True Life Blues

from: Intermediate Bluegrass and Old-Time Fiddle with Chad Manning

This lesson is part of the course Intermediate Bluegrass and Old-Time Fiddle with Chad Manning.

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Learn classic bluegrass and old-time tunes and improve your playing with fiddle techniques like unison drones, slides, pulses, and more advanced bowing patterns, as well as advice on improvising and soloing on bluegrass songs.

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Salt Creek

The second part of “Salt Creek” moves up into third position on the E string, so Chad starts by giving you advice on shifting into third position, with an exercise to help you practice the shift. Then he walks you through the A part, finishing by giving you an example of how he makes up variations and improvises on the second part of “Salt Creek.”

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True Life Blues

“True Life Blues” Play-Along Track

True Life Blues

Bill Monroe’s classic bluegrass song “True Life Blues” does not follow the classic 12-bar blues form, but rather, the chords are the same as the common Bluegrass Chord Progression #1. The fiddle solo you’ll learn, played by Chubby Wise on Monroe’s original 1945 recording, includes some great bluesy licks in the key of A that you’ll be able to use in lots of songs. Chad walks you through it phrase by phrase, pointing out the differences in some of the distinctive slides Chubby uses. You’ll also learn a variation on the solo that Chubby plays at the end of the recording.

"True Life Blues" (Available to subscribers)

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← Feeling the Physics of Fiddling, Part 2: Expressive Bow Exercises

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“True Life Blues” Play-Along Track →

Previous Lesson

← Feeling the Physics of Fiddling, Part 2: Expressive Bow Exercises

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