Song Lessons Archives

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

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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

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Guitar Tablature Woodtone Strings

Bill Cheatham

April 13, 2025April 18, 2018 by Devin

Lesson ID: A0150

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to play the traditional tune “Bill Cheatham” on guitar. This flatpicking arrangement has a ton of momentum and it’s a great song for all levels of guitar players. Slow it down and it’ll help you build solid pick control accuracy; speed it up and it gets technical for the more advanced pickers. “Bill Cheatham” is a must-know flatpicking standard that will get your prepared for your next bluegrass jam! Download the “Bill Cheatham” guitar tablature below this lesson video.

Overview

Playthrough with Tablature

Full Breakdown

Ending Lick

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Backing Track

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Guitar Tablature Woodtone Strings

Country Strumming & Fills in the Style of Willie Nelson

April 13, 2025April 1, 2018 by Devin

willie nelson style rhythm guitar technique fill riffs bass walks

Lesson 3 – Country & Bluegrass Rhythm Course

Course Outline Previous Lesson Next Lesson

Lesson ID: A0143

In this guitar lesson, I’ll teach you a classic country strumming pattern in the style of “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” by Willie Nelson. First I’ll break down the strumming pattern and give you some strumming tips that will help you get those clean alternating bass line picks. Then I’ll show you a couple of Willie Nelson style chord progressions to use for practice. After that, we’ll start working in some classic country bass line walks and I’ll teach you a couple of Willie Nelson riffs that’ll spice up your country rhythm guitar.

Overview

Playthrough

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Strumming

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Strumming Pattern Breakdown
01:09 min	Right Hand Pick Technique
02:46 min	Willie Nelson Hammer-On
04:11 min	Alternating Bass Line over B7 and A Chords

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Progressions

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Progression 1
00:54 min	A Major Accent Chord
02:37 min	Progression 2
03:24 min	How to Practice with “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain”

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Bass Walks

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Bass Line Walk 1
01:17 min	Bass Line Walk 2
03:42 min	Bass Line Walk 3
04:50 min	Bass Line Walk 4

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Fill Riffs

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Willie Nelson Style Fill Riff 1
04:14 min	Willie Fill Riff 2 for a Song Ending

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Practice

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Practice with Willie Nelson

Practice your classic country strumming and fills over the song “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” by Willie Nelson using the player from Spotify. We’d highly recommend using Spotify for online radio. If you don’t have a Spotify account, click here to sign up free with your Facebook account or with an e-mail address.

Chord Progressions Lesson Tablature Woodtone Strings

Beaumont Rag

April 13, 2025March 14, 2018 by Devin

Lesson ID: A0147

“Beaumont Rag” is a swingy flatpicking guitar standard that originated as a fiddle tune near Beaumont, Texas. The exact origins are unknown, but many believe it was composed by a fiddler in Smith’s Garage Fiddle Band named Samuel Peacock. It was first recorded by Smith’s Garage Fiddle Band in 1928, and since then, it has become one of the most recorded ragtime tunes by country fiddlers across the world. Today, “Beaumont Rag” is a popular bluegrass standard for flatpicking guitarists.

In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a traditional flatpicking break for “Beaumont Rag”. This arrangement will really help you work on your crosspicking and right hand pick control. When you play it at a slow speed, it’s a great song for beginner guitarists to learn, and when you speed it up, it’ll get pretty technical for the more advanced pickers. Download “Beaumont Rag” guitar tablature below the video.

Lesson Overview