“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.
Video 1 – Learn the A Part
Video 2 – Learn the B Part
