Here’s a question- what song do you enjoy listening to the most, and what song do you enjoy playing the most? For me, it’s listening to Earl Scrugg’s Foggy Mountain Breakdown:
That’s a tough question and a great one! I love Harvest Time by Lonesome River Band. It just gets me in a pickin’ and groovin’ mood. I can’t find a decent YT clip of it.
Great, great topic!
Lots to consider here… but in the Bluegrass style, it really is a good “challenging” question.
I think I would say… in a sweeping grandeur style, I would have to say… In a progressive-themed band (don’t hate on me for not going traditional - YET)…
Greensky Bluegrass - Living Over: https://youtu.be/u1iiGNgznu0
Might sound corny but ‘There is a Time’ by the Darlings (Dillard’s) is so haunting and amazing. The dynamics… sweeping. Note the end - as the song naturally fades so Doug plays more and more softly but maintains the rhythm:
As for a more pure, straightforward song, I will need more time/thought.
Hard to choose…for listening it’s these lately:
for playing this is a recent example, but it’s just a tune…not a song…haven’t been playing it long, so kind of rough yet…
Well, it’s different on every instrument. On banjo right now I’m really enjoying playing lonesome road blues, and listening, well, most banjo music. I really love playing bluesy banjo tunes like clinch mountain backstep (I play it bluesy) and man of constant sorrow. On guitar, listening, it’s Tommy Emmanuel’s classical gas,
and Tomi Paldanius’ living on a prayer
And playing, Africa (Toto) hotel California, and sultans of swing. All fingerstyle. For flatpicking, anything by Molly Tuttle, David Grier, Courtney Hartman, Presley Barker, the list goes on. I’m having much fun still playing where the soul never dies on guitar. On mandolin, I’m really enjoying Joe Walsh’s playing at the deep end sessions
Same listening for fiddle. I’m really having fun playing some of my own compositions on mandolin right now, and they’re not on YouTube yet, but they should be soon. My tastes in fiddling vary, I can be playing fire on the mountain super fast one minute, and go into Ashokan farewell the next. And also throw in Cooley’s reel just for fun. And I’ve been REALLY ENJOYING the transatlantic sessions
That was probably a more in depth answer than you were looking for, but I don’t think I’ve ever been told that I’m too concise… 
No two ways about it for me, it’s Tony Rice/David Johnson Living By Faith and JD Crowe’s Groundspeed. My favorite mandolin tune is from another genre but nobody’s perfect - right?!?!?! 
Omg… 
Try this on the Banjo
Well that was interesting. Kind of weird with the F1 cars?
Ok, this one particularly, I’ve totally fallen in love with. I watched it today at the end of my YouTube time, and then went and detuned my banjo to E and played it. Then, I just spent the last about thirty minutes playing it
I think it was done for an ad on Russian TV
Anything by Ron Block
I just talked with Ron yesterday. I’m going to help him with a guitar course he’s writing. He’s my fave.
I want to clarify that I’ll be helping with the logistics and technology, not the material
WOW!!! That what makes them the best!
This may be the most masterful 9 minutes of music created in the last 20 years.
A wonderful rendition of a simple but beautiful song…
Yes! +1 for Ron Block! And I loved the first two minutes of that video, just Jerry Douglas being Jerry Douglas. Him and Ron together are enough to make me an AKUS fan.
Dan Tyminski is unreal… world class band