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
Search Lessons
Another 12 Bar Picking Workout in G (SHORT)
Lesson ID: A0229 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...
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 (SHORT)
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 (SHORT)
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...
7 Different Ways to Play the G Chord on Guitar (SHORT)
Lesson ID: A0226 Download the chord chart below! In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn 7 different ways to play the G chord—probably the most common chord on guitar. Each shape works better in different situations, and learning them will be a game-changer for your...
Country Blues Travis Picking – 12 Bar Fingerstyle Workout (SHORT)
Lesson ID: A0224 This 12-bar fingerstyle guitar workout is a great way to develop your Travis picking skills in the country and blues style. It’s a fun and challenging Travis Picking riff with that classic country blues feel—perfect for players who love the sounds...
Country Bluegrass Jam in G – 12 Bar Picking Workout (SHORT)
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 Country Fill Riffs in the Key of G
Lesson ID: A0214 In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn three easy fill riffs that you can use to spice up your country & bluegrass rhythm guitar. Each fill riff is one measure long and you can use them in almost any chord progression in...
Outlaw Country Drop D Riffs and Strumming
Lesson ID: A0202 In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn a few country guitar riffs in the style of Charlie Daniels. We’ll also use the chord progressions from “Long Haired Country Boy” by Charlie Daniels to practice some country strumming patterns and chord embellishments. Overall,...
How to Play Happy Birthday on Guitar
Lesson ID: A0200 In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play “Happy Birthday” on guitar. This bday arrangement combines picking and strumming, and it has a little bit of a country feel to it. You can download the Happy Birthday Tablature below the...
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...
“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...
Tyler Childers “Nose on the Grindstone” Strumming
Lesson ID: A0189 In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play some chord embellishments in the style of “Nose on the Grindstone” by Tyler Childers. First, we’ll work on a few country strumming patterns that’ll help you get that “dirty” country sound Tyler...
Tennessee Waltz in Drop D
Lesson ID: A0188 In this guitar lesson, we’ll work on a flatpicking arrangement that follows the melody of the classic song “Tennessee Waltz” written by Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King. The practice arrangement in this lesson is inspired by a version performed by...
Flatpicking in the Style of Molly Tuttle
Lesson ID: A0187 In this guitar lesson, we’ll work on some flatpicking in the style of Molly Tuttle using a common “I-IV-V” chord progression that we’ll borrow from the song “White Freightliner Blues” by Townes Van Zandt. Molly Tuttle adds her own twist to...
Crosspicking Patterns and Alternate Chord Voicings
Lesson ID: A0184 In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn some important crosspicking patterns and alternate chord voicings that will spice up your rhythm and lead guitar. First we’ll work on the crosspicking patterns and we’ll practice them using key of G open chords (G,...
Red Dirt Country Strumming in the Style of Tyler Childers
Lesson ID: A0176 In this guitar lesson, we’ll work on some red dirt country strumming in this style of Tyler Childers. First you’ll learn a country strumming pattern that is modeled after the strumming pattern Tyler Childers uses in his song “Whitehouse Road”. Then...
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...
Red Dirt Country Blues Strumming and Fills
Lesson ID: A0166 In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn a country blues progression in the key of D. The main goal of this lesson is to give you some extra practice switching back and forth between playing rhythm guitar and lead fills. First, we’ll...
Banks of the Ohio Crosspicking Guitar Lesson
Lesson ID: A0167 “Banks of the Ohio” is a traditional 19th century ballad that has become a common crosspicking tune at bluegrass jams. The exact origins of this song are unknown. It has been recorded by several artists over the years, including Johnny Cash,...
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…