Decorah818 - Posted - 06/23/2022:  11:05:02

I have been playing guitar since 1970's off and on. I can play most chords easily. I want to learn how to flat pick for bluegrass music. A friend and I are starting up a bluegrass band so I need to learn more then chords. I have seen a bunch of books/cds on Amazon. I want to know what are tried and true books. Thanks

Texasbanjo - Posted - 06/24/2022:  04:55:09

I've found most beginner flatpick books start you off with a simple melody and then go off on a tangent with fiddle tunes. When I first started learning to flatpick, I bought several different books and that's what all of them did.

Best way I learned to flatpick, and I'm talking mostly vocals, melody here, is to pick out the melody by yourself and then add riffs at the end of a musical phrase or end of the song. As long as you get used to the down, up, down, up with the pick, you'll probably be okay.

If you want to learn fiddle tunes, then you might look at Steve Kauffman's beginner book. It has several fiddle songs in it.

Decorah818 - Posted - 06/24/2022:  09:12:51

How do you figure out the riffs?

Texasbanjo - Posted - 06/25/2022:  04:52:10

There are books, tabs, MP3s that give you riffs and you just plug one in and see if it fits and sounds right. If you know other guitar pickers, they may be able to show you some of their riffs and where they fit in a song.

LGSeebach - Posted - 06/26/2022:  08:05:03

Hi Mike,
I have "Teach Yourself Bluegrass Guitar" by Russ Barenberg, which I think is very good. It covers the basics, has Bluegrass songs with both tab and music, and a play-along CD.
Hope this helps.
BTW, I was born in Waterloo, so nice to "talk" to another good ole Iowa boy! ;)

Lee
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"You can't score if you don't shoot."

Decorah818 - Posted - 06/26/2022:  08:20:38

I was born in Waterloo too. Most of my family still live there. Thanks for the reply.

Tony O Rourke - Posted - 06/26/2022:  22:25:17

I don't know if it's still in print but Orrin Starr's ''Hot Licks For Bluegrass Guitar'' was full of picking ideas.

Dick Hauser - Posted - 12/29/2022:  16:52:26

The "Flatpick Essentials" series does an excellent job of teaching. There are quite a few books in this series, and Volume 1 will teach you how to play rhythm guitar. This series "leans" toward bluegrass music. These instructionals teache a person how to play, not just tell them where to place thier fingers. Series includes notation, tab, and recordings for all exercises. Getting full benefits from these books will require reading and thinking. You end up underestanding why/when/how things are done.