Mastering Bluegrass Guitar: 5 Essential Bluegrass Lead Ideas Through GCD

Hey y'all, it's Aaron Jaxon coming to you today, and I want to welcome you to a really cool lesson here that I enjoy teaching to my students that come to me and they're kind of new to bluegrass. They've maybe got into it, you know, through somebody like Billy Strings or Molly Tuttle, and they're going down the rabbit hole and they're discovering, you know, the great players of this style like Tony Rice, Doc Watson, and David Greer, and Brian Sutton. And this is something that I like to show them here. It's just 5 bluegrass lead ideas through a G, C, and D chord progression to just kind of get you familiar with some of the licks and the passages that we like to play in this style, and how we kind of target the chord changes in bluegrass. Because it's, it's a little bit similar to, say, the way a jazz player would play through chord changes, but we've got our own kind of vocabulary around this stuff. So that's just what I want to show you here. And if you would like to get the tabs and a backing track for this lesson, I've linked down to that into the description of the video, and I've also put that in the top pinned comment down below. So hit that up if you'd like to get the tabs and a backing track for this lesson. So let's jump into it here. All right, so this first idea is a pretty familiar sounding bluegrass idea, and I'll, I'll go through it here.

So it's just And then over to C, to D, and then back to G.

Okay, so as you can see, we're really just taking that G run there, you know, like you'd hear it to the beginning of Uncle Penn. You know, we hear that a lot in bluegrass. We're taking that idea from G, and then we're going through C and going through D. Real quick though, um, let's talk about the pick strokes on this.

So this main idea here, we're going to do down, up, down, up, down, pull off, down. Okay, down, up, down, up, down, pull off.

Down. And we're just repeating that idea, so that technique will stay the same throughout this whole entire little, uh, solo, if you will. So same thing on C: down, up, down, up, down, pull off, down.

And we just play that twice, and then we'll go to D: down, up, down, up, down, pull off, down. Down, up, down, up, down, pull off, and then back to G.

Okay, so pretty familiar idea there. So this next one, we're gonna kind of do the same idea, but we're gonna expand on that just a little bit.

So we're gonna do—

okay, so on that one, down, up, down, up, down, pull-off, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, pull-off, down. Okay, so again, down, up, down, up, down, pull-off, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, pull-off.

So the only place where we have 2 downstrokes in a row is at the end when we're doing that, um, we're doing that pull-off.

Okay.

So, and again, that technique will stay consistent when we go over to C, and then we'll go over to D. Same, same deal.

Down, up, down, up, down, pull-off, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, pull-off, down.

And then we'll go back to G.

Down, up, down, up, down, pull-off, down, up, up, down, up, down, pull-off.

Off.

Okay, so let's keep going here. All right, so that was 2 ideas. Let's jump into the 3rd one, and it's gonna go like this.

We're gonna do—

so this is the beginning of the 3rd idea here.

So again, all right, so let's, let's talk about the technique on down, up, down, up, down, pull-off, down, up, slide, up, down, up, down, hammer-on, down.

Alright, so again, down, up—

I'm sorry, down, up, down, up, down, pull-off, down, up, slide, up, down, up, down, hammer-on, down.

Okay, so you can see we're most— it's mostly alternate picking here, but there's some phrases, um, that just are a little easier to play if we deliberately use 2 downstrokes or 2 upstrokes. And one other thing I'll say here, this is just the way that's the easiest for me to execute these ideas. You may want to go through and learn them the way that I'm doing it, but then decide that maybe you want to change up the pick strokes on that just a little bit, which is totally okay. I've just found in a long period of playing these ideas and teaching them, that's just the— it's the easiest way or the most economical way for me to execute those. But anyway, one more time at the beginning of idea 3: down, up, down, up, down, pull-off, down, up, slide, up, down, up, down, hammer-on, down. And then we'll go to C. And the idea is going to change up just a little bit.

We're going to do—

so that's down, up, down, up, down, pull-off, down, up, slide, up, down, up, down, up, down.

So for some reason, I'm a fan of starting the slide with an upstroke and then hitting the next note also with an upstroke. I'm not really sure why that is. I think it's because my pick feels a little less trapped when I go into that next phrase.

Up, slide, up, down, up, down, up, down.

That's just for me. You can try it that way and, you know, maybe come up with another way of doing that on your own if you find that a little awkward. But I— for me, that's just— and I think, like I was saying a second ago, I think It just, it keeps my pick from feeling trapped in between the strings. So now let's go over to D here.

This is the third idea.

We'll do—

so again, with the technique: down, up, down, up, down, pull-off, down, up, slide, up, down, up, down, pull-off.

Hammer-on down. So really the same idea as the first one, and then back home to G. Okay, so let me go through that again. This is the third of our 5 bluegrass lead ideas through G, C, and D.

And we'll do down, up, down, up, down, pull-off, down, up, slide, up, down, up, down, hammer-on, down. And then over to C. Down, up, down, up, down, pull-off, down, up, slide, up, down, up, down, up, down, and then down, up, down, up, down, pull-off, down, up, slide, up, down, up, down, hammer-on, down, and then back to the first idea.

There you go.

So if you want to be a real nerd, try to sing your pick strokes if you really want to be a nerd here.

So like, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, slide up, down, up, down, hammer-on down.

Oh my God, I'm gonna try it again.

Down, up, down, up, down, pull-off down, up, slide up, down, up, down, hammer-on down.

That is some serious serious next-level nerd shit right there. So there's that. Um, so that's the third idea here. Now, um, these next two are going to get a little bit more challenging here. And I meant to say this at the beginning of the video, but I forgot. For this video, for this one, these ideas are really kind of like intermediate to advanced. Um, if you would like one that's a little bit more beginner here, check this video out. I just show you four Bluegrass Lead Ideas Through G, C, and D with some really basic picking patterns. Um, so that's one to jump into if you're wanting something that's a little bit more kind of at level 1 with this stuff. But this video is a little more, um, intermediate to advanced. So anyway, that was the first 3. Let's jump into idea number 4 here. So we're gonna do Okay, so I'm sure a lot of y'all recognize this first, like Tony Rice, Red Haired Boy.

So I'm pulling straight from that.

And as far as the technique on that, down, up, down, up, down, pull off, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, pull off, down, down, up, down, up, down, pull off, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, pull off, down.

Okay, and so that's over a G. Now over the C here, we've got this this little—

I just love this little idea.

And so what I'm doing there, so, so, down, hammer, down, pull-off. So again, first fret of the second string, pick that, hammer. So that's down, hammer, down, first string open, and then we'll come back, pull-off from 3 to 1. And that—

so that's down, hammer, down, up, pull off. All right, so we'll try that again. Down, hammer, down, up, pull off, pull off.

Okay, that's one of those where I like to play, but when I try to spell everything out, it gets a little confusing. So one more time there.

So we're doing a hammer, first string open, upstroke, pull-off, upstroke, up, down, up, down, up, pull-off, up, down. Okay.

So again, you can reference the tabs in this, but that one actually has a lot of upstrokes in a row.

Down, hammer, down, up, pull-off, up, pull-off, up, down, up, down, up, pull-off, up, down.

But that's a great run to use over a C shape. Okay, and then we're gonna do just a really nice little Tony Rice sounding over D, and we'll do— so that's all picks.

Down, up, down, up. Down, up, down, up, pull off, up, slide, up, down, pull off, down. So again, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, Down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, pull-off, up, slide, up, down, pull-off, down.

So a couple of different upstrokes and downstrokes in a row on that. Again, you can slow this video down and also reference the tabs there for all of that good stuff. And then we go back to Okay, so again, the 4th time through here, we'll do—

okay, one more, one more.

Okay, so this first idea here on this, this is the 5th time through G, C, and D. And we're gonna do— all of that is picked.

Down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up, down.

Okay, and now we're gonna do this little— oh, over C. So similar to the idea that we were doing a minute ago over C, but it's, it's, it's, it kind of moves up to this position up here.

So that down, up, pull-off, down, up, pull-off, up, down, up, pull-off, down, up, down, up, down, up, pull-off.

And then up, pull off, up, down, up, pull off, up, down.

Okay, so down, up, pull off, up, down, up, pull off, up, pull off, up, down, up, pull off, up, down.

Okay, and then the last lick here over D, we're gonna do— and all of that is just alternate picks there. And then we'll come back to that first idea. Okay, so as you can see, some of this stuff is straight alternate picking. With some of these, especially the ideas that, um, involve a lot of hammer-ons and pull-offs, we'll end up doing, um, multiple downstrokes and multiple upstrokes, um, in a row there. So, um, let me go through this fifth one one more time here. We'll do Okay, and then one other thing that I wanted to mention here, because again you can get tabs and a backing track for this video. Again, a link is down in, in the description and also in the top the top pinned comment. Tongue twister. These ideas here do not start right on the downbeat. So I'm playing these and I have them written out as 16th notes. 1e and a 2e and a 3e and a 4e and a 1e and a 2e and four notes per beat.

Okay.

Because the bass is. The mandolin is hitting on the upbeats And then the banjo rolls and the lead ideas are usually played as 16th notes. These ideas come in on the and of beat 4, like 1-e-and-a, 2-e-and-a, 3-e-and-a, 4-e-and-a, 1. Just, I want you to remember that whenever you're practicing these along with the backing track, because if you try these ideas starting right on the downbeat, it's not gonna work.

Okay, 1-e-and-a, 2-e-and-a, 3-e-and-a, 4E and a 1E and a 2E and a 3E and a 4E and a 1E and a 2E and a 3E and a 4E and a 1E.

Same thing with the last idea. 1E and a 2E and a 3E and a 4E and a 1E. Anyway, that's just something to remember whenever you're learning these. So, all right, I know this is a pretty dense lesson here, but I wanted to share this with you. So just one more time, let's hear how these ideas sound in context, played with the backing track. So I want to thank you so much for hanging out with me today. And for supporting my channel. If you haven't had the chance to, please like the video and subscribe. I know you hear YouTubers saying that ad infinitum, but it really does help us out. So again, thank you so much for hanging out. Again, get the tabs and a backing track for this lesson in the link and in the top pinned comment. Again, I really appreciate you hanging out today, and I will see you next time.