Acoustic Guitar Lick in D

This is an acoustic guitar lick in D ( sounds in E with the capo) with a capo on the second fret. If you don't have a capo you can just play the guitar tab as written. I've been experimenting a little more with the capo lately and just stumbled onto this little lick and liked it so thought I'd share it. Note the triplets in the third measure. I find this piece sounds best when you let the notes rings as much as possible.

capo 2nd fret

capo 2nd fret

Beginner Bluegrass Lick in C

This is a basic bluegrass guitar lick in the key of C. It starts with some hammer-ons using a partial
C chord and finishes up with a run using notes from the C Major Scale. Please note the lick is played with a capo on the second fret so it sounds in D. You can also play this without a capo.

Capo on Second Fret

A Happy Capo Lick

This is just a fun little guitar lick with the capo on the second fret. I liked it because it was happy sounding. Hope you enjoy it. Cheers.

Bluegrass Guitar Lick in the Key of G

I've been bitten by the bluegrass bug it seems and have been playing a lot of acoustic guitar in the last few days and soaking up the sounds of some bluegrass greats like Tony Rice, Mark O'Connor and Doc Watson. The level of technical ability and musicality these flat-pickers have is astounding and can terrify a relative newbie to the genre like myself. Not mention the fact that a lot of these guys are multi-instrumentalists.On the flip side a lot of even the hardest flat-picking music sounds great at slower tempos.  I strongly suggest you dig into some traditional bluegrass standards by these players. I am determined to learn ( at my own tempo of course) either Mark O'Connor's or JP Cormier's version of "Dixie Breakdown". 

If your not quite ready for "Dixie Breakdown" here is a little guitar lick of my own in the key of G that is played in the first position and pretty basic. Note that the repeating figure in the first three bars changes slightly in the fourth measure. I also personally like the directional change from forward to reverse in the last two bars with the notes on the A string. Hope your enjoy this. Happy Pickin!

Bluegrass Guitar Lick in C

A little bluegrass guitar lick in the key of C. Mainly alternate picking with a few hammer and pulls thrown in. The repeating open D note in the eighth measure can be tricky but I think it sound cool.

Bluegrass Guitar Lick in G

I've always loved flatpicking on an acoustic guitar. Some of the best flatpickers are bluegrass players. I've only dabbled with some basic bluegrass playing for acoustic guitar but its a great way to get your alternate picking in shape no matter what style of music you play. This is a guitar lick in the key of G. I've incorporated some hammer on and pull-offs into this lick but you can also use strict alternate picking if you prefer.

For the triplet in the middle section at bar 4 I find it easiest if you start the hammer on with your index finger and shift positions later. Alternatively you could fret that note with your second finger. See what feels best to you. When your reading the tab or notation listen to the music in the video. The guitar lick has three distinct sections. The first on ends at the open G string in bar 4. The second begins with the triplet in bar four. the the last section begins where the first slide starts in the last bar. Listen closely and you will hear the accents that bring out each section.

St. Anne's Reel for Guitar

This is a traditional piece arranged for acoustic guitar by Scott Nygaard from acoustic guitar magazine. The guitar here is based in drop D tuning. I've decided to build up a repertoire of some acoustic songs and this is the first song I picked. I've just memorized it yesterday. I find personally if you start at the end of the piece and work backwards it makes memorization easier. Currently acoustic guitar university is having a free month of lessons so you can check out lots of great songs arranged for acoustic guitarists both flatpickers and fingerstyle players. You can check out the site at www.acousticguitaru.com

You can download a tab for this guitar piece and see a video of Mr. Nygaard playing it at:
http://www.acousticguitar.com/article/default.aspx?articleid=27405

For the record I'm not affiliated or endorsed by Acoustic Guitar Magazine. Although I do enjoy the publication.