Kenny Smith: Blackberry Blossom On A Custom Dreadnaught

If you are interested in flatpicking guitar, then the tune Blackberry Blossom has to be one of the old standards to learn, as it incorporates a multitude of right and left hand techniques that is not just strait back and forth picking.

Kenny Smith is one fine flatpicker- here in this video is his version of the song:

One of the cool things about bluegrass music is, note choices to old standards are up to the players discretion, as you will never hear two guitarists play a song exactly alike (as for example classical which demands no variation whatsoever).

Probably the most famous guitar version of this song is by Tony Rice on his Manzanita album. It’s hard to say whether or not Kenny learned it from Tony, but he does have what I call the “Rice school approach” to flatpicking guitar…. which I suppose has been determined as the “sound of choice” for flatpicking.

The guitar Kenny is playing has a wonderful tone (Steve Reeves Custom by Smoky Mountain Guitars) which features curly African Mahogany back and sides, master grade Adirondack Spruce top air-dried for 12 years, forward x scalloped bracing, Ebony purfling, Brazilian Rosewood bridge with 2 1/8” spacing, thru bone saddle and other custom amenities.

Check back again soon as I’m going to feature a few other bluegrass guitarists with their versions of Blackberry Blossom, or you could just get on the newsletter to the right of this page so you don’t miss one issue.