For the last 35 years, Grammy-winning guitarist Scott Nygaard has been one of the most inventive and influential flatpicking guitarists in the bluegrass/acoustic music scene. His solos, a seamless amalgam of bluegrass, folk, and jazz influences, shift easily from breathtaking virtuosity to soulful melodic musings and his accompaniment is always intriguing, supportive, and propulsive. Downbeat magazine called him “a phenomenally talented stylist.”
Scott has performed and/or recorded with Tim O’Brien, Joan Baez, Chris Thile, Darol Anger, Jerry Douglas, Peter Rowan, Laurie Lewis, Anonymous 4, and many others, and has released two solo albums for Rounder Records, No Hurry and Dreamer’s Waltz. His self-produced albums include one with his band Crow Molly, a duo record with Swedish guitarist Roger Tallroth (Rosco), and another with singers Chris and Cassie Webster (Ten Thousand Miles). Scott was the guitarist on a number of recordings that have proven to be extremely influential on the contemporary acoustic music scene, including Chris Thile’s Leading Off, Tim O’Brien’s Red on Blonde, Jerry Douglas’s Slide Rule, and the Republic of Strings’s Generation Nation. His most recent recording is Harmonic Tone Revealers, a trio recording of traditional material with fellow Peghead Nation instructors John Reischman and Sharon Gilchrist.
Formerly the editor of Acoustic Guitar magazine, Scott has written hundreds of articles on music, musicians, guitars, and guitarists for Acoustic Guitar, Strings, Play Guitar!, and Guitar World Acoustic; authored two instruction books, Bluegrass Guitar Essentials and Fiddle Tunes and Folk Songs for Beginning Guitar; produced an instructional video, Bluegrass Lead Guitar for Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop, and taught at most of the United States’ best-known bluegrass and/or guitar workshops. Scott is co-founder and editor of Peghead Nation.
scottnygaard.com
Scott Nygaard teaches:
