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1
Thanks!
W
riting a guitar book is less like a solo gig and more like the performance
of an entire band. Thanks to Steve Millard for cover art, Barbara Swell
for putting up with me, John Miller, Kelli Churchill, Tom Mindte and Mike
Wright for support, Mark Wingate, Carolyn Dickson and Hilary Dirlam for proofing, Mike
Cooke, Trent Haynes and Walt Koken for photos, and Tina Liza Jones for illustrations.
In particular, I’d like to thank 15 year old Brennen Ernst for his careful research in dis-
covering that Charlie Cline was indeed the first guitar flatpicker to record with a full
bluegrass band. Finally, my thanks go to you, the guitar student, for having the faith that I
can teach you to flatpick your guitar, and for sticking with it long enough for me to do so.
Parts of a
Guitar(ist)
Nut
Fingerboard
Bass Strings
Bridge
Pick
Treble Strings Tuners
Pickguard
Fret
Instructional CD
An essential part of this book is the instructional CD you’ll find tucked
in the sleeve on the inside front cover. For the CD I recorded a whopping
91 tracks. Each song is played slow enough so you can play along with a
little practice, but fast enough so it sounds like a real song, rather than a
snail slowly slithering sideways (try saying that five times). On each tune 1
you’ll find an illustration of an old gramophone with a number inside it.
These numbers correspond to the tracks on the CD. Be sure to listen to each song
before you try to play it. As a bonus, if you insert the CD into the slot on your com-
puter, and then open the CD drive, you’ll find a file named “lyrics.” Inside this file are
the complete lyrics to all the songs found in the book. Print out the lyrics to each
song so you can sing the song while accompanying yourself on your guitar.
2
Contents
Book Page
Number CD Track Number
Parts of a Guitar(ist).......................................... 2
Come into the Schoolhouse! ............................. 5
Pioneers of Flatpicking Guitar ......................... 6
The Birth of Flatpicking Guitar ....................... 7
Masters of Flatpicking Guitar ......................... 8
My Flatpicking Heroes ....................................... 9
Tuning Your Guitar.............................................. 10 .......................................................................... 1
How to Hold the Guitar .................................... 12
How to Hold the Pick ......................................... 13
How to Play the Strings .................................... 14
Guitar Chords ....................................................... 15
Rhythm Guitar on Campfire Songs .................. 16
Wayne’s New Tab for Ignoramuses............... 18
Nearly Painless Music Theory .......................... 19
The Fear of Scales ............................................ 20
Finding Your G Scale .......................................... 21 ......................................................................... 2
Playing by Ear ....................................................... 22
Starting Notes of Popular Tunes ................... 23
Picking Out Melodies.......................................... 24
Amazing Grace ..................................................... 25 .....................................................................3, 4
Bill Monroe’s Shady Grove ............................... 26 .....................................................................5, 6
Boogie Woogie ..................................................... 27 ................................................................ 7, 8, 9
Down the Road .................................................... 28 ................................................................. 10, 11
Flatpicker’s Blues ................................................ 29 .......................................................... 12, 13, 14
Goin’ Across the Sea .......................................... 30 ................................................................. 15, 16
Little Maggie ........................................................ 31 ................................................................. 17, 18
Will the Circle Be Unbroken ............................ 32 ................................................................ 19, 20
Playing in the Key of C ....................................... 33 ....................................................................... 21
Black-Eyed Susie ................................................ 34 ................................................................ 22, 23
Bury Me Beneath the Willow ........................... 35 ................................................................ 24, 25
Cotton-Eyed Joe ................................................ 36 ................................................................ 26, 27
Darling Corey ....................................................... 37 ................................................................ 28, 29
Deer Lake Polka .................................................. 38 ................................................................ 30, 31
Little Rosewood Casket .................................... 40 ................................................................ 32, 33
Keep on the Sunny Side of Life ...................... 41 ................................................................ 34, 35
On Top of Old Smoky ....................................... 42 ................................................................ 36, 37
Red River Valley .................................................. 43 ................................................................ 38, 39
Shortenin’ Bread ................................................. 44 ......................................................... 40, 41, 42
Where the Soul Never Dies ............................. 45 ................................................................ 43, 44
Wildwood Flower ................................................ 46 ................................................................ 45, 46
Playing in the Key of D ....................................... 47 ....................................................................... 47
Angelina Baker..................................................... 48 ................................................................ 48, 49
Arkansas Traveler .............................................. 49 ................................................................ 50, 51
Cluck Old Hen ...................................................... 50 ................................................................ 52, 53
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Contents
Book Page CD
Number Track Number
Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down .......................... 51 ................................................................ 54, 55
In the Pines .......................................................... 52 ................................................................ 56, 57
Little Willie ........................................................... 53 ................................................................ 58, 59
Soldier’s Joy ........................................................ 54 ................................................................ 60, 61
Train 45 ................................................................. 55 ................................................................ 62, 63
Whiskey Before Breakfast .............................. 56 ................................................................ 64, 65
Playing in the Key of A Minor ........................... 57 ....................................................................... 66
House of the Rising Sun .................................... 58 ................................................................ 67, 68
Muley’s Daughter ................................................ 59 ................................................................ 69, 70
Poor Wayfaring Stranger ................................. 60 ................................................................ 71, 72
Rain and Snow ...................................................... 61 ................................................................ 73, 74
Shady Grove ......................................................... 62 ................................................................ 75, 76
Key of D Minor .................................................... 63 ....................................................................... 77
Little Sadie ........................................................... 63 ................................................................ 78, 79
Swannanoa Tunnel .............................................. 64 ................................................................ 80, 81
The E Minor Scale .............................................. 65 ....................................................................... 82
The Cuckoo ........................................................... 65 ................................................................ 83, 84
Wild Bill Jones ..................................................... 66 ................................................................ 85, 86
The Key of A ........................................................ 68 ....................................................................... 87
Man of Constant Sorrow .................................. 69 ................................................................ 88, 89
Tater Patch .......................................................... 70 ................................................................ 90, 91
Using a Capo ......................................................... 71
How to Jam .......................................................... 72
Figuring Out What Chords Go Where ............ 73
Backing Up Fiddle Tunes ................................... 74
Popular Fiddle Tune Chords .............................. 75
Flatpicking Listening ........................................... 77
Chords & Bass Notes.......................................... 78
Tune & CD Index ................................................. 79
Native Ground Books & Music ......................... 80
4
Come into the Schoolhouse!
I
t’s your first day of guitar school. realize that this is not the stuffy kind of
You’re nervous as a long-tailed guitar class where the instructor raps you
cat at a rocking chair convention. on the knuckles with a ruler if you hit a
You select a seat nearest to the back door, wrong note.
so you can slip out if things get a little rough.
Sheepishly taking your guitar out of your “Welcome to your first day of guitar
case, you try to act invisible so the instruc- class!” says the grizzled old guitar profes-
tor won’t know you’re there. Just before sor from his stool at the front of the
the bell rings, you stare at the textbook schoolhouse. “Today we’re going to learn to
for the class: Flatpicking Guitar for the Com- flatpick a guitar. Take a deep breath and
plete Ignoramus! My gosh! What have I got- let it out slowly. Now we will begin.”
ten myself into? As you look around, you
5
Wayne’s New Tab for Ignoramuses
I
f you already know how to read mu- run you just played.” So, if you’re ever go-
sic, I stand up and salute your ing to join the ranks of the non-ignoramuses,
intelligence and musical chops. Good you might as well get used to using letters,
work! The only thing is, since this is a book not numbers, right now.
for ignoramuses, if you read musical nota-
tion, you may be overqualified to be called As if that’s not enough, if you ever plan
a true “ignoramus.” No matter. We’ll just to play with any other musical instrument,
sweep that under the rug and sneak you into or learn even a tiny bit of music theory, you’ll
the ignoramus club by the back door with find the language of “3 on the 4th string,”
no questions asked. Tell them I sent you. to be useless. Most other instruments speak
in terms of letters like A,
Instead of standard B, C and D. Correct me if
musical notation, we’re I’m wrong, but I’ll bet
going to use a new easy that some of you will
form of tablature (or eventually learn to read
“tab”) that I invented music. My new tab system
just for you and other will get you well prepared
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Picking Out Melodies
A
s you start to get acquainted songs have made it prohibitively expensive
with this book and peruse its to print their songs without mortgaging my
contents, you may notice that house and giving them my guitar and dog to
you won’t find any of the newly-written boot. Instead, the songs Ill be teaching you
songs by your favorite bluegrass or acous- have proudly stood the test of time and are
tic composers. Why? Because the publish- happily in the public domain.
ers who own many of the newly-composed
“Amazing Grace” is a good tune to start Before you start reading the tab and
out with because it’s so well-known. Above trying to pick out the tune, I suggest you go
the six lines, which represent the six strings through and play the chords while keeping a
of your guitar are bigger letters, like G, C steady beat with your “boom-chick” or
and D. Those are those chords. Since it starts “boom-chick chick.” When you can do that,
and ends with a G, you’re right if you guessed try singing the song while you change chords.
that “Amazing Grace” is in the key of G. Of Next, try picking out the tune, without look-
course, that means we’ll be using the G scale, ing at the tab. You can find the starting notes
the G triad, and the chords normally found on page 23.
in the key of G: G, C and D.
24
Key of G Amazing Grace
3,4
W
hen first picking out “Amazing Grace,” just
play the melody without any strums. The
strums are represented by an arrow. After
you’re comfortable playing the melody, hold down the chord
at the same time you’re playing the melody.
Timing: Since “Amazing Grace” is in 3/4 or waltz time, that means each measure will
get three beats. Starting at the first complete measure (”maz-ing”), tap your foot three
times, not too fast. The G note would get a down-up with your foot, the arrow or strum
would get a down-up and the B would get a down and the G would get an up.
At the beginning of line 3, use your four finger G chord (page 78, far right). On line
four, over the word “now,” play B string open, then quickly get to your D and strum it.
25
Tune & CD Index
CD
Tune Page Key Track Numbers
Amazing Grace .......................................... 25 .................... G ................... 3, 4
Angelina Baker.......................................... 48 .................... D ................... 48, 49
Arkansas Traveler ................................... 49 .................... D ................... 50, 51
Bill Monroe’s Shady Grove .................... 26 .................... G ................... 5, 6
Black-Eyed Susie ..................................... 34 .................... C ................... 22, 23
Boogie Woogie .......................................... 27 .................... G ................... 7, 8, 9
Bury Me Beneath the Willow ................ 35 .................... C ................... 24, 25
Cluck Old Hen ........................................... 50 .................... D ................... 52, 53
Cotton-Eyed Joe ..................................... 36 .................... C ................... 26, 27
Cuckoo, The .............................................. 65 ................. Em ................... 83, 84
Darling Corey ............................................ 37 .................... C ................... 28, 29
Deer Lake Polka ....................................... 38 .................... C ................... 30, 31
Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down ............... 51 .................... D ................... 54, 55
Down the Road ......................................... 28 .................... G ................... 10, 11
Flatpicker’s Blues ..................................... 29 .................... G ................... 12, 13, 14
Goin’ Across the Sea ............................... 30 .................... G ................... 15, 16
House of the Rising Sun ......................... 58 ................. Am ................... 67, 68
In the Pines ............................................... 52 .................... D ................... 56, 57
Keep on the Sunny Side of Life ........... 41 .................... C ................... 34, 35
Little Maggie ............................................. 31 .................... G ................... 17, 18
Little Rosewood Casket ......................... 40 .................... C ................... 32, 33
Little Sadie ................................................ 63 ................. Dm ................... 78, 79
Little Willie ................................................ 53 .................... D ................... 58, 59
Man of Constant Sorrow ....................... 69 .................... A ................... 88, 89
Muley’s Daughter ..................................... 59 ................. Am ................... 69, 70
On Top of Old Smoky ............................ 42 .................... C ................... 36, 37
Poor Wayfaring Stranger ...................... 60 ................. Am ................... 71, 72
Rain and Snow ........................................... 61 ................. Am ................... 73, 74
Red River Valley ....................................... 43 .................... C ................... 38, 39
Shady Grove .............................................. 62 ................. Am ................... 75, 76
Shady Grove (Bill Monroe) .................... 26 .................... G ................... 5, 6
Shortenin’ Bread ...................................... 44 .................... C ................... 40, 41, 42
Soldier’s Joy ............................................. 54 .................... D ................... 60, 61
Swannanoa Tunnel ................................... 64 ................. Dm ................... 80, 81
Tater Patch ............................................... 70 .................... A ................... 90, 91
Train 45 ...................................................... 55 .................... D ................... 62, 63
Where the Soul Never Dies .................. 45 .................... C ................... 43, 44
Whiskey Before Breakfast ................... 56 .................... D ................... 64, 65
Wild Bill Jones .......................................... 66 ................. Em ................... 85, 86
Wildwood Flower ..................................... 46 .................... C ................... 45, 46
Will the Circle Be Unbroken? ............... 32 .................... G ................... 19, 20
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Native Ground Books & Music
Books of Songs, Lore, Instruction, & Home Cookin’
Songbooks Instruction
Backpocket Bluegrass Songbook Bluegrass Banjo for the Complete Ignoramus!
Backpocket Old-Time Songbook Bluegrass Mandolin for the Complete Ignoramus!
Bluegrass Gospel Songbook Clawhammer Banjo for the Complete Ignoramus!
Cowboy Songs, Jokes, Lingo ‘n Lore Old-Time Fiddle for the Complete Ignoramus!
Front Porch Songs, Jokes & Stories Painless Mandolin Melodies
Hymns of the Old Camp Ground Southern Mountain Banjo
Outlaw Ballads, Legends, & Lore Southern Mountain Mandolin
Railroad Fever Southern Mountain Fiddle
Rousing Songs of the Civil War Southern Mountain Guitar
Rural Roots of Bluegrass Southern Mountain Dulcimer
Old-Time Gospel Songbook Starting Bluegrass Banjo From Scratch
Singing Rails
Home Cookin’
Rural America A Garden Supper Tonight
Log Cabin Pioneers Children at the Hearth
The Outhouse Papers Log Cabin Cooking
Lost Art of Pie Making
Mama’s in the Kitchen
Old-Time Farmhouse Cooking
Secrets of the Great Old-Timey Cooks
Take Two & Butter ‘Em While They’re Hot!
The 1st American Cookie Lady
RECORDINGS
An Old-Fashioned Wingding The Home Front
Authentic Outlaw Ballads Old-Time Gospel Favorites
Ballads & Songs of the Civil War Old-Time Gospel Instrumentals
Battlefield Ballads of the Civil War Railroad Fever
Cowboy Songs of the Wild Frontier Rural Roots of Bluegrass
Front Porch Favorites Singing Rails
Log Cabin Songs Southern Mountain Classics
Love Songs of the Civil War Southern Soldier Boy
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