Licks and Tricks – Page 16 – Country Guitar Online

Country Bluegrass Riffs over “Cripple Creek”

April 13, 2025September 26, 2016 by Devin

improvise bluegrass licks over cripple creek

Lesson 7 – Rhythm Fill Riffs and Lead Guitar Course

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Lesson ID: A0095

Last lesson, we looked at the 5th position hybrid scale in the key of G. I talked about how this is the most important scale for making your guitar sound country and bluegrass. We also used this hybrid scale to add some bass line fill riffs over a simple progression.

In this lesson, we’re going to use this hybrid scale to improvise with fill riffs over the bluegrass song “Cripple Creek”. First, I’ll give you a quick recap of the hybrid scale. Then, I’ll teach you the “Cripple Creek” chord progression, some beginner fill riffs, and some more advanced fill riffs for the intermediate players. Everything we’re covering in this lesson will come in very handy at your next bluegrass jam!

Hybrid Scale

Chord Progression

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Chord Progression
04:21 min	Detailed Rhythm Breakdown
04:44 min	Kickoff “G” Potatoes
07:00 min	“A Part” Breakdown
09:38 min	“B Part” Breakdown

Beginner Riffs

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	A Part – Line 1
03:28 min	A Part – Line 2
04:49 min	B Part – Line 1
06:35 min	B Part – Line 2

Intermediate Riffs

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	A Part – Line 1
01:52 min	A Part – Line 2
03:20 min	B Part – Line 1
06:05 min	B Part – Line 2

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Backing Track

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Homework

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Lesson Tablature Chord Progressions Woodtone Strings

Chord Fills with the Hybrid Country Bluegrass Scale

April 13, 2025September 19, 2016 by Devin

open chord fills country bluegrass hybrid scale

Lesson 6 – Rhythm Fill Riffs and Lead Guitar Course

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Lesson ID: A0094

Now let’s make your fills sound even more country! In the previous lessons of this series, we’ve seen how the 5th position key of G major and blues scales overlap. The next step is to combine these scales into a “hybrid” country/bluegrass scale. See the Charts tab below for a diagram of this hybrid scale.

In video 1 of this post, I’ll break down the scales and give you some extra pointers on how you can start to combine the major and blues scales. In video 2, we’ll go over several nice bass note chord transition fills that use this hybrid country scale.

Hybrid Scale

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Lesson Overview
00:52 min	Hybrid Scale Breakdown
07:51 min	Creating Chord Transition Fills

Fill Riffs

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Video Overview
01:35 min	Progression Round 1 – All the Way Through with Tablature
02:04 min	Progression Round 1 – Detailed Breakdown
08:33 min	Progression Round 2 – Detailed Breakdown
12:12 min	Progression Round 2 – All the Way Through with Tablature
12:36 min	Progression Round 3 – Detailed Breakdown
16:44 min	Progression Round 3 – All the Way Through with Tablature
17:12 min	Progression Round 4 – All the Way Through with Tablature
18:01 min	Progression Round 4 – Detailed Breakdown

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Scale Charts

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Homework

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Practice Tablature Woodtone Strings

Makin’ It Country with Blues Riffs

April 13, 2025September 13, 2016 by Devin

Lesson 5 – Rhythm Fill Riffs and Lead Guitar Course

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Lesson ID: A0093

In the previous lesson of this series, we learned the 5th position of the G minor pentatonic scale and I showed y’all some nice country and bluegrass riffs to get you started with your improvising. Now let’s make it sound even more country by adding in a couple extra “blues” notes. The blues scale is basically the minor pentatonic scale with one extra note added per octave — the sharp 4th or flat 5th degree. With the right combinations, these blues notes will really make your playing sound country and bluegrass. Let’s break down the blues scale, important fill techniques, and six country and bluegrass riffs with tablature.

Scale Breakdown

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Lesson Overview
01:48 min	Blues Scale Breakdown
05:31 min	Practice Tips
06:31 min	Fill Riff Example
09:15 min	Using Blues Fill Riffs with Chord Progressions

Fill Riffs

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Video Overview
00:17 min	Riff 1
03:36 min	Riff 2
05:43 min	Riff 3
08:03 min	Riff 4
10:05 min	Riff 5
13:04 min	Riff 6

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Scale Charts

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Practice Tablature Woodtone Strings

Fill Riffs with the 5th Position G Minor Pentatonic Scale

April 13, 2025September 7, 2016 by Devin

5th position g minor pentatonic scale riffs bluegrass

Lesson 4 – Rhythm Fill Riffs and Lead Guitar Course

Course Outline Previous Lesson Next Lesson

Lesson ID: A0092

Up to this point, we’ve studied how you can use the 5th position major scale notes to create country and bluegrass riffs. Next, to make your riffs sound even more country, you need to mix in the 5th position G minor pentatonic scale. In this lesson video, we’re going to learn the 5th position of the G minor pentatonic scale and I’ll show you how to use it with your fill riffs and chord embellishments. In my opinion, the 5th position of the G minor pentatonic scale is the second most important position of the pentatonic scales when you’re playing country and bluegrass.

Lesson Video

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Lesson Overview
02:16 min	Scale Chart Breakdown
10:04 min	Switching Between Major & Minor Pentatonics
14:21 min	5th Position G Minor Pentatonic Scale
16:33 min	“Man of Constant Sorrow” Fill Riffs

Scale Charts

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Practice Tablature Scale Charts Woodtone Strings