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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Wayfaring Stranger Alternate Picking Workout (SHORT)
Lesson ID: A0230 This guitar “workout” will really improve your pick control, and it’s WAY harder than it looks. Learn this Wayfaring Stranger-inspired alternate picking workout in Am. Helpful Tips: • Try not to look at your hands while you’re learning and practicing this...
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...
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...
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...
Red Haired Boy
Lesson ID: A0220 In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a nice bluegrass flatpicking arrangement for “Red Haired Boy”. This song is one of the most common fiddle tunes played at bluegrass jams. NOTE: We’re going to play “Red Haired Boy” using...
Dust in a Baggie by Billy Strings
Lesson ID: A0209 In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play the guitar solos from “Dust in a Baggie” by Billy Strings. We’re going to cover the popular version on YouTube where Billy is playing this song on a couch. We’ll cover all...
Bluesy Country Drop D Fingerstyle Riff
Lesson ID: A0217 In this fingerstyle guitar lesson, you’ll learn a really fun bluesy country drop D guitar riff. First, we’ll play through the riff slowly with tablature on the screen. After that, we have a full breakdown of the riff with extra guitar...
Chicken Pickin’ Lick 2 in A
Lesson ID: A0216 Here is Chicken Pickin’ Guitar Lick 2 in the key of A. This electric guitar riff is extremely useful because it sounds amazing over just about every country chord progression in the key of A. Many country guitar licks are designed...
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...
Chicken Pickin’ Lick 1 in A
Lesson ID: A0215 Here’s a classic country chicken pickin’ lick in the key of A. That first bend with your middle finger is pretty tricky — make sure you bend with your middle finger without bending the 1st and 2nd strings with your pointer/ring...
A Beautiful Slow Western Swing Guitar Solo
Lesson ID: A0212 Western swing music began in the dance halls of small towns throughout the lower Great Plains in the late 1920s and early 1930s, growing from house parties and ranch dances where fiddlers and guitarists played for dancers. Throughout the 1930s and...
Two Bluegrass Flatpicking Solos in C
Lesson ID: A0205 In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn two 12-bar bluegrass flatpicking guitar solos in the key of C. These two solos are loaded with stock bluegrass licks that you can use to improvise solo breaks over the majority of bluegrass songs that...
Back Porch Lesson – Bluegrass Guitar Lick in G
Lesson ID: A0204 Hey Everyone! I’m going to start posting some random “back porch lessons” every now and then to give y’all some different things to work on. These casual lesson videos will cover a variety of things from guitar licks to songs. I...
“One Bud Wiser” Country Guitar Riffs
Lesson ID: A0203 In this guitar lesson, we’ll take a close look at some acoustic country guitar licks from “One Bud Wiser” performed by Gretchen Wilson in her documentary called Undressed. This documentary follows Gretchen as she walks you through her life on the...
“Nothing To It” In the Style of Billy Strings
Lesson ID: A0201 In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a variation of the song “Nothing To It” written by Doc Watson in the style of Billy Strings. This song is loaded with some classic Doc Watson style guitar licks that you...
Flatpicking in the Style of Kenny Smith
Lesson ID: A0196 In this guitar lesson, we’ll take a close look at a flatpicking break in the style of Kenny Smith. This is a fairly advanced guitar break that will really help you build up some strength in your fretting hand. The hardest...
Cold Frosty Morning
Lesson ID: A0194 In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play the traditional bluegrass tune called “Cold Frosty Morning”. This song dates back to the 1700s and it has become a favorite tune played at bluegrass jams. It’s a great song to use...
Jerusalem Ridge
Lesson ID: A0190 In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a flatpicking guitar arrangement that goes along with the old classic bluegrass fiddle tune “Jerusalem Ridge” by Kenny Baker and Bill Monroe. This is a catchy flatpicking guitar arrangement that will help...