My new addiction: Bluegrass

[Mobilemike]

Originally Posted by min7b5

If you're looking for tablature, I wrote out all my favorite fiddle tunes and loaded them up here http://min7b5.minus.com/m-ericskyefiddletunes

Just remember; pick down on the down beat, and up on the up beat

This is super cool, thanks!!

-Mike

[dgaemc2]

Me too! I have been playing acoustic and electric guitar for many years (rock, blues, country, folk) all of which I still love, but recently have been enjoying bluegrass a lot! This is especially true after receiving an "Allison Krauss and Union Station DVD" from a concert they recorded in 2003 as a gift.

That said, I have been so keen on this music that I had to buy a banjo and have really been enjoying learning to play this unique and humbling instrument!

Okay folks.....bring on the banjo jokes.....I don't care and it is expected!
Anyway, I feel that I am progressing with the banjo fairly quickly and find it very enjoyable to play. It is a very nice change of pace.

[john.westhoff]

Here's another source of standards:
http://www.kimandmikeontheroad.com/music.htm

for backingtracks:
http://flatpickapprentice.blogspot.nl/
http://www.fbbts.com/Tunes.html

[Scholar]

I have tons of bluegrass tabs in Guitar Pro format -- absolutely great learning aid. If you happen to have a recent version of GP, drop me a private message.

If you're up for it, you might wanna check out Kaufman's annual flatpicking "Kamp" in Maryville, TN (just go to his website at www.flatpik.com, and no, I have no financial interest). Back when I still lived in Victoria BC, my pickin' partner and I got sent there by our employer to hone our skills for a project we were doing that involved using bluegrass in our college classrooms. The 2004 Kamp was one of the great musical experiences of my life -- for a week, seminars all day from the likes of Kaufman, Pat Flynn, the incredible John Moore, Uwe Krueger, Tony McManus and many more; free concerts by the instructors every night; and then open jamming in the dorms all night. You won't get much sleep, but there's tuition for every level and you'll come away with a load of material to work on and a bunch of new friends.

Happy pickin'....

[D18Hoglover]

http://artistworks.com/guitar-lessons-bryan-sutton

[BFD]

+1 Old guy finally getting into bluegrass these past couple of years, and loving it. Glad to meet you all!

Eric, very generous of you to share your tabs. I've harvested some serious stoke watching a few YouTube vids of you playing with friends.

Regarding learning methods, I've done Truefire for a bit and have one of Steve Kaufman's books. For the past 6 months or so, I've been in the Artistworks/Academy of Bluegrass taught by Bryan Sutton, as D18 recommended. My personal opinion (not affiliated)......it's head and shoulders above everything else, and very cost effective. Dig into it and see what you think. Glad to answer any questions.

[catndahats]

Eric,
Please let us know when that CD is available.....your version of Wildwood Flower is my first attempt at bluegrass

Originally Posted by min7b5

Very cool. I got into it at about thirty, almost fifteen years ago. Now I'm actually about to release a whole album of flat-picked fiddle tunes -something I could not possibly have imagined as a full-time jazz and blues player in the 90's... Once you get the bug it's all over.

And the great thing is that when you get that drive, groove, tone and technique down, it'll lift everything else you do too.

If you're looking for tablature, I wrote out all my favorite fiddle tunes and loaded them up here http://min7b5.minus.com/m-ericskyefiddletunes

Just remember; pick down on the down beat, and up on the up beat

[Mike@bc]

I am a bit of beginner without a lot of talent but love entertaining myself. Dr. Banjo offers a Slow Jam DVD that focuses in on the guitar chords as the learning aid and slows down the pace so even I can keep up. It really is a good approach to learn a few of the standards and build some confidence and is probably more valuable for guitar than banjo.

[guit3090]

Great bluegrass website

http://bluegrasstoday.com/

[D18Hoglover]

Originally Posted by BFD

+1 Old guy finally getting into bluegrass these past couple of years, and loving it. Glad to meet you all!

Eric, very generous of you to share your tabs. I've harvested some serious stoke watching a few YouTube vids of you playing with friends.

Regarding learning methods, I've done Truefire for a bit and have one of Steve Kaufman's books. For the past 6 months or so, I've been in the Artistworks/Academy of Bluegrass taught by Bryan Sutton, as D18 recommended. My personal opinion (not affiliated)......it's head and shoulders above everything else, and very cost effective. Dig into it and see what you think. Glad to answer any questions.

Bryan's lessons are about as close to a one on one live as you can get on the internet. The video exchange program is excellent with great feedback from Bryan about the videos you submit.Bryan is as good an instructor as he is a musician.

[RogerC]

Originally Posted by john.westhoff

http://flatpickapprentice.blogspot.nl/

There ya go. Dave is a really good friend of mine and is a very talented flatpicker. He's the one who got me interested in the genre. He's put tons of work into his blog and has just over 5 billion backing tracks recorded, give or take

[Gratefuliving]

I've tried a bunch of the bluegrass resources out their and their really are some great things out for players picking it up now, if I were starting over I would approach the material i have in this order.

Steve Kaufman's flatpicking method DVD's - these are great for basics, particularly the first one

(substitute, a few lessons with a good teacher (for any of these really but particularly this one, I've taken a few lessons with Orrin Starr over the last few weeks and he has just ripped my right hand technique to shreds and it's helping me improve immeasurably)

Shed with Eric's tabs linked above and really learn a good handful of those tunes by heart, even though their simple, really learn the melodies before you start memorizing any super embellished cross-picked, G ran, and hammered on out the wazoo arrangements (mistake I made.)

Go to a bluegrass jam! Get a sense for what it's really like to play the music in a group setting, learn the rhythm role of the guitar and watch the good players to get a sense of the subtle stuff they are doing. I really personally enjoy doing the solo flatpicking stuff but I know it helped me a lot to be part of playing the music as it's traditionally played.

More advanced stuff
- David Grier's building powerful solo DVD's is really fun
-the intermediate/ advanced material in Brian Suttons' artistworks thing is great.

just picked up the 'intimate lesson with Tony rice' dvd so will report back on that!

[Lacks Focus]

Originally Posted by dgaemc2

Okay folks.....bring on the banjo jokes.....I don't care and it is expected!
Anyway, I feel that I am progressing with the banjo fairly quickly and find it very enjoyable to play. It is a very nice change of pace.

You'll get none from me, as I started with the banjo, before guitar, when I was in college, hundreds of years ago. Unfortunately I set it (and the guitar) aside for about 25 years and now I'm trying to get back into it. Some of it's coming back easily, but other parts are stubbornly resistant to resuscitation.

Fortunately for my motivation, I recently learned a young cycling friend of mine is also learning the instrument, so that's lit a bit of a fire. In fact, I let him talk me into signing up for a Pete Wernick Jam Camp in our area in May. Yikes!

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by Inked

That's cool info, but is more for banjo than guitar.

Actually it is for any instrument. I did a Wernick-based group class a few years ago. As the page says it is "Bluegrass Jamming Basics."

[skiltrip]

I was playing mostly punk and metal my whole young and young adult life. At some point during my 30s I started getting a serious bluegrass infection. Those bluegrass guys/gals shred as fast as any metal guy does, but it's raw and organic and unprocessed. I love it. All that rhythm and drive and no drums?! Say WHAT?! Bluegrass is incredible.