In this guitar lesson, we’ll work on some flatpicking in the style of Molly Tuttle using a common “I-IV-V” chord progression that we’ll borrow from the song “White Freightliner Blues” by Townes Van Zandt. Molly Tuttle adds her own twist to this song and we’ll take a look at how she uses chord embellishments, crosspicking, and fill riffs to spice up her bluegrass rhythm guitar playing.
In this guitar lesson, we’ll work on some Johnny Cash style rhythm guitar. First we’ll take a look at an intro progression and learn a few bass line walks that will give your playing that Johnny Cash country sound. Then we’ll talk about a really easy way to use the chord numbering system to change keys when you’re playing country music. After we discuss some important music theory concepts, we’ll practice applying the chord numbering system to another chord progression in the style of Johnny Cash.
In this guitar lesson, we’ll work on our flatpicking technique using a variation of the melody from the song “Wheel Hoss” written by Bill Monroe. The flatpicking arrangement in this lesson is inspired by how David Grier plays “Wheel Hoss” on guitar and we’ll study how to use this flatpicking arrangement as a practice drill to work on your pick accuracy and speed across all six strings of your guitar.
In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a 12 bar bluesy country guitar solo in the key of E. This guitar solo sounds great over the 12 bar blues progression that we studied in the previous guitar lesson here at Country Guitar Online called 12 Bar Blues in the Style of Merle Haggard. Download the guitar solo tablature below the lesson video, and after you learn the guitar solo, try practicing along with the backing track on this lesson post. This solo has a simple bluesy melody and it is a perfect example of how less can be more when you’re playing lead guitar. Also try using the key of E blues scale and the E major pentatonic scale to create your own bluesy country solo over this lesson’s backing track.
| Video Start Time | Lesson Topic |
|---|---|
| 00:00 min | Line 1 – Measures 1 through 5 |
| 08:19 min | Line 2 – Measures 6 through 9 |
| 13:01 min | Line 3 – Measures 10 through 13 |
| 18:42 min | Practice the Solo With Me |