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 |
In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a 12 bar blues progression in the style of Merle Haggard. This is a progression that we’re borrowing from the old classic song “Blues Stay Away From Me” originally recorded by The Delmore Brothers. First, we’ll work through the main progression on guitar and then we’ll add some singing to it. After that, we’ll go over an easy country strumming pattern that you can use to play this entire song with cowboy chords. Finally, you’ll learn a bluesy guitar riff that you can play as a song ending and you’ll learn an easy riff that you can play at the beginning of the song.
| Video Start Time | Lesson Topic |
|---|---|
| 00:00 min | Measures 1 through 4 |
| 02:16 min | What is a triplet? |
| 04:00 min | Adding Staccato |
| 05:43 min | Measures 5 through 8 |
| 09:03 min | Measures 9 through 12 |
| 14:13 min | Practice the Progression With Me |
| 15:55 min | Let’s Add Some Vocals |
“Man of Constant Sorrow” was first published by Dick Burnett in 1913 and later made popular by the Stanley Brothers in the 1950s. In this guitar lesson, we’ll show you how to play “Man of Constant Sorrow” in the style of The Soggy Bottom Boys. This song will turn some heads at your next jam! First, we’ll break down the song’s intro and guitar solo with tablature. Then, we’ll teach you the rhythm guitar part with lyrics along with some nice rhythm fills. Tablature files are available for download below the video!
| Video Start Time | Lesson Topic |
|---|---|
| 00:00 min | Chords You Need |
| 03:56 min | Chords & Lyrics Download |
| 04:34 min | Intro Chord Progression |
| 06:37 min | Main Chord Progression |
| 07:56 min | Strumming Patterns |
| 09:34 min | Progression with Lyrics |
| 11:42 min | Rhythm Fill #1 |
| 13:26 min | Rhythm Fill #2 |
| 15:47 min | Instrumental Break Chord Progression |
| 17:12 min | Song Ending Riff |
After you’re done here