Who Was Sierra Hull's Biggest Musical Hero?

Sierra Hull is a true mandolin prodigy who has blossomed into one of the most important voices in modern acoustic music. With six career Grammy nominations under her belt including a staggering four nods for her recent independent release. She is carrying the torch of bluegrass into the future while collaborating with everyone from Béla Fleck to Brad Paisley. In this episode, Sierra shares the deeply emotional, full-circle story of finally designing her own signature Gibson mandolins and how she composed a three-part bluegrass concerto called The Movements. 🚀 Book a Free Skills Assessment with a Sonora mentor. https://www.learnwithsonora.com/yt/cyrb?d=1 👇 Want to go deeper? Join the Playback Sessions community for tabs, breakdowns, and more. https://www.skool.com/playback-community-9570 ⏱️ Free Tool for looping videos on YouTube and Instagram https://www.learnwithsonora.com/yt/cyrb/looper?d=1 📍 Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 1:30 - How Sierra Composed a Bluegrass Concerto ("The Movements") 5:10 - Using the Notes Behind the Nut to Write a Melody 7:05 - Recording the Concerto Live in the Studio 8:55 - Designing Her Signature Gibson Mandolins 13:45 - Inspiring the Next Generation of Female Mandolin Players 15:50 - The Experience of Four Grammy Nominations 17:40 - Getting a Last-Minute Call to Tour with The Flecktones 21:10 - Opening for Brad Paisley in Scandinavia 23:15 - Returning to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival & The Ryman 24:00 - Recording New Covers (Ray Charles & The Grateful Dead) 25:00 - Co-Headlining with The Milk Carton Kids 🎸 Follow Playback Sessions on socials: -Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playbacksessions/ -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playbacksessions -YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Playback-Sessions -Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@playbacksessionspodcast -Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033GDhrc6VzGdJREjOS52A 📍 Filmed live at DelFest 2026, County Fairgrounds in Cumberland, Maryland 🎥 Host: Spencer Handley Guest: Sierra Hull Editor: Carl Reeverts, Clayton Hopkins, Evan Bowser Camera/Sound: Ben Bingham Executive Producer: Spencer Handley #PlaybackSessions #SpencerHandley #CarterVintageGuitar #SonoraGuitarIntensive #SierraHull #Mandolin #GibsonMandolin #BluegrassMusic #TheFlecktones #BelaFleck #BradPaisley #DelFest #AcousticMusic #GrammyAwards