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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Country & Bluegrass Lick in G and How to Use It
Lesson ID: FL0001 In this guitar lesson video, I’ll teach you one of my favorite country & bluegrass guitar licks that sounds great on acoustic guitar. First I’ll play through the lick a couple times, then one time slowly with the tablature, and then...
Home Sweet Home Crosspicking Lesson
In this country and bluegrass crosspicking guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a crosspicking version of the traditional tune “Home Sweet Home” in the key of C. This song was originally adapted from American actor and dramatist John Howard Payne’s 1823…
Melodic Bluegrass Licks that Travel the Neck
In this guitar lesson video, I’ll teach you six of my favorite bluegrass style licks that travel up and down the guitar neck. Each of these licks is built around the positions of the G major pentatonic scale. I’ll show you which scale positions...
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…
More Bluegrass Licks and Guitar Scale Theory
In this guitar lesson, I’ll teach you four more bluegrass licks that are great for improvising in the key of G. We’ll also talk about the guitar scale theory behind each of the bluegrass licks. After you master the guitar licks…
Brown’s Ferry Blues
“Brown’s Ferry Blues” was originally written in the early 1900s by The Delmore Brothers. Over the course of their careers, the Delmores wrote more than one thousand songs, including “Brown’s Ferry Blues”, “Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar”, and “Fifteen Miles from Birmingham”. The...
Bill Cheatham
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to play the traditional tune “Bill Cheatham” on guitar. This flatpicking arrangement has a ton of momentum and it’s a great song for all levels of guitar players. Slow it down and it’ll help you build solid pick...
Country Bluegrass Flatpicking Licks Key of D
In this guitar lesson, I’ll teach you four classic country and bluegrass guitar licks in the key of D. If you play these licks slowly, they’ll have a nice outlaw country sound. If you speed them up, they’ll sound great with bluegrass songs. We’ll...
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…
“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...
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...
Country Strumming & Fills in the Style of Willie Nelson
In this guitar lesson, I’ll teach you a classic country strumming pattern in the style of “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” by Willie Nelson. First I’ll break down the strumming pattern and give you some strumming…
Basic Bluegrass Licks and Guitar Scales
In this guitar lesson, I’ll teach you some basic bluegrass licks in the key of G that will get you started improvising bluegrass lead guitar. We’ll also talk about the guitar scales that you need to learn for improvising bluegrass…
Two Intermediate Country Guitar Riffs
In this lesson you’ll learn two intermediate country guitar riffs. The great thing about these riffs is that you can play them separately or you can combine them to make one longer guitar solo. The goal here is that we’re continuing to expand your...
Hybrid Picking Rhythm with Chord Embellishments
Up until this point in our hybrid picking course, I’ve taught y’all a few of my favorite hybrid picking patterns that you can use in country songs as a replacement for strumming. In this lesson, I’ll show you some nice chord…
I’ll Fly Away in the Style of Alan Jackson
In this lesson, I’ll teach you how play the traditional gospel song “I’ll Fly Away” in the style of Alan Jackson. First we’ll go over the chord progressions and a few strumming patterns you can play behind your vocals. Then I’ll teach you two...
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...
Your Very First Guitar Chords
Brand new to guitar and wanting to learn how to play country music? You’re in the right place! In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn the four most common guitar chords used in country music. If you know these four chords, you’ll be able to...
Honey, You Don’t Know My Mind
Last lesson, we used the hybrid country and bluegrass scale to improvise with fill riffs over the song “Cripple Creek”. We went over the chord progression, some beginner nice fill riffs, and some more advanced fill riffs for the intermediate players…
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,...
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....
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...
