Here’s another 12 bar country bluegrass jam from the Woodshed — full of useful hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides that you can use to improvise in the key of G.
Helpful Tips:
•Relax your picking hand and use a light touch — don’t worry about playing loud; volume will come over time as you build the right muscle memory.
•Learn it at a slow pace, then increase your speed in increments.
•Loop the progression — play the 12 bars repeatedly and come up with variations of your own.
Don’t forget to use the AB Loop toolbar below to SLOW DOWN the video for easy learning.
Learn the classic American folk standard “Wildwood Flower” with this step-by-step traditional country and bluegrass guitar lesson. Originally recorded by the legendary Carter Family, “Wildwood Flower” has become one of the most iconic flatpicking songs for anyone wanting to master old-time country guitar, bluegrass rhythm, and melody-based lead breaks. In this lesson here at Country Guitar Online, you’ll get a detailed breakdown of how to play “Wildwood Flower” in the key of G—even though the tune is most commonly played out of the C position—so you can expand your arranging skills and build confidence playing in different keys. This lesson is perfect for guitar players searching for beginner-friendly bluegrass songs, traditional country guitar tutorials, Carter Family guitar arrangements, and flatpicking melodies that sound great at jams.
Inside the lesson, you’ll find full video instruction, on-screen guitar tabs, and tips for mastering the melody with clean country-style flatpicking technique. Country Guitar Online members can also download a print-friendly PDF tablature of the entire arrangement to help with practice away from the screen.
Once you’ve learned the tune, you can sharpen your timing by playing along with the practice video included below from my girlfriend Soonka’s YouTube Channel. You can easily stay updated with our newest performance videos by subscribing to Soonka’s YouTube channel here.
So if you’re looking for easy bluegrass guitar songs, classic country guitar lessons, or timeless folk melodies to add to your repertoire, this “Wildwood Flower” tutorial is a great place to start.
Looking to improve your acoustic guitar chops for country and bluegrass? Here’s a 12-bar picking workout that’s perfect for building your flatpicking technique and rhythm skills. This short guitar lesson features a classic 12-bar progression in a traditional country and bluegrass style.
Every time I sit down to practice, I like to warm up with something like this—simple, melodic, and rooted in the traditions of acoustic country and bluegrass guitar. This wasn’t rehearsed or polished—just some spontaneous flatpicking, strumming, and riff ideas I thought I’d share with tablature included.
If you’re a fan of players like Tony Rice, Norman Blake, or Doc Watson, or you’re just starting your journey into bluegrass and country acoustic styles, this video is for you. Take a listen, grab the tab, and pick up a few new licks for your next jam session.
Also, if you like the progression in this lesson, try combining it with the 12 bar progression that I teach over in Lesson A0227 Smooth Flowing Bass Line w/ Hammer-Ons.
Don’t forget to use the AB Loop toolbar below to SLOW DOWN the video for easy learning.
Here is Chicken Pickin’ Guitar Lick 3 in the key of A. This is a fun country guitar lick that travels up the neck in a really creative way. We’re going to combine Lick 3 with Chicken Pickin’ Licks 1 and 2 to create a complete guitar solo that’s 12 measures long in total. After you learn all of the licks, practice them over the full-length backing track that’s available with this lesson post.
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To practice along, you’ll need to CAPO 1st FRET.
After you’re done here