluegrass history. Great feeling, timing, tone, and coming up with many of the now standard G and D runs. Using a thumb and fingerpicks, Flatt's general pattern was bass note, downstroke, bass note, down, up down, which remains the standard Rhythm guitar pattern in Bluegrass today.
Easily the best Rhythm Guitarist around today, fantastic tone, timing, drive and runs. Nobody today comes close.
Waller had very tasteful and consistent rhythm, used a number of interesting accents and runs, and got a great tone. His general rhythm pattern was like a derivative of Flatt's but with added strokes, giving him a very full sound.
Though most known for his lead picking, his Rhythm was fantastic, tasteful, and had great tone and timing. It's a shame few pay attention to this aspect of his playing.
Based his style off Lester Flatt, though would go his own way, he had great feeling and drive and would use a wide array of accent runs.
Along with his lead, he was a very fine rhythm player, great feeling, tone, consistent timing, and very dynamic often mixing in Riley Puckett style runs and different swing chords.
Great rhythm player, very dynamic in his usage of accent chords, runs. Had great timing.
Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.