Bluegrass Flatpick Guitar-Solos, Licks and Tricks Volume 2: More Tunes and Neck Exploration

The solos continue here in Bluegrass Flatpick Guitar-Solos, Licks, and Tricks, Volume Two.

These Bluegrass Flatpick Guitar volumes are not beginner guitar books. Some knowledge of flatpicking is useful to get the most success out of them. Once again, the tunes are arranged in approximate order of difficulty. However the level of difficulty starts off at a more intermediate stage, and winds up at a more advanced level toward the end.

The YouTube companion videos (jeffbelding.com) continue for Volume Two. I have included suggestions in these videos to give you greater insight into the interpretation of the music. As always, special trouble spots will be pointed out, where necessary.

For those of you looking for "the simpler side of things," there are a few tunes in this volume that start you off with an easier version of a melody such as, "Soldier's Joy," "Cripple Creek," and "Way Downtown."

Use these books as a reference for finding new ways to play popular bluegrass jam tunes such as: "Yonder Stands Little Maggie," "More Pretty Girls than One," "Turkey in the Straw," and more! Take them on the road to your favorite bluegrass festivals-some new licks to share with old friends!

The all-important subject of minor chords and the licks that work with them can be found in the unusual minor-chord treatment of "Columbus Stockade Blues." This contains licks for the chords of E minor, A minor and B7.

Other chords that may give you pause in how to navigate them are E, A, B minor, B flat, and F. Potential licks for all of these chords are addressed in two tunes from the author: "Round Robin Progression" and "The Kitchen Sink" (They include everything, but...LOL!).

The ever-popular waltz, "All the Good Times are Past and Gone" gives a basic treatment of the melody as well as some variations that transcend the melody into a series of licks based on the chord structure. These licks are of course transferrable to other waltz tunes in the key of G.

Volume Two wraps up with a series of "Licks for the Mind's File Cabinet." This final section extracts licks from throughout the book to show you how they can be put into different contexts. This is one of the keys to becoming a fluent bluegrass guitar improviser-having a library of licks to call up at will and in the heat of the moment.

The underlying message these books mean to convey is, "Learn the solos verbatim, but don't forget to read between the lines!" Bluegrass licks can be found everywhere in any music you play. Every measure in a tune is an interchangeable part that can be "fitted" to a different tune with the same chord center. Keep those eyes and ears open and fill up those "folders" with new ideas.

Happy pickin' and jammin' to ALL!