This traditional tune is a lot of fun! The melody bounces along with a shuffle feel, and you can’t help being swept up in the joyful nature of the tune. In the key of G, this arrangement on the mandolin is well suited to the intermediate picker. Featuring quite a simple melody, the challenge can be playing up to tempo with the feel that we’re after, but we’ll break it down together in the lesson. Go to lesson...
Pig Ankle Rag is an awesome fiddle tune in the key of D (capo 2). There are 2 parts to the tune and it has the typical characteristics of a rag and is well suited to the advancing intermediate picker. Featuring a shuffle groove, crosspicking and syncopation there are some challenges in performing this arrangement, but we’ll break it down together in the lesson. Go to lesson...
Blackberry Blossom is a traditional fiddle tune, played in the key of G and is a great tune to pick on the mandolin! It’s is a very popular session tune, and is suited to the advancing picker. In a bluegrass setting, the tempo is usually fast with a pretty straight feel; and yet, it’s also a tune that can be played at a medium tempo with a bit of ‘bounce’. Go to lesson...
Blackberry Blossom is a traditional fiddle tune, played in the key of G (standard tuning). This is a very popular session tune, and this arrangement features the melodic technique suited to the advancing picker. In a bluegrass setting, the tempo is usually fast with a pretty straight feel; and yet, it’s also a tune that can be played at a medium tempo with a bit of ‘bounce’.
Old Joe Clark is a traditional American song/fiddle tune, typically played in the key of A. This is a very popular session tune, and this arrangement features an embellished melody, using a common approach to move around the main melody with surrounding scale notes. This arrangement is well suited to the intermediate picker and in the lesson, we’ll break down the techniques to help you pick this wonderful session tune. Go to lesson...
Old Joe Clark is a traditional American song/fiddle tune, typically played in the key of A. This is a very popular session tune, and this arrangement features the melodic technique. The banjo is in standard tuning with the capo placed at fret 2 and the faster tempo will be suited to the advanced picker.
Ragtime Annie is a quick tempo, trad fiddle tune, played in the key of D (capo 2). It’s a great session tune, and this guitar arrangement features double stops & triads as part of the melody, making it a challenging tune to pick. As we break down the tune slowly, it is quite manageable, all with the aim of once memorised, you’ll be able to dial up the tempo as needed! Go to lesson...
Turkey In The Straw is an American folk song with a well known melody, commonly played as a tune in a bluegrass session. It’s a popular tune is in the key of G, and this is the second arrangement found on Pickin’ Lessons. The first is a beginner friendly version, while in this arrangement, we’ll up the ante, filling in the space in a typical fiddle tune style, ending up with a more challenging version which is great fun to play! Go to lesson...
Cripple Creek is a popular fiddle tune, played in the key of A. This is the second version on the site, with the first version found in the flatpicker crash course. In this arrangement, there are four variations, starting out with a basic version of the melody, through to more advanced variations featuring double stops, ornaments, blue notes and embellishment around the melody. Go to lesson...
Ragtime Annie is a quick tempo, trad fiddle tune, played in the key of D. It’s a great session tune, and this arrangement features double stops – built to be played with power and at speed, great for a rowdy session! As we break down the tune slowly, it is quite manageable, all with the aim of once memorised, you’ll be able to dial up the tempo as needed! Go to lesson...