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East Tennessee Blues

east tennessee blues flatpicking guitar lesson bluegrass country rag
Lesson ID: A0144

“East Tennessee Blues” is a traditional country rag that was first recorded in 1926 by Charlie Bowman with the Hill Billies. It was around prior to Bowman’s recording and has been also known as Hey Mr. Muskrat, Honeysuckle, Honeysuckle Rag, Huckleberry Blues, and Poca River Blues. This song’s bluesy melody has made it a favorite among several artists such as Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, Jack Lawrence, Michael Daves, Sierra Hull, and more. In this guitar lesson, I’ll teach you how to play a flatpicking guitar arrangement for “East Tennessee Blues” that fits nicely over the rhythm chord progression. Practice it slowly at first and increase your speed in increments to develop the best flatpicking technique.

Lesson Overview

Playthrough with Tablature

Full Breakdown

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Overview and Listen to the Arrangement
01:31 min Measures 1 through 5
05:12 min Measures 6 through 9
09:53 min Measures 10 through 13
11:34 min Measures 14 through 17
12:54 min Measures 18 through 21
16:48 min Measures 22 through 25
18:20 min Measures 26 through 29
21:30 min Measures 30 through 33
If you like this lesson, check out our Bluegrass Lick Library.

Chord Progression

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Backing Track

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Key of E – Lick 6

bluegrass-guitar-lick-bl-e0006

Bluegrass Guitar Lick 6 in E

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Lesson ID: BL-E0006
Key: E Major
Scale(s) Used:

  • E Major Scale > 1st/2nd Positions
  • E Blues Scale > 1st/2nd Positions

Key of E – Lick 5

bluegrass-guitar-lick-bl-e0005

Bluegrass Guitar Lick 5 in E

Play Guitar Lick Audio
Lesson ID: BL-E0005
Key: E Major
Scale(s) Used:

  • E Major Scale > 1st/2nd/3rd Positions
  • E Blues Scale > 1st/2nd/3rd Positions