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 |
Jam Track
| Video Start Time | Lesson Topic |
|---|---|
| 00:00 min | Jam Track – Format |
| 00:43 min | Jam Track – Count In |
Thanks a lot Devin! This is exactly what I need to work on right now. Can’t wait to dig in!
Perfect speed for my playing. Great lesson!
Wow, great website! I will be signing up after work today! Are you planning to add more lessons to this improvising bluegrass series soon?
Thanks John! I will be adding to this series very soon — the next lesson on bluegrass solo improv should be posted sometime later this week. I’m planning to build a whole course on this topic over the next few months. Thanks a lot for checking out my site! – Devin
That’s great! An improvising course will help me a lot right now. I want to make my solos sound like they belong in a tune instead of playing the same ol’ scale notes down the line. Looking forward to the new videos. Keep up the good work. Everything is so professional and well-taught.
Devin i think my practice method isd actually slowing me down. Do u have a video on how to pratcice or maybe u could tell me if i am doing wrong…i learn the riffs then move on to the next lesson but go back and practice the riffs i have learned everyday till i get them down pretty good.some come easy others i am struggling with.also not practicing with a backing track or to someone else playing it seems to me i’m not getting the right phrasing . some of them doesnt sound like bluegrass . is that because i… Read more »
oops forgot my main question. i started on the riff lead course..but when i found the short licks section i’m thinking maybe i should have started here? can u give me advice on where a beginner should start? want to learn all i can and just thought maybe the courses were best starting point for me…HELPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!! LOL THX dEVIN
Hey man! Yeah there’s a lot going on when it comes to playing these licks and making them fit well with bluegrass. If you’re wanting to learn bluegrass lead I think this would be a good place to start. Some of the licks might be tricky but not too bad if you slow them down. I think the main thing to do is memorize the scales if you haven’t already…if you’re wanting to play lead up the neck and solo in a lot of different keys, I’d memorize the five pentatonic scale shapes first and then you can start filling… Read more »
ok got all the scales down and go through them several time everyday. still kinda slow on them but it will come with practice i hope . i will spend most of my time on the short licks and a little time on the course for now thx so much appreciate the advice