Lesson ID: A0110
In this guitar lesson, I’ll teach you how to play the traditional Appalachian folk song “Shady Grove” in the style of Doc Watson. First we’ll go over the chord progression and a strumming pattern that you can play behind your vocals. Then I’ll teach you two variations of the instrumental break — the first instrumental break will mix a nice melody line with strumming and the second instrumental break will sound more like a bluegrass flatpicking guitar solo.
Lesson Overview
Basic Rhythm
| Video Start Time | Lesson Topic |
|---|---|
| 00:00 min | Chord Progression |
| 00:45 min | Strumming Pattern |
| 01:18 min | Alternating Bass Notes |
| 03:42 min | Progression with Vocals |
| 05:18 min | Song Structure |
Melodic Rhythm
| Video Start Time | Lesson Topic |
|---|---|
| 00:00 min | Melodic Rhythm Example |
| 00:47 min | Measures 1 through 4 – Breakdown |
| 03:49 min | Measures 5 through 8 – Breakdown |
| 08:00 min | Practice Along with Me |
| 08:39 min | Instrumental Breaks and Song Structure |
Flatpicking Solo
| Video Start Time | Lesson Topic |
|---|---|
| 00:00 min | Flatpicking Solo Example |
| 00:52 min | Measures 1 through 4 – Breakdown |
| 03:24 min | Measures 5 through 8 – Breakdown |
| 04:52 min | Practice the First Half |
| 05:54 min | Measures 9 through 12 – Breakdown |
| 07:10 min | Measures 13 through 16 – Breakdown |
| 08:53 min | Practice the Second Half |
| 09:41 min | Practice the Full Flatpicking Solo |
I’ve always had trouble with the Dm chord. It never occurred to me to barre the chord on the first fret. Excellent tip that really helped me. Thanks very much!
Such a great adaptation for beginners. You get the feel like docs version, but it’s stripped down enough that it’s not super intimidating. Can’t say I regret signing up, super quality stuff.
you had me until the Fchord, i dont do F chords. i can but choose not to,lol