The Secret Sauce to Bluegrass Guitar
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- I teach how to play around a simple 'box' in this video when playing bluegrass lead. I take a look at Big Sandy River and Clinch Mountain Backstep. This is a great beginner bluegrass guitar lesson.
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Here are my favorite versions of each tune:
Big Sandy River by Bryan Sutton: • Big Sandy River
Clinch Mountain Backstep: • Clinch Mountain Backstep
![Where Guitar IMPROVISATION Begins: The [ABSOLUTE] Fundamental MindSet](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/o1qXU6Nm_d4/mqdefault.jpg)
Hey man huge bluegrass fan and self taught it’s so hard to learn blue grass because of the lack of good online teachers vids like this will really help people get into this amazing genre wish I had you earlier keep it up ! We need people like you in the community
I appreciate that! I'm glad this video is helping. And keep an eye out for more.
Have you downloaded Strum Machine yet?
seriously, my favorite teacher I’ve never really had guitar lessons and I taught myself a lot. I didn’t have great technique and I was playing Bluegrass, but I lacked more than rhythm skill this teacher has elevated my skill set exponentially. I have ADHD and dyslexia so finding a teacher that I could follow and actually understand was a difficult thing for free online.
@@maramoon88 thanks for that! Happy to help. Check my pinned post, I just released a free mini course with lots of info in there.
Thank you Cody for these lessons. I’ve been playing a while and found you when I decided to start learning bluegrass style. I checked out some other videos before I found you and none of them clicked with how I learn stuff! I’ll keep learning and likely get your whole course that you offer in the future. Thanks again! Keep on pickin’ 😊
Great to hear they’re helping! Hope to see you in the course soon!
Good stuff Really great lesson.
That flat third gives it a bluegrass sound.
I inadvertently hit a flat five and played Bluesgrass 😆
Perfect 🤘
Thank you! Keep checking back for more!
Thanks Cody, really having fun and my wife is finally NOT irritated by my playing! I have an equipment question for you…Bob
@@robertwadeexpertkidsdentist you’re welcome! Glad to hear she’s not irritated! Haha. What’s the gear question…I’ll do my best to answer.
Hi, I am thinking about buying a 12 fret vs. a 14 fret dreadnought. I don’t play beyond the 12th fret and if I did I have other guitars that would allow that. What do you see as advantages or disadvantages of 12 fret guitars for bluegrass?
Hey Robert! Sorry for the late reply. I think I’d go for the 14th fret Dreadnought here. Just in case you begin playing further up the neck (especially with a capo on) those extra frets will come in handy.
Thanks!
I watch a lot of guitar videos and this is a good lesson. Appreciate it
Thanks so much! I really appreciate that and will keep pumping them out!
Hey Cody
I am in Bristol Tennessee born and raised. I bet you have spent some time here while you were at J.C. a lot of music goes on here all year long . Hope to see you here sometime.
Hey there! Yea we had some great times in J.C. I still pick weekly with folks I met up there.
I'm trying to get into the casino, but no luck there so far. Let me know if you know of any other places to reach out to for bookings. I book both solo and with the band. Thanks for the comment!
Thank you great video
You’re very welcome!
2:20 Cool! Those are some of the key notes in the 'Motif' of Joan Osborne's smash hit 'One Of Us' I didn't know that Eric Bazilian was drawing from the well of Bluegrass when he wrote that song. I wonder if he knew?!
Maybe he did! Thanks so much for watching and for the comment.
I don't know the notes of that song by Joan Osborne, but that melody line is close to that vocal line from the Osborne song. Nice lesson BTW!
Thanks you! Where in Ireland are you?
That's what I immediately heard as well.
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What BPM do you have the metronome set to?
It’s around 80.
@@codymmusic Thanks. My goal this yr is to become versed in bluegrass and your videos are a really great place to start. Great stuff. Thanks Cody
@ You’re welcome! Is there anything specific you’re having trouble with, or wanting to work on? I can add it to the content list! Best of luck with it this year.
The game changer to me has been the Wegen pick. I highly recommend it.
There’s tons of sizes, but here it is.
www.stringsbymail.com/wegen-picks-bn140b-rounded-triangle-rt-handed-black-1-40mm-one-pick-29008.html
@@codymmusic I'm just starting to learn bluegrass. So it's all new for me. Your videos are great for guys like me that would love to be able to sound like Billy Strings one day. A practice exercise suggestion video would be great.
I am audting guitar classes at ETSU.
Awesome! Are you thinking of joining the program?
@ I am 60+ and enjoying the flexibility of auditing classes.
That’s awesome! Who are you are learning from nowadays?
I’d love to go sit in with a class sometime. I’m down in Knoxville, but hope to make more videos up that way soon.
@ Eddie Lynn Snodderly Guitar II
I took dobro and song writing with Ed years ago. That’s fun! Hope you’re learning lots.
How did you know you were in the key of A ? The capo put the E string to F# . Sorry , I'm still learning my notes . I play tab . So that's B to C# , G to A , D to E , A to G . This ends up F# , G , E , A , C# , F # . "A " scale must have 2 #. Why not just play 1st position in "E" ? I have a capo . When I put it on the neck , how do I know the key ? The root note ? This is why tab is easy . I'm working on it......
When you capo at the second fret that "G major" chord shape puts the root of that chord at the fifth fret of the low E string. (Key is determined by the lowest note that fits the melody/progression of chords) in this case those chords put the Melody in the Key of A. The note at the fifth fret of the low E string is A.
It’s a great question! No dumb questions here. I’m still learning as well.
First off, you’re exactly right. The capoed note is the F#, but the root note that your finger plays is an A (Low E string, 5th fret as the other commenter mentioned).
And yep! An easy way to picture is the root note of the chord. So for example, let’s say you put the Capo on the 3rd fret, and play the same exercise. Your root note goes from the A, one half step to the Bb (low E String 6th fret). This puts you in the key of Bb.
There’s obviously much more to this, but this is a simple way of looking at it.
Many old-time fiddle and celtic tunes tend to be played in D, G, or A because fiddle & mandolin will be able to play more open strings. For guitar & banjo it is more common to play in G, so just capo on 2nd fret and play as you normally do in G for a tune in the key of A.
Count your notes from an open g string if you're playing out of a g position of any song. G G# A Bb B C and so on. I this case follow your open g string until you get to the A note at the second fret. Apply capo. You're in A if you play a g chord. Same on the D string if you're gonna play in E. Capo on the second fret and play a D chord. Same for the A string if you're gonna play in D. Capo on the second fret and play a C chord. 👍
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