My guitar journey continues. As part of my nightly practice, just for fun, I like to play along with a recorded song, the first stages of learning the song or, at least, thinking about it. This week, I’ve been listening to “California Sober”, a song recorded in 2023 by Billy Strings and Willie Nelson.

You probably know Willie’s name and work. Billy is one of the hottest, most popular bluegrass guitar players du jour. He started playing with his dad when he was six years old. He started touring at 19 years old and hasn’t looked back. Now 32 years old; he’s released four studio albums, two of which have won Grammy awards – one in 2021, a second this year. He can play at tempos unattainable by most guitarists, professional or otherwise.

The song, “California Sober”, is the story of a guy who was, let’s say, a significant substance user who, now, is maintaining an even strain with more moderate consumption… mostly. Billy plays it at around 120 beats per minute.

I can keep up with his “boom-chick-boom-chick” rhythm strumming but when it comes to his guitar break, I can’t keep up. He’s too fast – 8 notes per second, too clean, his licks are more complicated than those I’ve mastered, and the song isn’t much fun when I play it at the speed I can handle.

What to do?

Midweek, I recalled reading a Billy Strings interview in which he said words to the effect of, “Bluegrass…. it’s about the melody”… which opens up wide possibilities.

I will never out-pick Billy Strings for speed or clarity. But… if I craft my own guitar break built around the melody at a speed I can handle, I’ll be playing the song “true to the tradition” while producing something people enjoy, perhaps admiring my guitar break for its melody, simplicity, and clarity. With a little more work, it might get to “interesting” or even “exciting” to the point that some six-year-old might ask me to show her how I played it. That’d make my day.

Nick Miller is President of Clarity Advantage based in Concord, MA. He assists banks and credit unions to generate more and more profitable relationships, faster, with business clients, their owners, and their employees through better sales strategies and execution. Additional articles on Clarity’s web site.