Bluegrass Standards Archives

Hot Bluegrass Guitar Licks & Improvising Tips

April 13, 2025August 11, 2018 by Devin

bluegrass-lead-guitar-lesson-wreck-of-old-97

Lesson 5 – Bluegrass Guitar Solo Improvising Course

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Lesson ID: A0157

In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn several barn-burning bluegrass guitar licks that’ll turn some heads at your next bluegrass jam. We’ll also talk some more about how to use bluegrass licks, how bluegrass licks are structured around common bluegrass chord progressions, and how you can combine bluegrass licks to create catchy bluegrass guitar solos. By the end of this guitar lesson, you should be able to play a nice bluegrass guitar solo break over the bluegrass standard “Wreck of the Old ’97”.

Licks & Tricks

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Lesson Overview
01:07 min	Bluegrass Lead Guitar Improvising Tips
08:41 min	Bluegrass Lick 1 over G Chord
10:21 min	Bluegrass Lick 2 over C Chord
11:36 min	Bluegrass Lick 3 over G Chord
12:41 min	Helpful Tip for Improving Your Pull-offs

Playthrough with Tablature

Guitar Scales

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Backing Track

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Guitar Tablature Woodtone Strings

Jimmy Brown the Newsboy

April 13, 2025June 9, 2018 by Devin

Lesson ID: A0154

In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play the traditional country & bluegrass song called “Jimmy Brown the Newsboy”. This song was originally written by William Shakespeare Hays in the late 1800s and it has been recorded by several country & bluegrass artists over the years including Flatt & Scruggs, Mac Wiseman, Roger Miller, Norman Blake, Bill Monroe, A.P. Carter, and several others.

It’s common to see this song played out of the C position with a capo on the 7th fret (Key of G), but in this guitar lesson, we’re going to play it out of the C position with a capo on the 2nd fret (Key of D). The lower pitched melody with a capo on the 2nd fret seems to be a bit easier for singing. We’ll cover two different variations of the instrumental, and then we’ll go over the rhythm guitar part for those of y’all wanting to sing and play this one. Overall, this is a great guitar lesson for all levels of pickers.

Lesson Overview

Instrumental 1

Video 1 – Playthrough with Tablature

Video 2 – Full Breakdown

Instrumental 2

Video 1 – Playthrough with Tablature

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Video 2 – Full Breakdown

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Chord Progression

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Backing Track

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Instrumental Tablature Chords & Lyrics Woodtone Strings

Home Sweet Home Crosspicking Lesson

April 13, 2025May 18, 2018 by Devin

home-sweet-home-bluegrass-crosspicking-guitar-lesson

Lesson ID: A0152

In this country and bluegrass crosspicking guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a crosspicking version of the traditional tune “Home Sweet Home” in the key of C. This song was originally adapted from American actor and dramatist John Howard Payne‘s 1823 opera Clari. Over the years, the song’s catchy melody has made it a favorite among several artists such as Doc Watson, Merle Watson, Tony Rice, and Earl Scruggs. Today, “Home Sweet Home” is known as one of the best bluegrass songs to play in a crosspicking style.

Overview

Playthrough with Tablature

Full Breakdown

Guitar Tablature Woodtone Strings

You Are My Sunshine in the Style of Gene Autry

April 13, 2025May 4, 2018 by Devin

you-are-my-sunshine-country-guitar-lesson

Lesson 11 – Country & Bluegrass Rhythm Course

Course Outline Previous Lesson Next Lesson

Lesson ID: A0151

In this guitar lesson, we’ll practice some classic country strumming patterns over a country & bluegrass version of “You Are My Sunshine”. This arrangement incorporates a simple melody line with your standard Carter style “boom chick” country strumming. We’ll also work on a few country guitar fill riffs in the style of Gene Autry. Overall this is a great guitar lesson for developing accurate picking and strumming.

Overview

Playthrough with Tablature

Full Breakdown

Backing Track

Member Content

Guitar Tablature Woodtone Strings