New Bluegrass Tricks for an Old Dog
 

I've always been a blues/rock/country type of player but always admired these awesome bluegrass flatpickers and the runs and licks they use. While my old brain and fingers are still in good working condition I'd like to teach myself some of these lead runs/progressions/scales and see where it takes me. I know there are a ton of videos on YouTube and I've started to look at a few. This guy seems to do a good job at teaching beginners:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAlSfr5dzMU

While surfing around YouTube for suitable videos is ok, I'm curious if anyone might have a suggestion as to what they consider some good beginner material I can reference. It can be books, videos, guitar tablatures, courses, or any combination of those. While I've played a long time, I'm definitely a novice at bluegrass flatpicking so would like to start with something straightforward and basic, and work my way from there. Thoughts?

My standard answer that has served me well for many years:

If at all possible, meet regularly with other pickers and watch, listen, play along and learn. On line or in-person lessons, books, DVD's, etc. are also good, but nothing else can take the place of the cumulative hours spent playing with other people.

Another thing to do is immerse yourself in the genre. Listen to bluegrass and newgrass when you're surfing the web, driving your car, doing the dishes, remodeling your basement, etc.

Go to bluegrass festivals! Hear the pros, jam with the rest of us in the campground. Maybe catch some workshops there too.

I'm not really looking to make a cultural change in the music I play. Just wondering if anyone else had pursued some interest in learning some bluegrass licks on their own and had found something they considered helpful. I'm always interested in expanding my skill and knowledge, but ultimately fusing it with what I've done for the past 60 years. A committed bluegrass player I'm not, nor do I aspire to be.

If nothing else, YouTube will probably suffice. But thanks for responding. :)

My advice would be to get some basic instruction around alternate picking and then start working on some standard fiddle tunes like Red Haired Boy, Whiskey Before Breakfast, and so on. Good Luck

Here check this out .... good luck

https://www.flatpick.com/category_s/2176.htm

I would say check out Artistworks and sign up for the Bryan Sutton bluegrass guitar course. You can get $101 off of the annual plan with the code "AW101". He has a real thorough curriculum and you can send in video exchanges to him and he replies back within 7 days very thoroughly. You can also see other peoples video exchanges and replies. I highly recommend his course if you want to learn to play bluegrass music and you get feedback from a top of the line artist.

Second the recommendation for Sutton’s course, and Chris Eldridge’s great, too. Bryan focuses on fiddle tunes and Critter is a little broader, can’t go wrong with either. Really anything on ArtistWorks is great.

Marcel has some great short videos, too. This is a good one on building your own “grassy” runs and lines:



And here is one where he demonstrates some flatpicking techniques using Christmas songs… it sounds gimmicky, and I guess it kind of is, but the substance of it is solid:

Silly Moustache seems pretty good at that sort of thing perhaps you should take some of his lessons.

There is a lot of stuff out there that you can work on with YouTube. I don't think asking who or what is best is going to get you anywhere. You just get aa dozen different responses. Just pick someone you like and work on it. If you like this guy, he is as good as any. I also recommend Flatpicking Essentials, which was already mentioned.

I'll just say though that these licks aren't really beginner bluegrass. Starting out strumming and walking a base line is beginner bluegrass. This kind of stuff comes later, after you can hold your own in the rhythm section. One thing I will add, and I think it has been mentioned, bluegrass is not a solo endeavor. If you want to play bluegrass, you really need to find a bluegrass jam to attend and go to some bluegrass festivals to see what people are doing and how the guitar works into it. I've found that most bluegrass jams are very informal and welcoming. It is easy to stand out in the fringes and play until you are ready to get into the mix. Don't be afraid to get out and play with other people, that's really what bluegrass is about.

Wasn't really asking who or what is best, just for some feedback on what has been beneficial to others. I've been strumming and walking baselines since forever. I like to investigate, learn, and glean what I can from other styles of playing to potentially fuse with how I play. Some of it sticks, some of it doesn't, but I like to experiment. I apologize that I didn't make it clear from the start, but I don't aspire to be a purebred bluegrass musician. At 72 I'm pretty much a petrified blues/rock/country player, but I still write, play and perform my own music and I have always enjoyed the challenge of learning something new. Helps keep my old brain young. :)

I've already learned a few of those licks from the link I posted. Cool stuff! After all these years it still brings a smile to my face to try something new and different and be able to do it.

Thanks to those who have made some recommendations. Much appreciated! :up:

Okay, I misunderstood you. I thought you were just getting into it and wanted to get your feet wet. Anyway, I liked the video you posted and spent the afternoon working on his licks. So thanks for posting that.

I really like Steve Kaufman’s Four Hour Bluegrass workout for learning fiddle tunes. It’s a well organized book that has tons of fiddle tunes in both tab and standard notation, and has CD’s that come with it with both slow recordings of each tune and faster ones so you can practice along.

-Mike

You might enjoy JP Cormier. He's an awesome picker and plays Fiddle, Mandolin as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWL6SVa3pxI