Danny Carnahan

Billy Strings has brought the art of flatpicking guitar to a huge audience, with playing that’s both deeply rooted and highly adventurous. In this column we’ll take a close look at his style by way of two standout guitar solos, both from Grammy-winning albums: Tony Trischka’s star-studded Earl Jam, and Strings’ own Live Vol. 1. Banjo legend Trischka has been a fixture on the acoustic scene and a household name among bluegrass fans since the 1970s.

“Chilly Winds” belongs to a wider family of American blues, folk, and old-time songs that draw on similar floating verses and phrasing, with origins that are murky.

The title track from Jason Isbell’s new solo acoustic album, Foxes in the Snow, is one of its happiest—an unabashed celebration of love and intimacy amid many songs that traverse much darker emotional terrain. Set to a bouncy minor-key groove, “Foxes in the Snow” also features some fine picking and is very fun to play, with a melodic solo that could stand on its own as an instrumental.