Country, Bluegrass, Americana

How to Boom-Chuck with Cathy Fink

The sound of the steel-string guitar is synonymous with the sound of rootsy styles like country, bluegrass, and Americana. Whether you’re looking to learn the basics of boom-chuck strumming, some hot flatpicking licks, or how to play Western swing, you’ll find it here.

Cathy Fink, seated with guitar, teaches a guitar lesson on boom-chuck accompaniment patterns

Learn These Essential Americana Accompaniment Patterns in D Major

Make your I-IV-V boom-chuck accompaniments in D sound more interesting by adding some variety to your bass lines.

Cathy Fink
July 12, 2023

How to Play Boom-Chuck Guitar Variations in G, the Most Common Bluegrass Key

Here we continue exploring boom-chuck, with an emphasis on moving bass lines

Cathy Fink
May 7, 2023

closeup of a guitarist holding and playing an acoustic guitar

How to Play the Boom-Chuck Strumming Pattern on Guitar

In this guitar lesson we will break down the classic boom-chuck pattern heard throughout American roots music and begin to use it on songs.

Cathy Fink
February 1, 2023

jon stickley blackberry blossom guitar lesson

Learn Jon Stickley’s Clever Guitar Reimagining of the Classic Fiddle Tune “Blackberry Blossom”

Learn to play the Jon Stickley Trio's unique interpretation of the bluegrass tune “Blackberry Blossom” on guitar.

Alan Barnosky
November 23, 2022

gnutarist Lester Flatt flatpicking with acoustic guitar

Guitar Lesson: Use Bluegrass Flatpicking to Add Excitement to Your Accompaniments

In this guitar lesson, learn how to use bluegrass flatpicking to add riffs and fills on top of your playing to create the exciting sound of multiple instruments.

Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
October 21, 2022

How to Create Compelling Accompaniments and Solos

Happy Traum demonstrates how to arrange accompaniment and guitar solos for old folk, blues, and gospel songs.

Happy Traum
September 25, 2022

casey jones acoustic guitar campfire songs

Learn a Campfire Guitar Version of the Classic Railroad Song “Casey Jones”

“Casey Jones” is one of the great traditional American folk songs. Here's how to play a basic campfire strumming version on guitar.

Maurice Tani
July 28, 2022

‘Little Satchel’— Learn Sarah Jarosz and John Leventhal’s Take on a Traditional Tune

On “Little Satchel,” the most traditional number on Sarah Jarosz’s brilliant new album, World on the Ground (see link to review below), Jarosz sings and plays clawhammer banjo while her producer, John Leventhal, lends spare but effective guitar parts. Leventhal’s instrument—a late 1930s Gibson J-35 that he has owned for…

Adam Perlmutter
July 21, 2022

Learn Tony Rice’s Flatpicking Take on the Traditional Fiddle Tune ‘Cattle in the Cane’

This is not only a good introduction to fiddle tunes, but to flatpicking in general as it covers the hallmarks of the style.

Adam Perlmutter
June 19, 2022

cameron knowler playing guitar, photo by robb klassen

Techniques for Creating Solo Guitar Arrangements of Traditional Tunes

In this guitar lesson you'll learn a handful of techniques for making solo guitar arrangements of ballads and trail songs: active bass runs, cross-picking, and hybrid picking.

Cameron Knowler
June 15, 2022

Maurice tani seated and holding an acoustic guitar

‘Are You Lonesome Tonight?’ Learn an Easy Guitar Version of this Classic Popularized by Elvis

"Are You Lonesome Tonight" was a big hit for Elvis. For this easy guitar arrangement in the key of G major, we’re going to concentrate on just the main body of the song.

Maurice Tani
June 5, 2022

Crosspicking 101: A Private Bluegrass Lesson with Molly Tuttle

Crosspicking is an essential technique in the bluegrass guitar toolkit. Here's a bluegrass guitar crosspicking lesson from Molly Tuttle.

Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
April 4, 2022

Whit Smith with guitar teaching a lesson on western swing rhythm technique

Guitar Lesson: Western Swing Rhythm Essentials

Learn the rhythm guitar techniques used in Western Swing music in this video lesson.

Whit Smith
March 22, 2022

Guitarist Merle Travis, dressed in western clothes, picks an acoustic guitar

Video Lesson: Learn the Basics of Travis Picking on Acoustic Guitar

Learn Travis picking, a style of fingerpicking characterized by a steady alternating bass that underscores rhythmic patterns and melodies on the treble strings.

Jamie Stillway
March 7, 2022

Weekly Workout: Try These American Roots Licks for Warming Up or Composing on Guitar

Grammy Award-winning roots musician Cathy Fink teaches licks drawn from folk, country, and bluegrass, perfect for warming up or songwriting on guitar.

Cathy Fink
May 11, 2021

Tips for Playing “I Still Miss Someone” by Johnny Cash

Cash played the original version - which features just three chords - with a capo on the first fret.

Andrew DuBrock
November 5, 2020

Señor: Gillian Welch and David Rawlings’ Take on a Bob Dylan Classic

While the guitar playing is superlative throughout all ten of the album’s tracks, the duo’s work on Bob Dylan’s “Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)” truly stands out.

Nick Millevoi
September 19, 2020

A scene from the film ‘O Brother Where Art Thou?’

Learn a Guitar-and-Voice Arrangement of “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow”

Popularized in the film ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?,’ this classic American folk song has antecedents that trace back over 200 years.

Craig Havighurst
September 11, 2020

Lucinda Williams singing with her guitar

Tips for Playing “Jackson” by Lucinda Williams

Though the picking is rather straightforward, there are some challenging techniques to deal with.

Joey Lusterman
August 16, 2020

Learn to Play the Fiddle Tune “St. Anne’s Reel” on Guitar

This flatpickers' favorite is ubiquitous at old-time, Celtic, and bluegrass jams.

Scott Nygaard
January 18, 2020

‘Super Moon’: Learn a Barn-Burner From Molly Tuttle

Among the many cool moments of Molly Tuttle’s variations are the jazz-informed block chords that suddenly appear in bars 61–65.

Adam Perlmutter
November 15, 2019

Learn to Play the Texas Fiddle Favorite “Beaumont Rag”

Learn this campground jam favorite, recorded by artists like Bob Wills' Texas Playboys, Doc Watson, and Clarence White.

Scott Nygaard
August 3, 2019

Tiger Rag: The Light Crust Doughboys’ Barn-Burning Western Swing Classic

Grab a flatpick and a metronome and set aside a generous amount of time in the woodshed, as in this lesson you’ll work on the blazing guitar leads and swinging rhythmic accompaniment.

Adam Perlmutter
March 15, 2019

‘The Wreck of the Old 97’ – Learn to Play This Classic Railway Ballad

Guitarist Jody Stecher plays this country standard in F major, a key he finds has a sonic atmosphere all its own.

Adam Perlmutter
December 14, 2018

‘Whiskey River’ – Watch Willie Nelson perform this country classic live at Farm Aid in 1986

The song has a fairly simple structure, with two main repeating sections, a chorus and a verse, and instrumental solos played over the chorus progression.

Adam Perlmutter
May 21, 2018