Right Hand Techniques Guitar Lesson
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.
Taught by Nick Amodeo in Bluegrass with Nick Amodeo seriesLength: 24:48Difficulty: 2.0 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."Common sense is not universal" and I remember what it was like back when I was a "beginner"...many moons ago! Practice makes permanent & you can never over-look the basics or a good solid foundation! Good material here!!!
Reminds me of a tshirt I saw the other day. "Common sense is so ****ing rare these days it may as well be a super power!"
Actually I think it's fine. It's a reasonable overview or reminder of the super-basics, without which we're just gonna be sloppy. However, JP could get the lead out and start posting future lessons in this set more frequently than once a week.
This techniques are very usefull for peaple like me who have to develop their right hand abilities, thank you. I have a lot to do:-)
I've just had my 1st ah ha moment! I've been finger picking with Steve Eulberg and travelling just fine, but when I tried to use a pick I was plucking the chords and getting snagged everywhere. It felt so alien, but this lesson solved all my problems. One, I was holding the pick all wrong and using my whole arm to strum. As soon as I started using my wrist correctly everything just came together beautifully. Testament to hopping from teacher to teacher to correct problems with my technique. Thank heaps Nick!
I think these lessons are very concise. I like the stories; it makes it interesting. I'm happy with Nicks approach. It's just like the beginner series; if you're not getting it from one instructor, try another. That's the beauty of this site, your options are incredible.
Not sure why you don't want a teacher to give examples. Lots of teachers try to anticipate questions and illustrate things in more than one way so people can have a better chance of understanding it, maybe you forgot that some viewers of these lessons will be people who don't already know all this. I'm also not real sure why you have a problem with emphasizing the need to have a strong basic foundation to build this particular skill set on. I don't want to learn guitar like I'm learning a video game pattern. I'm also paying for this site, maybe the next lesson will be exactly what you want and I can work on this (and other things on the site) while I wait and see what the following lesson will be.
Yeah, I think another site would be the way to go. I learned nothing from this guy. A story teller, not teacher.
Check out Orville's Bluegrass lessons. He is already teaching songs, you can browse those until more Nick lessons come. He's getting into his material soon, remember this is only the start of the series meant for people who don't yet have the knowledge you do. We are actually recording him on Friday so lot's of new stuff this way comes :D But in the meantime I really recommend checking out Orville because he is awesome and he also teaches Bluegrass and is probably more up to your level of playing. Trust me when I say this though, Nick is an amazing player and you won't regret waiting :)
This is silly Jamplay. Way too much time on simple technique and stories included. We are paying for this.
Hey, I understand where you are coming from, I am super anxious for Nick to get into the blazing Bluegrass playing as well, but he's giving a proper foundation on the genre for those who are not as experienced. This series will be building for a very long time and will encompass a lot of material, so don't worry, everything you want is coming up. You may want to check out Orville's bluegrass series if you want to get directly into some songs though, as he is progressing faster.
Sorry, but this isn't about "being nice". I'm sure he is a great player, but that isn't the point. He could condense what he is trying to say and give a lesson. Again, we are paying for this. Tiger Woods and ice skating, could be left out of it. Some guitar would be nice.!!!
Hey....Always remember to be nice....and careful of what you say. Before this is all over, we may find out that Nick is really Tony Rice in disguise. I think Nick is covering all the bases. Thanks, Nick. I also am looking forward to all your lessons
I don't think it can ever hurt to review technique and draw attention to how important it is...especially for a genre such as Bluegrass flatpicking where it will be crucial for the speed and tone. I know it is hard to wait for the lessons furthur in the series because there are lots of us that have been waiting for a series on Bluegrass flatpicking and are excited Nick is here to teach us. After this lesson I will definitely re-evaluate my current technique and try to work on anything I may need to adjust so I will be ready when the rest of the series is rolled out! Thanks Nick...I really like your teaching style and look forward to all your lessons.