All Guitar Lessons
Search, filter, sort—or hit “Surprise Me” to jump into one of CGO’s 300+ lessons 🎸Some content lives in its own sections, and some is organized a little differently…
Hundreds of mini lick lessons with demo video & tablature
Speed adjustable country & bluegrass jam tracks to play along to (recorded by me here in the Woodshed)
Shortcut to step-by-step flatpicking lessons on songs played at real bluegrass jams
Build improvisation skills with structured paths through lessons, with a few exclusive videos to guide you
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Wildwood Flower in G
Lesson ID: A0228 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...
Smooth Flowing Bass Line w/ Hammer-Ons
Lesson ID: A0227 Download the guitar tablature below! There are many ways to add accents to your country & bluegrass guitar rhythm, but here’s how you can do it by combining bass line notes with hammer-ons. This style of guitar playing is heavily influenced...
Laid Back Flatpicking Jam in C – Mini Guitar Workout
Lesson ID: A0225 Download the guitar tablature below! Here’s a mellow flatpicking jam in the key of C — perfect if you’re learning to blend rhythm guitar and melody in a traditional style. This simple strumming pattern combined with a few classic guitar licks...
Country Bluegrass Jam in G – 12 Bar Picking Workout
Lesson ID: A0223 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...
“Dear Mr. Arizona” Cowboy Waltz by Soonka
Video lesson coming soon! In the meantime, find the guitar tablature for Instrumental Breaks 1 and 2 below. Click the download button in the top right corner of the PDF viewer to download a print-friendly tab sheet. IMPORTANT NOTE: There’s an unusual B7/F# chord...
Easy Flatpicking Intro – Grateful Dead
Lesson ID: A0197 In this guitar lesson, we’ll take a look at some simple rhythm and lead from the song “Ripple” by Grateful Dead. First, we’ll work through two basic chord progressions in G and we’ll add some vocals for those of y’all wanting...
Flatpicking in the Style of Norman Blake
Lesson ID: A0193 In this guitar lesson, we’ll work on some Norman Blake style flatpicking using a progression that we’ll borrow from Norman’s song “Randall Collins.” In the first part of this lesson, you’ll learn a nice flatpicking break that goes along with the...
“Walk On Boy” in the Style of Doc Watson
Lesson ID: A0192 In this guitar lesson, we’ll work through a progression from the classic song “Walk On Boy.” The original version of this song was written by Mel Tillis and Wayne Walker. The flatpicking arrangement that you’ll learn in this lesson is similar...
Johnny Cash Style Intro and Bass Walks
Lesson ID: A0186 In this guitar lesson, we’ll work on some Johnny Cash style rhythm guitar. First we’ll take a look at an intro progression and learn a few bass line walks that will give your playing that Johnny Cash country sound. Then we’ll...
I’ve Been All Around This World
Lesson ID: A0179 In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play the traditional song called “I’ve been All Around This World”. First we’ll work through the main chord progression to this song and we’ll practice singing the verses with the chords & lyrics....
Blue Railroad Train
Lesson ID: A0178 In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play the old classic “Blue Railroad Train” in the style of Tony Rice. We’ll cover three different instrumental breaks that are loaded with some really nice country & bluegrass licks on acoustic guitar....
Johnny Cash Style Rhythm and Fills
In this guitar lesson, we’ll work on some Johnny Cash style rhythm guitar. First we’ll go over a nice country strumming pattern and get some practice strumming over a country chord progression. Then we’ll add some Johnny Cash style bass line walks to the...
Little Sadie
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...
Worried Blues
“Worried Blues” is an old song from the early 1900s written by a country blues musician named Frank Hutchinson. Hutchinson was best known for playing slide guitar with the guitar held in his lap. His song “Worried Blues” has been recorded by several artists...
Jimmy Brown the Newsboy
In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play the traditional country & bluegrass song called “Jimmy Brown the Newsboy”. This song was originally written by William Shakespeare Hays in the late 1800s and it has been recorded by several country…
You Are My Sunshine in the Style of Gene Autry
In this country guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a country & bluegrass version of the old classic melody “You Are My Sunshine”. This is a Carter style arrangement where we’ll combine “boom chick” country strumming with the…
Merle Haggard Style Classic Country Intro & Fills
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…
Bury Me Beneath the Willow
“Bury Me Beneath the Willow” is an old traditional folk song that was first archived in 1906 by an English professor at the University of Missouri. The song was made popular by The Carter Family and it has been recorded by several different artists…