Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Bluegrass Flatpicking Guitar Lesson – good practice for left & right hand synchronization – EP458

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a Bluegrass composition that you can play by yourself (no jam track needed). This composition is a great exercise for improving left and right hand synchronization.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Slow Walkthrough

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Comments

  5. Rich F says

    Very pretty Brian! I have had a very heavy and exhausting working week, and this is my first chance to relax (in bed!) and look at Active Melody for a whole week.. and the first thing I see is this very pretty lesson! Thanks for bringing a smike to my face and my ears!

    I have just reached 15.22 where you play that lick with the minor major dissonance… beautiful!

    Can’t wait to grab my guitar and start learning this when I eventually get up! 😁

  6. Debra Amesqua says

    Dang! I’m always amazed at your ability to bring new things to the table. Heading to NC in a few weeks to jam with a group of Bluegrass players, and I have been wanting in ways to get ready. Invoking Doc Watson feels so right. Thank you for this fun and very useful lesson.

  7. Kevin S says

    Thanks Brian, brilliant intro to Blue grass. Definitely gained at least one convert. Loved the digressions into your thinking & hearing about your heroes. That little chord run you were trying to identify sounds like a Fleetwood Mac piece, but I don’t know the name of the song. Has the hook: Been down one time, been down two times…, thanks again.

  10. Robert G says

    Excellent, Brian, Excellent!
    Who knew there were so many learning points available in a simple C-G-F flatpick melody?
    And thanks for making it for a single, unaccompanied instrument.

  12. David S says

    Brian, Each time you do a bluegrass lesson ,my left and right hand sync gets better.Adding capo seems to make it easier to play in this position.Keep them coming.Thanks for all your hard work. Dave

  18. Jim N says

    After hearing Doc Watson at one of the Merlefest concerts around 1991 or 92, it inspired me to pick up the guitar and try both flat picking and thumb picking. Thanks for inspiring me all over again Brian.

    Regards,

    Jim N

  19. David G says

    Brian, I don’t know how you do it, but once again you’ve happened to put together a lesson that focuses on exactly what I’ve been working on for the past week. Great stuff and I learned a lot. And thanks particularly for reminding me of the amazingly fluid playing of Norman Blake–I’ll be listening to him a lot for the next little while. Nice new/old Martin too–fills me with envy. 🙂 Thanks for all this, as always! D

  20. San Luis Rey says

    Thanks for keeping it fun for almost 10 years Brian! I came in with a focus on the blues and that remains. Your lessons that include bluegrass, western swing, rockabilly, ragtime, gospel, funk and jazz are a bonus. They pop up at a perfect time it seems to keep it fresh and interesting. My appreciation of all music has grown because of AM!!!

  22. JoLa says

    You have turned me on to many things, Brian, and bluegrass is one of them! Just listened to Doc Watson’s playlist as you suggested and I am stunned to hear so many familiar licks – from your lessons! Your influences there are obvious – and you make them sound so good! You’re like a conduit to the best (guitar) music out there! 😉

  24. David S says

    Brian – It sounds like you’re almost apologizing for doing a bluegrass lesson. Please don’t! Many of us love bluegrass as well as blues, rock, funk, etc. After all, bluegrass was the progenitor of the Grateful Dead. I argue that Chuck Berry copped the Johnny B. lick from Bill Monroe, so I think bluegrass was the father of rock n’ roll. Anyway, really fun lesson!

  30. Dennis O says

    Nice song and really pleased you’ve added a Bluegrass tune…keep ‘em coming’. Bluegrass is great to play with people; its is what my friends in college played, which motivated me to get cheap guitar so I could learn play by joining them on the weekends when we’d get together. We were students then at Indiana University which is close to Beanblosson where Bill Monroe hosted his summer festivals. Got to meet him once. The cool thing is that all during the day and particularly at night you could join any number of groups of people playing in the grass lots were people parked which as a beginner was great cuz you could both make mistakes and learn without people knowing or fear of criticism. I haven’t been there in a very long time but I’m certain the informal and unpretentious nature of the event insofar as being able and welcomed to play with musicians from beginner to accomplished hasn’t changed. Fast forward some 40 years later, just a week ago I got together with some of the college friends I referenced above; we got reacquainted by playing some Bluegrass …it was as if no time had past between us.

  31. Alan S says

    Hi Brian – Love that guitar! I own a 1953 0-18. Mine has been well played but I think well loved. The sound is amazing – the staff at the shop I bought it from called it The Cannon because of its amazing projection. At some point someone has changed themachine heads, so I would love to know what the correct ones on yours are (albeit a slightly earlier guitar). Mine is from the year I was born, I am guessing yours is a little older than you are! I love to pick a little Bluegrass. I’ll never be Doc Watson, Norman Blake or Tony Rice but it’s a lot of fun trying. Love your lessons – please keep up the great work!

  32. Bruce N says

    I wanted a smaller guitar I could more easily play on the couch. I bought a new 0-18.
    It was fine, I guess. But then I thought, why did I spend 3k for a couch guitar?
    I took it back and ended up getting a great Guild parlor that was thousands less. With electronics!

  34. Brian McFarland says

    Great one Brian! Lately I’m finding so much enjoyment and happiness listening to old classic Bluegrass, and also the modern new additions to the genre. Billy Strings and Greensky Bluegrass to name a couple. I think Billy may be one the beat young guitar players out there right now, and this lesson is great to help add to my own attempts to do what I think Doc Watson really pioneered, and these youngsters are doing in a modern way!
    Thanks again for your weekly lessons. I look forward t Friday’s lesson every week

    PS Beautiful 0-18!

    Brian

  35. Francois M says

    Thank you for the bluegrass lesson. It reminded me of one of my favorite past lessons – EP360. So I looked for your other past bluegrass lessons using the navigation buttons on the left. EP360 and a couple other lessons I keep handy were on the list. I’m going to make a mini course out of going through all of the other bluegrass lessons you have done. Thanks.

  43. mritalian says

    Hey Brian! Thanks so much for turning me on to this music, its great. Watched an Evening with Doc Watson and what a treat, hope to see more of this type of lessons. I’ve learned a lot as a member.

  44. Robert B says

    Great lesson Brian. Having a great time learning this song. Trying to speed up the picking. As you stated, great for left- and right-hand coordination. Hope to see more like this in the furure.

  45. steve h says

    Brian – Am working on part 2 yet, but wanted to express how much I appreciate a couple things so far-enjoyed hearing how you came up with the composition and the mention of the musicians that were unknown to me then but now enhance my spotify listening. Appreciate also the encouragement about learning to flat pick – which is totally new to me. I was apprehensive about picking in general but your suggestions are helping and am finding it pretty pleasurable. So in addition to your typical and excellent compositions, your detailed explanations that allow me to link it back to the CAGED system for the instrument as well your explanation of theory behind it as usual – you’re providing a really great, well -rounded musical ”EXPERIENCE” and not simply instrument lessons – and that means a lot to me. Am not located anywhere near or have social connections to be exposed to or learn about these musical foundations. All of this really makes the hours I spend each week learning the pieces and ‘hanging out’ with you virtually a very rewarding investment of time. Thanks for all you do! Best. Steve

  46. Marcel v says

    Very nice! I combine it with MP 059. Gives me lots of ideas. I also try to play this in G. The principles are the same of course but I would appreciate your tips, tricks, licks when playing in G. You often come up with ideas that I wouldn’t have thought off.
    All very useful fill ideas in many stiles.
    More Bluegrass would be welcome! Thank you.

  48. Steven P says

    Brian – Thank you for the great lesson and the fun composition.

    I have a question. The notation and corresponding tab are written relative to the capo position (that’s great). I prefer to play along using the notation. However, the tab indicates a G, but the notation shows an F#. (See for example measure 1.) Is this just an oversight or have I misinterpreted something?

    Steve

  50. Michael K says

    This is the second composition that I have learned from you Brian since I joined. Would love to see more stand alone pieces like this one or maybe I’ll start figuring out how to compose my own soon enough. It would be nice to have that software to create tabs so we could write out own pieces and not forget what we created. This one didn’t take too long for me to memorize and be able to go through the whole thing but it’s very tempting to go off script into different directions and if I do, and it sounds good, I would hate to forget what I did later.

  51. Guy H says

    Hunkered down here at -30c in Sask. What a great way to start the morning! Brian just love the composition and your teaching style. Lots of useful bits within this lesson and just a great FLP practice piece . About a month since joining and I know my playing and fretboard understanding have both improved already !
    Cheers!

  52. Edmund S says

    New member here checking out all Bluegrass/Old Time guitar stuff. Love this one Brian. I’m a long time Norman Blake fan. This is a good one because it fits the Smaller Body guitar very well. Norman did Bluegrass on his D body Martins and Old Time stuff on his 00 and 000 body Martins!

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