Become A Master Of Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar
Without winging it, playing uninspired ideas and spending hours on YouTube trying to figure it out on your own
I Want To Ask You A Question: What Element Of Guitar Playing Do You Think Is Most Important For Bluegrass Guitar?
Most people think its speed and chops.........but it isn't. How about timing? Repertoire? Vocabulary of licks and phrases?
Those things are all important but they aren't the MOST
IMPORTANT element.
The Answer: Rhythm
As guitar players in bluegrass, we will spend the vast majority of our time playing RHYTHM and not lead.
Yet most of us don't put a fraction of the time into developing our rhythm chops as we do our lead playing chops.
Here's The Issue: A Lot Of Times, Learning Rhythm Guitar Is Harder Than Learning Lead. Why?
Because the rhythm guitar is almost always pushed back in the mix which makes the details of what is going on get covered up.
Sometimes, learning a solo is easier because YOU CAN ACTUALLY HEAR THE SOLO.
If you're anything like I was, you kind of default to basic BOOM-CHUCK style when playing rhythm and don't really think much about it.
I'm here today to tell you that this a TERRIBLE WAY TO APPROACH PLAYING BLUEGRASS RHYTHM GUITAR.......
Yet, this is EXACTLY what most bluegrass guitar players do
When I Played Rhythm Guitar This Way, I Always Felt Like There Was Something Missing In My Guitar Playing
I never felt confident at jam sessions or gigs. There was always a low level of anxiety when I played and just couldn't quite pin down what the problem was.
I felt like there was a big hole in my musicianship
Does That Sound Familiar? Can You Relate?
Quick Story:
When I was a senior in high school ( back in 2002) Ricky Skaggs And Kentucky Thunder came to East Texas to do a few shows and I was so pumped to see Ricky.
At that time, Clay Hess was playing lead guitar in Ricky's band.
I made sure to get to the show early and get a front row seat. I wanted to soak in as much of Clay's playing as I could
Needless to say: I was blown away. Clay was such an incredibly fast and clean lead player and just seemed to do it effortlessly. I had to ask him some questions and see if some of his magic could rub off on me
I was able to find him after the show and started asking every question I could think of.
How to play fast (practice a lot), what scales he used (he didn't think in terms of scales) who his influences were (Tony Rice......obviously!)
But Then He Said Something That Surprised Me
He said "you know kid, the most important part of all of this is playing rhythm. I actually enjoy playing rhythm more than I enjoy playing lead"
I honestly though he was just being humble. There was no way that someone with the lead chops that Clay had would actually enjoy strumming chords more that playing solos
As the years went on, I kept focusing on my lead playing skills and didn't put much time into my rhythm playing
And then I moved to East TN to be a part of the Bluegrass Music Program at East Tennessee State University.
All of a sudden I was surrounded by AMAZING BLUEGRASS MUSICIANS from all over the world.
It didn't take long before my weak rhythm playing skills became an issue for me.
I found I wasn't getting calls for gigs and wasn't even being invited to jam sessions.
It sucked. I was really bummed. All that time, effort and sacrifice that I put into being the best player I could be just didn't seem to be paying off.
Fortunately, I was able to find a few teachers and mentors that showed me how to fix my rhythm playing.
They showed me some secret strumming patterns, bass note runs, licks and ideas that really made my rhythm playing come to life.
And Once I Learned These Bluegrass Rhythm Secrets, I Could Now Hear These Ideas Being Played By All My Favorite Players On All My Favorite Records
Learning this really made bluegrass music come alive for me. I could now really see and feel how the guitar fit into this music and what it's role was.
I FINALLY FELT CONFIDENT AS A GUITAR PLAYER AND AS A MUSICIAN
Low and behold, I started getting calls for gigs and jam sessions to the point that I was overbooked
Not only that, but my lead playing also improved as I honed my rhythm skills.
Here Is The Bottom Line: If You Are A Bluegrass Guitar Player, You Need To Have Your Rhythm Playing Skills Dialed In
I don't care if you are a hobbyist or an aspiring professional. Having a good rhythm style is a net positive
And that's why I'm here with you today
I want to show you what was shown to me all those years ago that helped me develop a solid and vibrant bluegrass rhythm guitar style
INTRODUCING....
A step by step online course to give you everything you'll need to develop a solid and vibrant bluegrass rhythm guitar style
Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar Secrets takes you by the hand and makes bluegrass rhythm guitar concepts accessible through a simple 3 step process
Step 1
You watch the main lesson showing you a strumming pattern, bass note run, lick or tune
Step 2
You reference the downloadable and printable tabs to make sure you've got everything down
Step 3
Start practicing immediately with the custom backing tracks to implement the new material into your playing
Rinse And Repeat For 16 Easy To Follow Lessons
Then suddenly, without realizing it, you've developed a rock solid bluegrass rhythm guitar style that will serve you well for the rest of our life
Here Is What You'll Get Inside The Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar Secrets Program
An online course with 16+ lessons and over 4 hours of content
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Learn 4 Essential Bluegrass Strumming Patterns To Immediately Give Your Rhythm Playing A Clean And Driving Sound
- Add a new dimension to your rhythm playing using "crosspicking rhythm"
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Apply the new strumming and picking rhythm patterns to a GCD chord progression to get you ready for the classic tunes we will learn later in the course
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Bass Note Runs To Make Your Chord Changes Come Alive
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Licks To Play Between Chord Changes To Spice Up Your Rhythm Playing
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Chord Substitutions To Add A Tasty Tension/Release Element To Your Rhythm
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How To Play Killer Driving Rhythm On Faster Songs Without Tiring Out
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Exactly How To Apply Everything You'll Learn in The First Half Of The Course To 11 Classic Bluegrass Standard Songs Including, Nine Pound Hammer, John Hardy, Your Love Is Like A Flower, Blackberry Blossom, The Old Home Place, Big Sandy River, Train 45, Blackjack, Sally Goodin and others
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Learn To Play Beautiful Rhythm Patterns In 3/4 (Waltz) Time With Bluegrass Standards Like “Ocean Of Diamonds” And “Lonesome Moonlight Waltz”
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3 Camera Angles With Closeups Of My Picking And Fretting Hands So You See Exactly What I’m Doing
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Printable and Downloadable Tabs In PDF Form For All Course Lessons So You Don’t Miss A Note In The Entire Course
- Direct Access To Me In The Comments Section Of The Members Area (I respond to ALL of these) with any questions
Plus, I'm Going To Be Throwing In Some Cool Bonuses
- BONUS 1- Add another layer to your rhythm playing with some Western Swing style chord changes over the classic fiddle tune "Sally Goodin"
- BONUS 2- Custom backing tracks with only the bass and mandolin chop for you to practice your rhythm playing with
- BONUS 3- A list of classic recordings of all of the songs you'll learn in this program to reference, practice with and jam along to
All Lesson Videos Feature Closeups Of My Picking And Fretting Hands Along With On- Screen Text That Shows You Exactly What To Reference In The Tabs For Each Lesson Example
This Program Is For Anyone Who Loves, Plays And Is Learning Bluegrass Lead Guitar But Feels Like They Are Just Kind Of "Winging It" When It Comes To Rhythm
Please take it from me: don't just wing it when it comes to playing rhythm.
Spend some time developing your rhythm skills and you'll see tremendous benefits for the rest of your life
The lessons in this program are easy to follow and achievable as well. I'm very proud of the fact that this program is fairly short
Some of my other programs like my "Flatpicking Mastery" course have about 15 hours of content with over 70 lessons. Its A TON of material
But when I decided to put a rhythm playing program together, I wanted it to give you everything you need, yet be achievable at the same time.
This program comes in at just a little over 4 hours of lesson content.
The traditional bluegrass repertoire contains thousands of songs so I could have put in 20, 30 or 50 songs in this program.
But instead, I decided to narrow it down to 11.
This makes it doable and achievable but if you'll learn these techniques and songs, it will give you everything you need to tackle almost any other tune that you'll need to learn in the traditional bluegrass repertoire.
If You Were To Cover All Of This Material With Private Lessons It Would Cost Between $1,000-$2,400
For years, my rate for teaching in- person guitar lessons was $60 per 1 hour lesson which is pretty standard for most local guitar teachers
These days I charge $150 for an hour lesson.
At around 16 lessons in this program, this would cost you between $1000-$2400 to cover this material with private lessons
But, in addition to making this course doable and achievable, I also wanted to make it affordable as well
You Can Get Lifetime Access To The Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar Secrets Program For What I Charge For A Single Guitar Lesson
That's right: you can get LIFETIME ACCESS To The Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar Secrets Program for One Single Payment Of $147
No re-billing period. One payment gets you access to the entire course for life
No risk, 30-days money-back guarantee, no questions asked.
And to make this a no-brainer deal for you I’m giving you a 30 day 100% money-back guarantee with your purchase of the Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar Secrets course today.
That’s right: Go through the course, check out the bonuses, follow the steps, put in the work, and if you don’t love it in the first 30 days of your purchase, send me an email ([email protected]) and I’ll refund you immediately. No questions asked, no hard feelings.
If the Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar Secrets course doesn’t work for you, I’d much prefer for you to take your money and invest it where you will be happier and get results.
So Here Is What You're Getting When You Join Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar Secrets In The Next Few Days
- Lifetime Access To The Entire Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar Secrets Online Video Course (16 + lessons with over 4 hours of content)
- Downloadable And Printable Tabs In PDF Form For All Course Lessons
- Direct Access To Me In The Comments Section Of The Members Area
-
BONUS 1- Add another layer to your rhythm playing with some Western Swing style chord changes over the classic fiddle tune "Sally Goodin"
-
BONUS 2- Custom backing tracks with only the bass and mandolin chop for you to practice your rhythm playing
-
BONUS 3- A list of classic recordings of all of the songs you'll learn in this program to reference, practice with and jam along to
Just Think About It
For what I charge for a single guitar lesson, you can take your rhythm guitar playing (and therefore your overall musicianship) to a new level
Wouldn't it be worth it to make a small investment in your playing that will pay off in so, so many ways?
This is the perfect chance to dive deep into bluegrass rhythm guitar and really have this music come alive for you
Imagine how it will feel to finally have confidence in your rhythm playing?
How would it feel to really lock in and FEEL this music in a way you never did before?
How much more fun would jam sessions be when you have absolute confidence in your rhythm guitar playing?
Think of the feeling of camaraderie you'll have when your friends and fellow musicians LOVE playing music with you
How would it feel to FINALLY stop winging it and to really play rhythm with feel and intent?
How much will your lead playing improve once you develop solid rhythm playing skills? (Answer: A LOT!)
Most importantly: how much would your love of bluegrass and roots music deepen by coming to understand how the guitar fits into the big musical picture?
But If You Don't Try Something New.....
Everything is going to stay the same. You'll keep winging it and playing the same uninspired strumming patterns that leave you feeling stuck and frustrated.
It doesn’t have to be this way!
You can do this - Bluegrass Rhythm Guitar doesn't have to be impossible to learn. Let me simplify it for you. I’m proof that it’s possible and I’m here to coach you every step of the way and make your life easier!
Now is the time to take action! Join now and lets become great bluegrass rhythm players together
Cya On The Inside!
-Aaron Jaxon (your guitar teacher)
