Licks and Tricks 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

Member Content

Video 2 – Playthrough with TAB

Member Content

Arrangement 3

Video 1 – Full Breakdown – with More Bluegrass Licks

Member Content

Video 2 – Playthrough with TAB

Member Content

Jam Track

Member Content

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.

Billy in the Lowground

August 21, 2026 by Devin

Lesson ID: A0231

In this bluegrass guitar lesson, you’ll learn “Billy in the Lowground,” a classic traditional fiddle tune and one of the bluegrass standards you’ll probably hear at bluegrass jams and picking sessions. With roots stretching back hundreds of years, “Billy in the Lowground” has become a favorite tune for bluegrass flatpicking guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and other acoustic instruments.

The history behind “Billy in the Lowground” is pretty interesting. The melody has been traced to older British, Scottish, and Irish music, and one popular story associates the “Billy” in the title with King William III (William of Orange) and the Battle of the Boyne, fought in Ireland in 1690. Like many traditional fiddle tunes passed down through generations, its exact origins are difficult to pin down, but that history is part of what makes traditional bluegrass and old-time music so interesting.

We’re going to play “Billy in the Lowground” in the key of C, which is the most common key for this tune and a great key for working on bluegrass guitar flatpicking, fiddle-tune melodies, alternate picking, and classic bluegrass guitar licks.

I’ve put together two different flatpicking guitar arrangements for you:

ARRANGEMENT 1 stays close to the traditional melody and gives you a solid version of “Billy in the Lowground” that you can take to your next bluegrass jam. If you enjoy learning traditional fiddle tunes like this one, you might also like my Beaumont Rag guitar lesson and Over the Waterfall flatpicking lesson.

ARRANGEMENT 2 takes things a step further with more advanced bluegrass guitar licks and flatpicking runs inspired by the styles of Billy Strings and Doc Watson.

Download the guitar tablature for both arrangements below and follow along with the video lesson.

Overview

Arrangement 1

Video 1: Full Breakdown

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Potatoes (Song Kickoff)
02:50 min	A Part – Measure 1 through 4
09:24 min	A Part – Measures 5 through 8
12:25 min	A Part – Repeat Measures 1 through 8
13:57 min	B Part – Measure 9 through 12
21:51 min	B Part – Measure 13 through 16
25:47 min	B Part – Repeat Measures 9 through 16
27:00 min	Practice Along With Me – A Part – All 16 Measures
29:14 min	My Favorite Guitar Pick Right Now (Small Triangle HT)

Video 2: Playthrough with TAB

Member Content

Arrangement 2

Video 1: Full Breakdown

Member Content

Video 2: Playthrough with TAB

Member Content

Tablature

Member Content

Jam Track

Member Content

Wayfaring Stranger Alternate Picking Workout (SHORT)

July 30, 2026July 30, 2026 by Devin

thumbnail-wayfaring-stranger-alternate-picking-workout

Lesson ID: A0230

This guitar “workout” will really improve your pick control, and it’s WAY harder than it looks. Learn this Wayfaring Stranger-inspired alternate picking workout in Am.

Helpful Tips:

• Try not to look at your hands while you’re learning and practicing this progression.
• Keep reminding yourself to relax your picking hand and work on getting solid down picks. For me, the down picks were my weakness.
• The HARDEST PART is the picking pattern over the Dm chord. It’ll definitely make you frustrated! While I’m relaxing my hands, I like to play the Dm chord pattern over and over several times. Be sure to take breaks! And try practicing in “fours” — play through difficult sections in groups of four, take a five second break, and then play four more times. This really helps build the proper muscle memory.

Download the tablature by clicking the small download button at the top-right of the tablature PDF viewer (you must be a CGO member to download this TAB).

Short

Full-Screen Version

Member Content

Download the TAB

Log in or Register to download this lesson’s tablature.