How to Play Bluegrass Guitar
Master a metronome-perfect sense of rhythm., Learn the bluegrass standards., Keep both hands loose and relaxed, especially in speedy sections., Play with pick placement to get different tones and attacks on the strings., Take short, precise strums...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Master a metronome-perfect sense of rhythm.
Most of your time on the guitar is going to be spent playing rhythm sections, not soloing, and an one-the-money sense of rhythm is what distinguishes a great bluegrass guitarist from a beginner.
Whenever you practice, you should be using a metronome the majority of the time.
Set the metronome to a speed where you can play everything perfectly, slowly raising the tempo from there.
You want to play smoothly at any speed
-- not quickly by sloppily.
Bluegrass gains power and drive when every single instrument is locked into the same rhythm.
It quickly sounds sloppy when some people are too fast or are lagging behind. -
Step 2: Learn the bluegrass standards.
Most bluegrass guitar is played communally with other guitarists, banjoist, mandolins, etc, and the only way these circles work is if everyone knows the same songs.
Don't be afraid to ask other musicians for suggestions, too.
Pick up these classics and master them first to start playing with other musicians and build your repertoire: "Salt Creek" "Fireball Mail" "Old Joe Clark" "Whiskey Before Breakfast" "Angeline the Baker."
You want a light touch on the strings, using as little pressure as possible to let the note ring out.
Many players tense up when trying to play fast, which binds their muscles and prevents fluidity and speed.
Don't worry if your touch feels "heavy" right now.
Make it a point to loosen up on the guitar and you'll slowly start to feel faster and smoother.
A good tip is to keep your fingers close to the fretboard, even when not playing a note.
This cuts down on the speed and force you need to land on a note., Most players start with their pick perfectly parallel to the strings, as this is the easiest way to get solid contact.
Bluegrass players, however, use a wide variety of picking textures to get more rhythmic aspects into their play.
As a right-handed player, rotate your hand clockwise a few degrees to hit the strings more on the edge of the pick, which should be sharper and more percussive.
If you pick with the left hand, turn counter-clockwise., Bluegrass is not the place to whip out your Pete Townsend impression with big, windmilling strums.
You want a short, powerful swing with your strumming hand.
Think of driving your pick through the strings instead of over top them.
This is a place your pick placement can help get a louder tone with a shorter strum.
The harsher the angle, the louder the chord., Bluegrass is a very fast genre of music, almost never dropping below 200 beats per minute (BPM).
This means playing fast isn't just nice, it's a requirement.
In order to play quickly, however, you need some patience.
All the speed in the world doesn't matter if you can't hit the notes cleanly.
Practice at a speed just above your comfort level, and don't increase the speed until you can hit this tempo cleanly every time.
Again, the use of a metronome cannot be understated
-- it is necessary for consistent rhythm. -
Step 3: Keep both hands loose and relaxed
-
Step 4: especially in speedy sections.
-
Step 5: Play with pick placement to get different tones and attacks on the strings.
-
Step 6: Take short
-
Step 7: precise strums instead of using big and expansive motions.
-
Step 8: Build up your playing speed slowly
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Step 9: deliberately
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Step 10: and smoothly.
Detailed Guide
Most of your time on the guitar is going to be spent playing rhythm sections, not soloing, and an one-the-money sense of rhythm is what distinguishes a great bluegrass guitarist from a beginner.
Whenever you practice, you should be using a metronome the majority of the time.
Set the metronome to a speed where you can play everything perfectly, slowly raising the tempo from there.
You want to play smoothly at any speed
-- not quickly by sloppily.
Bluegrass gains power and drive when every single instrument is locked into the same rhythm.
It quickly sounds sloppy when some people are too fast or are lagging behind.
Most bluegrass guitar is played communally with other guitarists, banjoist, mandolins, etc, and the only way these circles work is if everyone knows the same songs.
Don't be afraid to ask other musicians for suggestions, too.
Pick up these classics and master them first to start playing with other musicians and build your repertoire: "Salt Creek" "Fireball Mail" "Old Joe Clark" "Whiskey Before Breakfast" "Angeline the Baker."
You want a light touch on the strings, using as little pressure as possible to let the note ring out.
Many players tense up when trying to play fast, which binds their muscles and prevents fluidity and speed.
Don't worry if your touch feels "heavy" right now.
Make it a point to loosen up on the guitar and you'll slowly start to feel faster and smoother.
A good tip is to keep your fingers close to the fretboard, even when not playing a note.
This cuts down on the speed and force you need to land on a note., Most players start with their pick perfectly parallel to the strings, as this is the easiest way to get solid contact.
Bluegrass players, however, use a wide variety of picking textures to get more rhythmic aspects into their play.
As a right-handed player, rotate your hand clockwise a few degrees to hit the strings more on the edge of the pick, which should be sharper and more percussive.
If you pick with the left hand, turn counter-clockwise., Bluegrass is not the place to whip out your Pete Townsend impression with big, windmilling strums.
You want a short, powerful swing with your strumming hand.
Think of driving your pick through the strings instead of over top them.
This is a place your pick placement can help get a louder tone with a shorter strum.
The harsher the angle, the louder the chord., Bluegrass is a very fast genre of music, almost never dropping below 200 beats per minute (BPM).
This means playing fast isn't just nice, it's a requirement.
In order to play quickly, however, you need some patience.
All the speed in the world doesn't matter if you can't hit the notes cleanly.
Practice at a speed just above your comfort level, and don't increase the speed until you can hit this tempo cleanly every time.
Again, the use of a metronome cannot be understated
-- it is necessary for consistent rhythm.
About the Author
Marilyn Howard
Writer and educator with a focus on practical hobbies knowledge.
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