Hi this is Dave with OnlineLessonVideos.com. Today we’re going to do Bluegrass rhythm guitar volume one. So let’s get started.
So, what we’re going to do is I'm going to give you a core progression you should have been able to print out that pdf file and that has the tab on it. The chords are going to be G, C and D. And what we will first do is get acquainted with what you're play or what you're going to pick when you're playing over these chords. And for the rhythm you're primarily going to play what they call the first note or the fifth note on the scale.
So on the G chord, the root is going to be the first note of the chord on the sixth string on the third fret. So you're going to pick that one and then you're going to strum. And typically, I don’t strum on sixth strings I strum like the last four. I try to separate my base string from my other strings. So I’ll pick the sixth string strum and them I go to my fifth which I actually skip a string and go to the fourth string. And that’s going to be rhythm back and forth—sixth string, strum and then pick, strum, sixth string with strum and then back and forth. All my strokes—my right hand are down strokes.
The best thing you could with this is work on it, get use to playing it, take a mention of—figure out a speed you can play it out. Find a good speed around 70 or 72, and then setup a few notches and work on it at that speed until you can get it perfectly and then set it a few more notches and you keep increasing your speed and that will make you faster and faster at it without playing at tempo. Bluegrass is all about being on time and being on the front end of the beat. So you want to really be able to be comfortable to pick and strum back and forth.
On the C chord, your first note is going to be in the fifth string or the first note of the C chord. And then strum. Now, you can move your ring finger up to the sixth which is what I do and if I will ask for some people will keep their ring finger on the fifth string and they have their pinkie on the sixth. Either way whatever works for you. So it’s fifth string, strums, sixth string, strum, fifth string—back and forth.
Now your D is the easiest one because you're just playing open string. There’s going to be fourth string, strum and then fifth string, strum. So that fourth string is your root and your fifth string is your fifth.
So you’ve got G, sixth string, strum—pick and strum on the fourth string. C, get this string and then move your finger over the sixth string same fret—third fret. And then A fourth and fifth string starting with the fourth.
So now, let’s look at the tablature that we’ve got. And the first line of tablature for the first part of it—just pick, strum and a rhythm. I've written a chord progression that’s G, C, and D. It’s going to start with G, go to C and then D. And it’s just going to be an A part chord progression that you can do over and over again. I'm going to use this chord progression a lot for stuff we do now and then in the future when we do licks and other things. So let’s get started.
Before we go in, let me show you the right hand kind of a close up view of what’s going on with the root in fifth. So with the G, I'm playing the sixth string like I said. When playing those stuff don’t be afraid of—go base notes. When you do the C chord it’s going to be the fifth string and sixth string. And then for the D chord fourth and fifth.
So the G chord, C chord and then the D chord.
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