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In this lesson, you’ll learn triad inversion shapes for C, F, and G chords on the GBE string set and use them to play the traditional song “Roll On Buddy” in the key of C.
Stash talks about his approach to the guitar neck and what you’ll be learning in Bluegrass Guitar Fingerboard Mastery,
In the first series of lessons in Bluegrass Guitar Fingerboard Mastery, Stash shows you how to find inversions of diatonic chords on two string sets, the DGB string set and GBE string set. You’ll learn triad inversion shapes for G, C, and D chords on the DGB string set and use them to play the traditional song “Lonesome Valley” in the key of G. You’ll also learn triad inversion shapes for C, F, and G chords on the GBE string set and use them to play the traditional song “Roll On Buddy” in the key of C.
In the first lesson on triads and inversions Stash begins by showing you the chromatic scale on the low A string, beginning with the open E string and moving up fret-by-fret to the 12th fret. Then he shows you the three different diatonic triad shapes for G, C, and D chords on the DGB string set and how to use them to play the traditional song “Lonesome Valley.” He also explains that these shapes are different inversions of a major triad, and how to find the three inversions up the neck for G, C, and D chords on the DGB string set.
In this lesson, you’ll learn triad inversion shapes for C, F, and G chords on the GBE string set and use them to play the traditional song “Roll On Buddy” in the key of C.
Stash shows you a great way to practice the triads and inversions you’ve learned in the previous lessons: crosspicking the triads. He starts by defining and demonstrating crosspicking and then shows you a 3–3–2 crosspicking pattern you can play on the DGB string-set triad shapes, which you can use to play “Lonesome Valley.” He also shows you two other crosspicking patterns: 3–2–3 and 2–3–3.
The major scale is the most used scale in bluegrass, old-time, and related music, so it’s good to really understand how it’s constructed. The major scale is made up of a sequence of whole steps (two frets) and half steps (1 fret) in this order: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half (wwhwwwh). Stash starts by showing you the G major scale all on the G string and then he gives you exercises to help you visualize the major scale, including exercises in octave displacement. He also shows you how to play the melody to the traditional hymn “Farther Along” in the key of C on one string.
In this lesson, you’ll learn the C major scale in open position. Stash also shows you how to analyze melodies according to their scale degrees and practice the scale while saying the names of the scale degrees. You’ll learn to play “Farther Along” in open position in two octaves.
Stash shows you the five most useful open-position scales on the guitar: G, C, D, A, and E. You’ve already learned open C, so Stash starts with the open-position G scale and then moves on to the other three. He also talks about internalizing the degrees of the scale as you practice them. You’ll also learn to play the old-time country song “Wabash Cannonball” in G position.
Stash shows you the diatonic triads in the major scale, sometimes known as the harmonized major scale. He shows you how to create minor and diminished triads by modifying the major triad, and then shows you which kinds of triads correspond to each step of the major scale. He also shows you how to use these triads to play Norman Blake’s “Ginseng Sullivan” on the GBE string set in the key of D.
Stash shows you how to harmonize “In the Pines” with triads in this lesson. He starts by showing you the melody to “In the Pines” on the high E string and then, whenever a note of the melody is a chord tone, he harmonizes it with a triad on the GBE string set.
In this lesson, Stash shows you how to play the harmonized version of “In the Pines” with a crosspicking pattern. He simplifies the melody to “In the Pines” by just playing the melody notes that are on the first beat of the measure, and fills out the rest of the measure with crosspicking.
In this lesson, Stash gives you a couple of exercises to practice voice leading diatonic triads. He uses the song “Ginseng Sullivan,” which you previously learned in the key of D, but in this lesson you’ll learn it in E. Stash starts by walking you through the diatonic triads in the key of E on the DBG string set. Then he gives you two exercises: voice leading up and voice leading down using the chords to “Ginseng Sullivan.”
In this lesson, Stash introduces you to non-diatonic triads: a series of chords that deviates to some degree from the diatonic triad series of major (I), minor (ii), minor (iii), major (IV), major (V), minor (vi), and diminished (vii). Stash shows you the chord progression for the Louvin Brothers song “I Love You the Best of All,” which includes II, III, and VI major chords, and shows you how to voice-lead triads through the progression on the DGB string set.
In previous lessons you’ve learned triad shapes on the GBE and DGB strings sets. In this lesson you’ll learn the triads on the remaining two string sets: ADG and EAD. Stash uses the song “Columbus Stockade Blues” in the key of G to show you triads on these string sets. He starts by showing you chords on the ADG string set in three zones on the neck.
Stash shows you the first in a series of closed-position scales on the fingerboard, using the Hank Williams song “We Live in Two Different Worlds.” Stash defines each position (or pattern) on the neck for each key by finding the lowest root on the low E string in that key. The lowest root in the key of G is played with the second finger on the low E string, so Stash calls that position Position 2E.
Stash shows you closed-position pattern 4A in this lesson. In pattern 4A, the lowest root of the major scale is played with your fourth finger on the A string. Stash starts by showing you the position on frets one through four, so the fret numbers correspond to the finger numbers. In this position, the root is Db, so moving this position up a fret gives you a closed-position pattern for the key of D.
You’ll learn closed-position pattern 2A in this lesson. Unlike the other patterns you’ve learned so far, the fingering of pattern 2A at the bottom of the neck (in this case, in the key of B) doesn’t correspond exactly to fret numbers on all the strings. Stash shows you position 2A in B and then shows you how to play “We Live In Two Different Worlds” with pattern 2A in the key of G, up at the 9th to 13th frets.
In Pattern 2D, the lowest root of the major scale is played with your second finger on the D string. Starting on the lowest position on the neck puts it in the key of E. Stash shows you position 2D in E and then shows you how to play “We Live In Two Different Worlds” with pattern 2D in the key of G, up at the 4th to 7th frets.
In Pattern 4E, the lowest root of the major scale is played with your fourth finger on the low E string, which puts you in the key of A. Stash shows you the pattern in the key of A and then in the keys of B, C, and D. He also shows you an exercise using all five patterns in one position on the neck, modulating around the circle of fifths from B to G (B–E–A–D–G). You start with the key of B using pattern 4E, then the key of E using pattern 4A, the key of A using pattern 2E, the key of D using pattern 2A, and the key of G using pattern 2D. Stash finishes up by showing you how to play “We Live In Two Different Worlds” with pattern 4E in the key of G, up at the 12th to 15th frets.
In these next lessons, you’ll learn arpeggios in the five scale positions you’ve already learned. Arpeggios are broken-up chords—all the notes of the chord played in sequence rather than all at once. Learning these melodic structures will help you play melodies and improvise solos in different positions on the neck.
In this lesson, you’ll learn G major seven and G dominant seven arpeggios using pattern 2E, as well as C major seven and C dominant seven arpeggios in pattern 2E.
In this lesson, you’ll learn D major seven and D dominant seven arpeggios using pattern 4A, as well as G major seven and G dominant seven arpeggios in pattern 4A.
In this lesson, you’ll learn C major seven and C dominant seven arpeggios using pattern 2A, as well as G major seven and G dominant seven arpeggios in pattern 2A.
In this lesson, Stash shows you how to play the melody and a solo to the Jimmy Martin song “Sophronie” using the arpeggios in position 2E. The solo starts with the melody and then adds arpeggios, scales, rhythmic variety, and an ending lick to create a more interesting solo.
In this lesson, you’ll learn G major seven and G dominant seven arpeggios using pattern 2D, as well as C major seven and C dominant seven arpeggios in pattern 2D.
In this lesson, you’ll learn the fifth and final pattern for major seven and dominant seven arpeggios: pattern 4E. You’ll learn A major seven and A dominant seven arpeggios, as well as D major seven and D dominant seven arpeggios, using pattern 4E.
In this lesson, Stash gives you an exercise to test your knowledge of arpeggios. The exercise goes through every G major seven and G dominant seven option, in order: 2E, 2D, 4A, 2A, and 4E.
In this next series of lessons, Stash gives you arrangements of solos to bluegrass songs using scales and arpeggios in the patterns and positions you’ve already learned.
Stash shows you a break/solo to the Hank Williams song “Howlin’ at the Moon” in the key of D. The break combines the melody with crosspicking, arpeggios, double stops, and scalar lines and spans the 2nd to 14th frets.
This break to “Little Cabin Home on the Hill” is in the key of A (played without a capo, of course). Stash’s solo includes the melody played in pattern 2E, octave displacement, a Dmaj7 arpeggio, position shifting, a melodic fragment played entirely on the low E string, and more.
Stash’s break to the bluegrass classic “Salty Dog Blues” is in the key of G, but “Salty Dog Blues” has a circle-of-fifths chord progression (G–E–A–D–G), so the solo gives you lots of arpeggio practice on the E, A, D, and G chords. Stash combines the melody with arpeggios, a few bluegrass licks, three-note chords, and more to create a break that spans nearly the entire neck.
In this lesson, Stash shows you a variation on the classic fiddle tune “Fisher’s Hornpipe” that uses arpeggios on D, G, A, and E chords up and down the neck. If you don’t know the basic melody to “Fisher’s Hornpipe” you can learn it in this lesson in Scott Nygaard’s Advanced Flatpicking course. We’ve also included a version of the melody in the notation/tab that accompanies this lesso
