Bluegrass and Old-Time Music on the Guitar - Playing Rhythm and Lead
Here are some things to consider when playing bluegrass and old-time music on the acoustic guitar.
Many of these things also apply for playing folk and rock music on the acoustic guitar.
There are the two roles the guitar plays in bluegrass and old-time music: rhythm and lead.
The most important role of the guitar in bluegrass and old-time music is that of a rhythm instrument.
In fact in the early days of bluegrass, the guitarist in the band never took a lead break.
Now lead guitar breaks are common, but consider this: If you were playing guitar in a five piece bluegrass band, and in every instrumental song, each instrument took a lead break--you'd be playing rhythm guitar 80% of the time and lead guitar only 20% of the time.
For vocals you would be playing lead even less.
First things come first, and for the bluegrass or old-time music guitarist, becoming a good rhythm player should come before you put a lot of work into playing lead.
In fact, being a good rhythm player will HELP you to be a good lead player.
The proficient rhythm guitar player will learn to play strong, crisp bass notes on the "downbeat" and chords on the "offbeat," all embellished with a few neat bass runs here and there.
The best way to begin your study is to learn the basic chord shapes (C, F, G, G7 and D are the most important ones).
Then experiment with playing the bass notes and learning some runs to bridge from one chord to the next.
Watching a good bluegrass guitarist perform with a band will be very helpful.
Developing a keen sense of timing is important: Practice with a metronome! Always remember that you are part of a band.
Your goal should be to find out how you can best contribute to the overall sound of the group.
After you have some good rhythm basics down, it is time to start learning some lead.
Typically in a bluegrass band, musicians take turns playing lead breaks in tunes.
What we all want to do is to learn to improvise with great sounding lead breaks.
The best way to accomplish this is to learn a whole bunch of traditional fiddle tunes on the guitar.
You can use phrases from these tunes in your lead breaks, using this phrase with a G chord and that phrase with a C chord, etc.
Play most everything down on the first 5 frets of the guitar, using open strings wherever you can.
This is bluegrass guitar at its finest! Don't strive for speed only.
You want to be able to play fast and CLEAN, with each note ringing out crisply, in perfect timing.
Practice with a metronome and GRADUALLY build up speed without sacrificing precision! Learn to play scales based on the G, C, F and D chords and then other chords.
Use these scales like you use phrases from your fiddle tunes when improvising.
In time, and with a lot of hard work, you'll be an excellent guitar player and an integral part of the band.
This reward will be well worth the effort! Copyright © 2007 Lee Griffith.
All rights reserved.
Many of these things also apply for playing folk and rock music on the acoustic guitar.
There are the two roles the guitar plays in bluegrass and old-time music: rhythm and lead.
The most important role of the guitar in bluegrass and old-time music is that of a rhythm instrument.
In fact in the early days of bluegrass, the guitarist in the band never took a lead break.
Now lead guitar breaks are common, but consider this: If you were playing guitar in a five piece bluegrass band, and in every instrumental song, each instrument took a lead break--you'd be playing rhythm guitar 80% of the time and lead guitar only 20% of the time.
For vocals you would be playing lead even less.
First things come first, and for the bluegrass or old-time music guitarist, becoming a good rhythm player should come before you put a lot of work into playing lead.
In fact, being a good rhythm player will HELP you to be a good lead player.
The proficient rhythm guitar player will learn to play strong, crisp bass notes on the "downbeat" and chords on the "offbeat," all embellished with a few neat bass runs here and there.
The best way to begin your study is to learn the basic chord shapes (C, F, G, G7 and D are the most important ones).
Then experiment with playing the bass notes and learning some runs to bridge from one chord to the next.
Watching a good bluegrass guitarist perform with a band will be very helpful.
Developing a keen sense of timing is important: Practice with a metronome! Always remember that you are part of a band.
Your goal should be to find out how you can best contribute to the overall sound of the group.
After you have some good rhythm basics down, it is time to start learning some lead.
Typically in a bluegrass band, musicians take turns playing lead breaks in tunes.
What we all want to do is to learn to improvise with great sounding lead breaks.
The best way to accomplish this is to learn a whole bunch of traditional fiddle tunes on the guitar.
You can use phrases from these tunes in your lead breaks, using this phrase with a G chord and that phrase with a C chord, etc.
Play most everything down on the first 5 frets of the guitar, using open strings wherever you can.
This is bluegrass guitar at its finest! Don't strive for speed only.
You want to be able to play fast and CLEAN, with each note ringing out crisply, in perfect timing.
Practice with a metronome and GRADUALLY build up speed without sacrificing precision! Learn to play scales based on the G, C, F and D chords and then other chords.
Use these scales like you use phrases from your fiddle tunes when improvising.
In time, and with a lot of hard work, you'll be an excellent guitar player and an integral part of the band.
This reward will be well worth the effort! Copyright © 2007 Lee Griffith.
All rights reserved.
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