G Archives

Ten Different Ways to Play the Bluegrass “G Run”

April 13, 2025May 25, 2019 by Devin

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Lesson ID: A0170

The classic “G run” is the most important part of bluegrass guitar. Learning different variations of the G run will improve your soloing and backup rhythm guitar. In this guitar lesson, we’ll work through ten different examples of how to play the standard bluegrass G run on guitar. All of the bluegrass G run examples in this lesson come with tablature. The first G run we’ll cover is the most common G run that guitar players use at bluegrass jams. We’ll also look at different signature G runs used by the great bluegrass pickers over the years — Del McCoury, Tony Rice, Norman Blake, and Doc Watson. Later in this bluegrass guitar lesson, we’ll get some practice using G runs with the chord progression to “Will the Circle be Unbroken” .

Lesson Overview

G Run Examples

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	The Most Common Bluegrass “G Run”
03:49 min	Using the G Run in Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar
07:56 min	A Shorter Variation of the G Run
10:08 min	One More Example of the Shorter G Run
11:31 min	Combining the Standard and the Shorter G Runs
12:58 min	Del McCoury Style G Run #1
15:00 min	Del McCoury Style G Run #2
16:09 min	Tony Rice Style G Run
17:45 min	Norman Blake Style G Run
18:35 min	Doc Watson Style G Run #1
19:48 min	Doc Watson Style G Run #2
20:15 min	Doc Watson Style G Run #3
21:11 min	Using G Runs with “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”

Lesson Tablature Woodtone Strings

Worried Blues

April 13, 2025January 22, 2019 by Devin

Lesson ID: A0164

“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 over the years, including a popular fingerstyle arrangement by Doc Watson.

In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a country and bluegrass flatpicking arrangement of “Worried Blues”. This arrangement is in the key of G and we’ll play it with a nice mix of “Carter Style” boom chick strumming and country blues flatpicking licks. First I’ll teach you two complete instrumental breaks that have a nice bluesy country sound. Then we’ll work through the “Worried Blues” chords and lyrics. After you learn the guitar breaks, practice your flatpicking with the “Worried Blues” backing track in G.

Overview

Instrumental Break 1

Video 1 – Playthrough with Tablature

Video 2 – Full Breakdown

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Tablature Line 1 Breakdown
04:51 min	Tablature Line 2 Breakdown
10:18 min	Tablature Line 3 Breakdown
14:49 min	Practice Along with Me

Instrumental Break 2

Video 1 – Playthrough with Tablature

Video 2 – Full Breakdown

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Tablature Line 1 Breakdown
05:21 min	Tablature Line 2 Breakdown
08:51 min	Tablature Line 3 Breakdown
11:56 min	Practice Along with Me

Chords & Lyrics

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Rhythm Overview
00:56 min	Worried Blues Chord Progression
02:16 min	Chords and Lyrics
04:33 min	Bass Line Walk Example
06:29 min	Chords and Lyrics Continued
09:44 min	Song Ending
10:44 min	Strumming Patterns and Rhythm Tips

Backing Track

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Instrumental Breaks Chords & Lyrics Song Lyrics Woodtone Strings

Build-a-Break Flatpicking Guitar Licks for Cripple Creek

April 13, 2025January 13, 2019 by Devin

build a break cripple creek bluegrass flatpicking guitar licks

Lesson 9 – Bluegrass Guitar Solo Improvising Course

Course Outline Previous Lesson Next Lesson

Lesson ID: A0163

This is part two of a mini lesson series on playing lead guitar in a country and bluegrass style. In part one, you learned how to play two guitar breaks for “Cripple Creek” using the song’s traditional melody. In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn eight extremely useful flatpicking guitar licks and I’ll show you three easy ways to use these flatpicking licks to spice up your country and bluegrass guitar solos. The concepts in this lead guitar lesson will help you improvise a hard-driving bluegrass guitar break over “Cripple Creek” and these concepts can also be applied to a ton of other country and bluegrass songs.

Overview

Using the Licks

Flatpicking Licks

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Bluegrass Lick 1
03:08 min	Practice Lick 1 with “Cripple Creek”
06:19 min	Bluegrass Lick 2
09:11 min	Practice Lick 2 with “Cripple Creek”
10:53 min	Bluegrass Lick 3
13:12 min	Practice Lick 3 with “Cripple Creek”
14:35 min	Bluegrass Lick 4
16:57 min	Practice Lick 4 with “Cripple Creek”
17:48 min	Bluegrass Lick 5
20:11 min	Practice Lick 5 with “Cripple Creek”
20:53 min	Bluegrass Lick 6
24:23 min	Bluegrass Lick 7
28:37 min	Bluegrass Lick 8
30:57 min	Extra Tips for Using Bluegrass Licks

Backing Track

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Lesson Tablature Lick Library Woodtone Strings

Cripple Creek Traditional Guitar Breaks

April 13, 2025December 16, 2018 by Devin

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Lesson 8 – Bluegrass Guitar Solo Improvising Course

Course Outline Previous Lesson Next Lesson

Lesson ID: A0162

This is Part One of a two-part lesson series where we’ll work on lead guitar improvising in a country & bluegrass style. In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play two guitar breaks for “Cripple Creek” using the song’s traditional melody.

Then, in the Part Two of this “Cripple Creek” lesson series (coming soon), I’ll show you several different ways that you can use bluegrass guitar licks and crosspicking to modify the traditional melody to make your guitar solo breaks sound more interesting. Both of the guitar lessons in this two-part series will help you add that hard-driving bluegrass sound to your bluegrass guitar breaks.

Overview

Melody 1

Video 1 – Playthrough with Tablature

Video 2 – Full Breakdown

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Breakdown – Measures 1 through 5
05:35 min	Breakdown – Measures 6 through 9
07:31 min	Recap – A Part
08:12 min	Breakdown – Measures 10 through 13
11:09 min	Breakdown – Measures 14 through 17
12:05 min	Practice the Entire Break with Me
13:46 min	Your Homework

Melody 2

Video 1 – Playthrough with Tablature

Video 2 – Full Breakdown

08:02 minBreakdown – Measures 10 through 13

Video Start Time	Lesson Topic
00:00 min	Listen to the Entire Break
00:50 min	Breakdown – Measures 1 through 5
05:30 min	Breakdown – Measures 6 through 9
10:44 min	Breakdown – Measures 14 through 17
12:44 min	Practice the Entire Break with Me
14:53 min	Backing Track Practice Tip

Backing Track

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