Chord Embellishments Archives

Worried Man Blues

November 12, 2026November 11, 2026 by Devin

Lesson ID: A0234

Learn how to play Worried Man Blues with three bluegrass flatpicking arrangements in the key of G! This traditional folk and bluegrass classic was famously recorded by the Carter Family in 1930 and later became a favorite among bluegrass musicians.

In Arrangement 1, we’ll learn the basic melody using a traditional Carter-style by combining melody notes with rhythmic chord strumming.

Arrangements 2 and 3 build on the melody with a variety of useful bluegrass guitar licks, flatpicking phrases, and melodic variations that you can incorporate into your lead guitar solos when you’re improvising in the key of G.

After learning all three arrangements, practice along with the bluegrass jam track in G. Try mixing and matching your favorite licks to create your own solos. Also, try out using some of the key of G bluegrass licks from the Guitar Lick Library when you’re soloing over the jam track.

This lesson is great for improving your bluegrass flatpicking technique, lead guitar skills, timing, and improvising while learning a classic bluegrass jam tune.

Overview

Arrangement 1

Video 1 – Full Breakdown – Basic Melody

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Listen to Arrangement 1
00:25 min	Line 1 – Measures 1 through 4
01:22 min	Line 2 – Measures 5 through 8
02:20 min	Line 3 – Measures 9 through 12
03:20 min	Line 4 – Measures 13 through 16
04:15 min	Practice with Me

Video 2 – Playthrough with TAB

Arrangement 2

Video 1 – Full Breakdown – with Bluegrass Licks

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Video 2 – Playthrough with TAB

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Arrangement 3

Video 1 – Full Breakdown – with More Bluegrass Licks

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Video 2 – Playthrough with TAB

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Jam Track

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Arrangement 1 TAB Arrangement 2 TAB Arrangement 3 TAB Chords & Lyrics Woodtone Strings

Mix and Matchable Drop D Country Guitar Tricks

November 4, 2026November 4, 2026 by Devin

mix-and-matchable-country-guitar-drop-d-tricks

Lesson ID: A0233

In this mini guitar lesson video, I’ll teach you how to sound country on your acoustic guitar when playing rhythm.

I teach several guitar riffs and chord embellishments in Drop D tuning, step-by-step, along with examples of how to mix and match them to develop and practice your country improvising skills.

We’ll throw in hammer-ons, pull-offs, bends, and slides to add that classic country sound to your rhythm guitar playing.

Then we’ll wrap it up by putting everything together using a D-G-A chord progression.

In general, my goal is not just to teach you licks and songs to memorize, but to help you build the foundation and repertoire you need to improvise on your own.

If you like this lesson, check out my Drop D Country Guitar Riffs lesson for more tricks to spice up your country guitar playing, or check out one of my courses:

PRO TIP: Use the A/B Looper tool to select any segment and play it on repeat.

Another 12 Bar Picking Workout in G (SHORT)

July 31, 2026July 10, 2026 by Devin

free country bluegrass practice progression 12 bar loop with tablature

Lesson ID: A0229

Here’s another 12 bar country bluegrass jam from the Woodshed — full of useful hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides that you can use to improvise in the key of G.

Helpful Tips:

• Relax your picking hand and use a light touch — don’t worry about playing loud; volume will come over time as you build the right muscle memory.
• Learn it at a slow pace, then increase your speed in increments.
• Loop the progression — play the 12 bars repeatedly and come up with variations of your own.

Don’t forget to use the AB Loop toolbar below to SLOW DOWN the video for easy learning.

Short

Full-Screen Version

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Download the TAB

Wildwood Flower in G

April 5, 2026November 24, 2025 by Devin

Lesson ID: A0228

Learn the classic American folk standard “Wildwood Flower” with this step-by-step traditional country and bluegrass guitar lesson. Originally recorded by the legendary Carter Family, “Wildwood Flower” has become one of the most iconic flatpicking songs for anyone wanting to master old-time country guitar, bluegrass rhythm, and melody-based lead breaks. In this lesson here at Country Guitar Online, you’ll get a detailed breakdown of how to play “Wildwood Flower” in the key of G—even though the tune is most commonly played out of the C position—so you can expand your arranging skills and build confidence playing in different keys. This lesson is perfect for guitar players searching for beginner-friendly bluegrass songs, traditional country guitar tutorials, Carter Family guitar arrangements, and flatpicking melodies that sound great at jams.

Inside the lesson, you’ll find full video instruction, on-screen guitar tabs, and tips for mastering the melody with clean country-style flatpicking technique. Country Guitar Online members can also download a print-friendly PDF tablature of the entire arrangement to help with practice away from the screen.

Once you’ve learned the tune, you can sharpen your timing by playing along with the practice video included below from my girlfriend Soonka’s YouTube Channel. You can easily stay updated with our newest performance videos by subscribing to Soonka’s YouTube channel here.

So if you’re looking for easy bluegrass guitar songs, classic country guitar lessons, or timeless folk melodies to add to your repertoire, this “Wildwood Flower” tutorial is a great place to start.

Lesson Overview

Full Breakdown

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	A Part – Measures 1 through 5
03:25 min	A Part – Measure 6 plus repeat Measures 1 to 5
05:08 min	A Part – Measure 7 (second ending)
05:39 min	Practice the A Part
06:16 min	B Part – Measure 8 through 11
11:51 min	B Part – Measure 12 through 16
17:09 min	Practice the Entire Arrangement

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Playthrough with TAB

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Tablature

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Practice Along

Note

To practice along, you’ll need to CAPO 1st FRET.

Woodtone Strings ➜