GALAX - Three years ago, Will Jones was ferociously playing his guitar during one of the many hot bluegrass jam sessions that dominate the annual Old Fiddlers Convention. Big-time banjo picker Sammy Shelor was part of the group and he pulled Will close to him. The young guitarist was the only one in the bunch who could keep steady rhythm for Shelor's fast-paced playing.

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That was a pretty heady compliment, especially when you consider that Will was 9 years old. Fast forward to Monday night when Will, now a hoary veteran of 12, reeled off his third consecutive first-place finish in the convention's youth guitar competition. Not to be outdone, big sister Laura Leigh Jones, 15, won the youth mandolin category for the second time in three years.

"A lot of our friends don't listen to bluegrass except when it's us," Laura Leigh said. "We're like the old fogies."

Bluegrass players of all ages are having a hard time keeping up with these Joneses. They call themselves the Cana Ramblers after their home hamlet at the foot of Fancy Gap Mountain in Carroll County. Over the past couple of years, the band of Will, Laura Leigh, bassist Ashley, 18, their dad, Phillip, and respected banjo player Rick Allred have played at notable folk festivals, recorded CDs and perhaps put the face on the future of bluegrass in a region defined by its folk-music traditions.

The 69th Old Fiddlers Convention is well under way at Felts Park with musicians young and old fiddling and picking deep into the night. Renovations to the old recreation center above the park are causing a few detours inside the festival grounds, but thousands of mountain music fans still pack the stage and camping areas.

Even though Laura Leigh said many of her teenage pals don't love bluegrass and old-time mountain music the way she does, that hasn't stopped the youth competition from steadily growing since it began in 2000. Monday, 100 competitors ages 4 to 15 took part in seven instrumental categories. The competition has become one of the most popular events of the six-day convention. Monday's contest drew a capacity crowd that filled the grandstand area, a feat unheard of for an early-week competition.

One of those in attendance was Gov. Mark Warner, who kicked off the convention by announcing, "This is the future of traditional music that you will see competing here tonight."

On Tuesday afternoon, as the setting sun bore down on their tarp-covered campsite, the Joneses indulged themselves in a picking session that attracted more than 15 spectators. Will played his contest-winning version of Bill Monroe's "Big Mon" on a 1998 Martin guitar almost as long as he is. Laura Leigh nimbly picked a swinging "Sweet Georgia Brown" that won top honors Monday, and she belted the Emmylou Harris song "Luxury Liner" in a soaring alto. Ashley kept time on the big doghouse bass and also sang.

Will, a rising eighth-grader at Carroll County Intermediate School, has received much of the band's attention for his impressive, string-bending guitar solos that surpass those of many veteran players. His dad, a pretty nifty guitar player himself, started teaching Will at age 7, but said much of the youngster's talent seems to come naturally.

"I can't take much credit as a teacher," said Phillip Jones, a Hillsville-based attorney when he's not playing G runs. "I'd show him [a guitar lick] and he had it. I'd show him and he had it."

After young Will began generating such a fuss, Laura Leigh asked her dad, "What instrument do you have that fits me?" So, she started on the diminutive mandolin. Ashley, the oldest, was the only one tall enough to play the bass.

What's more, Will is one of triplets. His sisters Mary Alden and Caitlin are working on the fiddle.

"Maybe we'll have twin fiddles someday," Will said.

The Cana Ramblers have just released their second CD, "These Are the Cana Ramblers," a collection of bluegrass standards such as "Little Maggie," "White Dove" and "Working on a Building," along with four Phillip Jones songs and the instrumental "Ruff Dog," composed by Laura Leigh.

Laura Leigh enters her junior year at Carroll County High this year. Ashley will be a freshman at Virginia Tech, where she will study to become a veterinarian.

Influenced by their dad and their mother, Patricia, the Jones kids have a penchant for classic rock and jazz as well as bluegrass. Will and Laura Leigh love newgrass pioneers Sam Bush, David Grisman and Tony Rice. Ashley prefers alternative rock now and then. The diverse musical genres broaden their repertoire and color their interpretations of traditional bluegrass. During their Tuesday jam session, the group played a knockout version of the Django Reinhardt/Stephane Grappelli classic, "Minor Swing."

The clan recently played the prestigious Lowell Folk Festival in Massachusetts, and Phillip and Will performed at the National Folk Festival last year. The Cana Ramblers will compete in the bluegrass band competition Friday and Saturday nights, the true big leagues of the Galax convention. Will plans to compete in the adult guitar category tonight. Already, he feels like one of the big boys.

"I've been playing a long time," he was overheard telling a junior fiddle player Tuesday night. "Almost five years."

Landmark News Service contributed to this report.