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Country Bluegrass Flatpicking Licks Key of D

country guitar licks bluegrass flatpicking licks key of D guitar lesson
Lesson ID: A0109

In this guitar lesson, I’ll teach you four classic country and bluegrass guitar licks in the key of D. If you play these licks slowly, they’ll have a nice outlaw country sound. If you speed them up, they’ll sound great with bluegrass songs. We’ll break down all four licks with tablature and we’ll also discuss the scales that are used to create key of D lead guitar licks that sound country and bluegrass. Check out our Bluegrass Lick Library to learn more country & bluegrass flatpicking licks.

Guitar Lesson Video

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Lesson Overview
00:40 min Lick 1 Breakdown with Tablature & Extra Flatpicking Tips
05:23 min Guitar Scales Discussion
06:42 min Lick 2 Breakdown with Tablature
09:45 min Lick 3 Breakdown with Tablature
13:55 min Lick 4 Breakdown with Tablature

Scale Charts

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Short Bluegrass Licks and Practice with Backing Track

how to improvise easy bluegrass flatpicking guitar licks solo breaks lesson pentatonic scales
Lesson ID: A0108

In this guitar lesson, I’ll teach you some short bluegrass licks that will get you started improvising your own bluegrass guitar solos. We’ll break down the licks with tablature and then I’ll show you how to use these licks to play a basic guitar solo over a common bluegrass chord progression. After you master the licks, practice the arranged solo and your improvising skills with the jam along video! If you like this lesson, check out our Bluegrass Lick Library.

Improvising in the Key of G

Learn the Licks

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Overview
01:56 min Lick 1 – Breakdown with Tablature
02:30 min Proper Left Hand Fingering
04:36 min Lick 2 – Breakdown with Tablature
05:19 min Lick 3 – Breakdown with Tablature
05:51 min Lick 4 – Breakdown with Tablature

Basic Guitar Solo

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Rhythm Progression
01:27 min Playing Bluegrass Licks over Rhythm
02:37 min Basic Bluegrass Solo – Measures 1 through 8
04:07 min Basic Bluegrass Solo – Measures 9 through 16
05:32 min Practice the Solo Arrangement with Me
06:19 min Wrap Up

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Jam Track

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Jam Track – Format
00:43 min Jam Track – Count In

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Scale Charts

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Foggy Mountain Rock

foggy mountain rock chord progression guitar lesson bluegrass licks
Lesson 4 – Country & Bluegrass Rhythm Course
Lesson ID: A0104

In the previous lessons of this course, I taught y’all one of the most important strumming patterns in country and bluegrass music and we practiced it over a really common chord progression. We also applied the strumming pattern to the chord progressions in “Forever And Ever, Amen” by Randy Travis.

In this lesson, we’re going to expand upon the strumming pattern we’ve been studying this series and make it a bit more complex using the bluegrass song “Foggy Mountain Rock”. We’ll cover all the song’s chord progressions, extra strumming techniques, a few common bluegrass licks, and some awesome bass line walk-ups that’ll spice up your chord transitions. If you like the guitar licks and bass line walks, you might also like our Rhythm Fill Riffs and Lead Guitar Course.

Lesson Overview

Chord Progressions

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Song Structure
01:11 min A Part Chord Progression
02:57 min Alternating Bass Line Notes
04:26 min B Part Chord Progression
05:40 min Practice Along with Me

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Strumming Tips

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Adding Accent Strums
02:08 min When to Use Accent Strums
05:51 min Practice Over the A Part
06:50 min Live Chat

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Bluegrass Licks

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Overview
00:18 min Intro Lick
01:16 min Turnaround Lick 1
04:24 min G Licks and Bluegrass Rhythm
05:16 min Turnaround Lick 2
06:35 min Syncopated Rhythm
08:03 min Ending Lick

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Walk-Ups

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Easy Walk-up to C Chord
02:40 min Easy Walk-up to D Chord
04:22 min Intermediate Walk-ups
05:09 min Intermediate Walk-up to C Chord
07:18 min Getting Your Speed Up
08:34 min Intermediate Walk-up to D Chord
10:48 min Intermediate Walk-up to G Chord
12:55 min Practice Drill over A Part Progression

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Listen

Listen to “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” performed by a few different bluegrass artists below using the embedded player from Spotify. I’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.

Hot Bluegrass Flatpicking Licks That Travel the Neck

hot bluegrass flatpicking licks that travel the neck guitar lesson
Lesson ID: A0100

In this guitar lesson, I’ll teach you four of my favorite bluegrass flatpicking licks that travel the guitar neck. I use these licks all the time in my bluegrass guitar solo breaks and also as rhythm guitar fill riffs. All four licks are in the key of G and they’re built with a combination of the blues scales and the major pentatonic scales. Our tablature download includes comments that’ll tell you the scale positions each lick travels through up and down the neck. As you’re learning these licks, try to visualize the scales in each position. If you like this lesson, you might also like our Bluegrass Lick Library.

Lick 1

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Lesson Overview
01:34 min Important Guitar Scale Positions
04:16 min Lick 1 Breakdown – Measures 1 & 2
06:58 min Lick 1 Breakdown – Measures 3 & 4
10:30 min Practice Along with Me

How to Practice

Flatpicking Method

Lick 2

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Lick 3

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Lick 4

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