Bluegrass Instruments and Influence Guitar Lesson
Bluegrass Instruments and Influence
Nick explains the musical role that each instrument plays in a bluegrass band.
Taught by Nick Amodeo in Bluegrass with Nick Amodeo seriesLength: 17:01Difficulty: 1.0 of 5
Supplemental Learning Material
Bluegrass with Nick Amodeo
Found in our Beginner Lesson SetsA sub-genre of country music which blends improvising with folk-like melodies. Pioneered by Bill Monroe in the 1930s in the "bluegrass" state. Nick will present flatpick techniques.
Lesson 1
Series Introduction
Nick Amodeo introduces the Bluegrass Series and explains what to expect in the following lessons.
Length: 2:27 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
History and Influence of Bluegrass
Nick discusses the history of bluegrass and the influence it has had on other styles of music.
Length: 27:44 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Bluegrass Instruments and Influence
Nick explains the musical role that each instrument plays in a bluegrass band.
Length: 17:01 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 4
Bluegrass Chords
Nick explains how to play some of the most commonly used chords in the bluegrass genre.
Length: 19:42 Difficulty: 2.5 FREE
Right Hand Techniques
Welcome to a right hand "boot camp" with Nick Amodeo! In this lesson, Nick demonstrates several picking and strumming exercises that will whip your right hand into shape.
Length: 24:48 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Right Hand Boot Camp
Nick Amodeo continues his discussion of picking technique in this installment of right hand "boot camp."
Length: 24:33 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Crosspicking Techniques
Nick presents several exercises that develop string skipping and crosspicking technique.
Length: 23:35 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Common Bluegrass Scale Exercise
Nick covers some exercises and scales that develop left hand technique.
Length: 33:15 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Bluegrass Ornaments
Nick explains how to play various slurs such as slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs. Also included are some common bluegrass licks that utilize these techniques.
Length: 30:54 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Bluegrass Right Hand Rhythm
Nick covers some basic bluegrass strumming patterns.
Length: 12:23 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Left Hand Boot Camp
Nick covers some of the most commonly used scale patterns in bluegrass.
Length: 31:45 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Nine Pound Hammer
Nick applies fundamental guitar techniques from previous lessons to the song "Nine Pound Hammer."
Length: 31:39 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Texas Gales
Nick demonstrates his interpretation of "Texas Gales." You might say this one will blow you away!
Length: 38:30 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Cross Picking: Home Sweet Home
Nick teaches the song "Home Sweet Home" and uses it to demonstrate cross picking techniques. Nick also covers the chords, and a chord with melody version to correspond with a picked version he has created.
Length: 57:24 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
About Nick Amodeo
View Full Biography
Nick Amodeo is a multi-instrumentalist based out of Denver, Colorado. A self taught musician, he took up guitar at age 12 before moving on to mandolin and electric bass. He is the 2005 Colorado state mandolin champion, and was featured on the 2007 Downbeat magazine Blues Album of the Year, Otis Taylor’s “Definition of a Circle.”
Nick has shared the stage with such artists as Buddy Guy, Chuck Campbell, Mollie O’Brien, Nick Forster and Pete Wernick of Hot Rize, and many others. Nick currently is the mandolin department at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado and has over 10 years teaching experience.
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.so, the mandolin takes the place of the snare drum, and the snare drum was something you hit with a stick, my grand dad use to hit me with a stick, guess I'm a snare drum.
Nice lesson on how it all fits together.
I've watched up to lesson 5 in this series and can say that Nick's approach is top notch! I appreciate the time he's taken to explain the background of Bluegrass.I firmly believe in learning about the history behind any style of music.A BIG THANK YOU,Nick!
Nick, great last two lessons. Being originally from NYC I didn't get much Bluegrass listening. I loved the short history lesson and the roles of the other instruments including the guitar. Looking forward to more lessons. I will be attending my first local workshop in two weeks and every week thereafter; at least that's the plan.
What type of acoustic guitar is best for bluegrass? Dreadnought? spruce top? 000?
max, the vast majority of bluegrass players prefer some sort of spruce topped dreadnought, for its resonance and volume and clarity. as i explain, the guitar is really the only instrument in a traditional bluegrass band that can play big full chords, so we look for guitars that provide that sound.
Keep it up Nick, I am looking forward to more. The Doc Watson/Tony Rice type of flatpicking has been up to now not addressed on Jamplay
This was really good and important info. to have in order to know what to do at a bluegrass jam...which I want to do! Thanks Nick!
Are you going to do any GUITAR lessons???? TOO many history lessons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nicks Lessons are built around the foundation of bluegrass as a whole. And to start his series off he wanted to first explain Some historical aspects. History flows deep in Bluegrass Music and is something Nick firmly believes in. He will however very soon be diving into actual applied techniques. There is plenty of information to follow.