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Rhythm Guitar

Salt Creek

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salt-creek-bluegrass-flatpicking-guitar-breaks-a0171
Lesson ID: A0171

“Salt Creek” is a popular bluegrass flatpicking tune that you’ll hear at bluegrass jams all the time. This song was originally titled “Salt River” and it was renamed by Bill Monroe in the 1960s to honor the actual Salt Creek in Indiana near the location of Monroe’s annual Bean Blossom Festival. This song has been recorded by several bluegrass artists over the years, including Tony Rice, Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, Norman Blake, Clarence White, Billy Strings, and many others.

In this bluegrass guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play two flatpicking guitar solo breaks for “Salt Creek”. Both of the guitar solo breaks have a ton of momentum and they are loaded with some really nice bluegrass guitar licks. First we’ll play through each of the flatpicking guitar solos with guitar tablature. Then Devin will teach you each solo line by line and he’ll give you some helpful flatpicking tips along the way. The “Salt Creek” guitar tablature is available for download below the lesson videos.

Overview

Flatpicking Solo 1

Video 1 – Playthrough with Tablature

Video 2 – Full Breakdown

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Kickoff – Measures 1 through 4
03:27 min A Part – Measures 5 through 8
08:55 min A Part – Measures 9 through 12
14:06 min A Part – Measures 13 through 16
15:52 min A Part – Measures 17 through 20
18:47 min Practice the A Part with Me
20:14 min B Part – Measures 21 through 24
25:24 min B Part – Measures 25 through 28
30:05 min B Part – Measures 29 through 32
31:42 min B Part – Measures 33 through 36
33:16 min Practice the B Part with Me

Flatpicking Solo 2

Video 1 – Playthrough with Tablature

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Video 2 – Full Breakdown

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min A Part – Measures 1 through 4
03:09 min A Part – Measures 5 through 8
08:46 min A Part – Measures 9 through 12
10:17 min A Part – Measures 13 through 16
16:01 min Practice the A Part with Me
17:30 min B Part – Measures 17 through 20
22:39 min B Part – Measures 21 through 24
27:50 min B Part – Measures 25 through 28
28:57 min B Part – Measures 29 through 32
31:37 min Practice the B Part with Me

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Chord Progression

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Backing Track

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Ten Different Ways to Play the Bluegrass “G Run”

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standard-bluegrass-g-run-guitar-lesson-a0170
Lesson ID: A0170

The classic “G run” is the most important part of bluegrass guitar. Learning different variations of the G run will improve your soloing and backup rhythm guitar. In this guitar lesson, we’ll work through ten different examples of how to play the standard bluegrass G run on guitar. All of the bluegrass G run examples in this lesson come with tablature. The first G run we’ll cover is the most common G run that guitar players use at bluegrass jams. We’ll also look at different signature G runs used by the great bluegrass pickers over the years — Del McCoury, Tony Rice, Norman Blake, and Doc Watson. Later in this bluegrass guitar lesson, we’ll get some practice using G runs with the chord progression to “Will the Circle be Unbroken” .

Lesson Overview

Little Sadie

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little-sadie-guitar-lesson-doc-watson
Lesson ID: A0169

In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play “Little Sadie” in the style of Doc Watson. First, we’ll work through the “Little Sadie” chord progression using traditional country & bluegrass strumming. Then, we’ll make the progression sound a little fancier with a Doc Watson style bass line walk and a fill riff. After we talk about the rhythm guitar, we’ll work through a couple rounds of the progression with vocals. Finally, we’ll cover three different guitar solo breaks for “Little Sadie” in the style of Doc Watson. The first guitar solo is the easiest and the last two are a little more difficult. Overall this must-know country & bluegrass song that will sound great at your next jam. Guitar tablature is available below the lesson videos.

Overview

Rhythm Guitar & Vocals

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Little Sadie Chord Progression
01:54 min Chord Progression with Tablature
03:14 min Doc Watson Style Bass Line Walk and Fill Riff
05:44 min Chord Progression with Vocals

Solo 1

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Solo 2

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Solo 3

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Advanced Rhythm

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Video Overview
00:22 min Strumming Pattern 1
00:50 min Strumming Pattern 2
01:23 min Strumming Pattern 3
03:07 min Strumming Pattern 4
03:48 min Strumming Pattern 5
04:41 min Practice Progression – Measures 1 through 4
08:19 min Practice Progression – Measures 5 through 8
10:15 min Practice Progression – Measures 9 through 10
11:43 min Practice the Progression with Me

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Backing Track

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The Year That Clayton Delaney Died

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Lesson ID: A0168

In this country guitar lesson, we’ll work on a traditional country strumming pattern in the style of Tom T. Hall. First, I’ll show you a few common chords that are used all the time in classic country. Then, we’ll work on the country strumming pattern using these chords. After that, we’ll work through a chord progression that we’ll borrow from Tom T. Hall’s song called “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died“. Overall, this is a great guitar lesson to help you smooth out your traditional country strumming on an acoustic guitar.

Overview

Chords & Strumming

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min C/G Chord Explanation
01:16 min Strumming Pattern Breakdown
03:16 min F/C Chord Explanation
04:31 min Alternating Bass Line Notes over G Chord
05:21 min Practice Chord Progression
06:51 min Extra Tips

Guitar Riffs

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Intro Riff in the Style of Tom T. Hall
06:11 min Transitioning from Intro Riff to Main Chord Progression
08:10 min Bass Line Walk over C Chord
11:13 min Ending Riff in the Style of Tom T. Hall

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Example with Vocals

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Guitar Solo

Here’s a bonus guitar solo that you can play over the main progression from “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died”. Pay attention to how the licks are structured over the C, F, and G chords. Also, remember that you can slow down the Playthrough with Tablature video with the speed control feature on the video play bar.

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Listen

Listen to Tom T. Hall playing “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died”