Ben Wright is an educator, clinician, and performer based out of Fergus, Ontario. He is a guitarist whose fluency is informed by both a classical pedigree and many years of experience playing bluegrass guitar. He’s known for his fluid, crosspicking guitar style that allows open strings to contribute to the sound of his melodic playing.

The Native Trees of Canada: Songs for Crosspicking Guitar is a collection of pieces written about Canada’s trees. The project is inspired by Boyd R. Morton’s 1917 book of the same title. Each of the ten pieces capture the characteristics of the tree for which they’re written. This programmatic intent is evident in the harmonized, winding melodies of “Cedar” that imitate the winding roots of cedar trees, or in the angular lydian opening melody of “Spruce & Fir” which captures the spiky needles and pungency of black spruce trees. Part of the joy of this project is listening to the individual pieces and considering the connection between the music and tree. 

The collection of pieces in The Native Trees of Canada: Songs for Crosspicking Guitar is an athletic showcase of the crosspicking guitar style. In addition to the album, Ben has written a music book to accompany the project which provides notation and tablature for the compositions, exercises to learn common crosspicking patterns, and studies to hone your craft. It’s a beautiful book that incorporates many of the illustrations from the first edition of the field book. Check out the store to purchase a copy. 

Ben is the guitarist in Canadian bluegrass band The Barrel Boys who have been touring the country from the Yukon to Nova Scotia since 2012. They were nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award in 2021.