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East Tennessee Blues

east tennessee blues flatpicking guitar lesson bluegrass country rag
Lesson ID: A0144

“East Tennessee Blues” is a traditional country rag that was first recorded in 1926 by Charlie Bowman with the Hill Billies. It was around prior to Bowman’s recording and has been also known as Hey Mr. Muskrat, Honeysuckle, Honeysuckle Rag, Huckleberry Blues, and Poca River Blues. This song’s bluesy melody has made it a favorite among several artists such as Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, Jack Lawrence, Michael Daves, Sierra Hull, and more. In this guitar lesson, I’ll teach you how to play a flatpicking guitar arrangement for “East Tennessee Blues” that fits nicely over the rhythm chord progression. Practice it slowly at first and increase your speed in increments to develop the best flatpicking technique.

Lesson Overview

Playthrough with Tablature

Full Breakdown

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Overview and Listen to the Arrangement
01:31 min Measures 1 through 5
05:12 min Measures 6 through 9
09:53 min Measures 10 through 13
11:34 min Measures 14 through 17
12:54 min Measures 18 through 21
16:48 min Measures 22 through 25
18:20 min Measures 26 through 29
21:30 min Measures 30 through 33
If you like this lesson, check out our Bluegrass Lick Library.

Chord Progression

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Backing Track

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Merle Haggard Style Classic Country Intro & Fills

merle haggard style intro and fills in e
Lesson 15 – Rhythm Fill Riffs and Lead Guitar Course
Lesson ID: A0141

In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a classic country intro in the style of Merle Haggard along with some nice country fill riffs that’ll spice up your country rhythm guitar. First, we’ll work through the intro with tablature. Then, we’ll talk about the guitar scales you should learn to get this classic Merle Haggard sound in the key of E. After that, we’ll go over two rhythm progressions in the style of Merle Haggard that are loaded with classic country bass line walks and fills.

Overview

Country Intro

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Playthrough with Tablature
01:42 min Full Breakdown of the Intro

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Guitar Scales

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Scale Charts
02:28 min Notes Used to Play the Intro

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Progression 1

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Progression 1 Overview
00:21 min Playthrough with Tablature
01:23 min Classic Country Strumming Pattern
03:57 min Line 1 Breakdown with Country Fill
06:31 min Line 2 Breakdown with Another Country Fill
09:19 min Line 3 Breakdown with More Country Fills
10:54 min Line 4 Breakdown
12:00 min Practice Along with Me

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Progression 2

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Progression 2 Overview
00:32 min Playthrough with Tablature
01:27 min Line 1 Breakdown with Country Fill
02:14 min Line 2 Breakdown with Another Country Fill
04:54 min Line 3 Breakdown with More Country Fills
06:50 min Line 4 Breakdown
08:00 min Practice Along with Me

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Practice

Practice with Merle Haggard

Practice your classic country strumming and fills over the song “Fightin’ Side of Me” by Merle Haggard using the embedded player from Spotify. We’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.

George Jones Rhythm with Country Fills

george jones style country rhythm guitar lesson fill riffs choices chords tablature
Lesson 9 – Country & Bluegrass Rhythm Course
Lesson ID: A0134

Let’s spice up our country rhythm guitar even more! In this guitar lesson, I’ll teach you a classic country rhythm guitar pattern and we’ll practice using a progression in the style of “Choices” by George Jones. I’ll also show you some old school melodic country fills in the Key of D. We’ll break down the entire practice progression with tablature and I’ll give you some helpful country rhythm tips throughout the guitar lesson. After you master the progression, practice along with George Jones! Download tablature below the video.

Overview

Playthrough with Tablature

Full Breakdown

Practice

Practice picking your country rhythm over the song “Choices” by George Jones. Play “Choices” below using the embedded player from Spotify. We’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.

Big Sciota

big sciota guitar lesson traditional tune origin
Lesson ID: A0137

In this guitar lesson, I’ll teach you how to play “Big Sciota“, a traditional song credited to Burl Hammons. This song is named after a 231-mile stretch of river in Ohio that was very important to many Native American cultures. It is believed that Ritchie Stearns was the first to attach words to the tune, and much later, “Big Sciota” was made more popular by Old Crow Medicine Show.

Overview

Playthrough with Tablature

Chord Progression

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Rhythm Overview
01:03 min “Big Sciota” Chord Progression
03:21 min Playthrough with Tablature
05:50 min Helpful Chord Transition Tips

Backing Track