Thermodon1
Verified buyer
02/21/26
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Bluegrass Rhythm Handbook
Rhythm, Runs & Repertoire for Bluegrass Guitar
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About this course
Everybody in a bluegrass band has to have great timing, but the rhythm guitar player is the glue that holds it all together. Players often underestimate the value of working on their rhythm skills and focus mostly on soloing but developing great rhythm chops is the key to becoming a great lead player.
If you master the rhythm techniques that composer, recording artist and GRAMMY winner Cathy Fink presents here in this Bluegrass Rhythm Handbook, they’ll serve you quite well playing country music and several folk styles as well -- you’ll also be the star in every Bluegrass jam you attend!
”My approach to playing bluegrass rhythm comes from playing in a pre-bluegrass duo, a bluegrass band, a country band and many old-time country bands. The solid bass note and strum can truly define a band's timbre. I think it’s easier learning to play loud and hard and then toning it down rather than learning to play with a "light" right hand and then trying to make it louder. The muscle memory works better the first way. Power to the rhythm guitarist!”
Cathy kicks the course off with a series of key concepts and techniques: The Bluegrass Rhythm Approach, Practice: Speed & Stamina, Picks & Strum Techniques and Keys & Capos
The rest of the course is organized into 4 sections. In the first section, you’ll learn chords, bass patterns and three Bluegrass tunes in the G position: Common Chords & Bass Patterns, Connecting Bass Runs, Classic G Run & Variations, Ain’t Gonna Work (Performance and Breakdown), Don't Let Your Deal Go Down (Performance and Breakdown), and Rabbit In The Log( Performance and Breakdown)
”Timing, tone, and finesse are all key to a great bluegrass rhythm guitarist. Of course, these same techniques will give you chops for old-time country music, classic country music, and many folk song as well.”
C Position chords, bass runs and tunes are examined in the second section: Common Chords & Bass Patterns, Connecting Bass Runs, Classic C Run & Variations, Beaumont Rag (Performance and Breakdown), and Wabash Cannonball (Performance and Breakdown)
The third section focuses on the A Position: Common Chords & Bass Patterns, Connecting Bass Runs, In The Pines (Performance and Breakdown), Old Joe Clark (Performance and Breakdown) and Orange Blossom Special (Performance and Breakdown)
The fourth and final section drills down on D Position: Common Chords & Bass Patterns, Connecting Bass Runs, Classic D Run & Variations, and Arkansas Traveler (Performance and Breakdown)
Cathy demonstrates all of the tunes over practice rhythm tracks for optimal musical context. She then breaks them all down by stepping you through the key concepts and techniques used in the tunes.
All of the key demonstrations, performances and examples are tabbed and notated for your practice, reference and study purposes. You’ll also get Guitar Pro files so that you can loop and/or slow any section down as you work through the lessons. Plus, Cathy generously includes a jam track pack , which features different tempos and various mixes for each tune.
Grab your guitar and let’s jam some Bluegrass with Cathy Fink!
If you master the rhythm techniques that composer, recording artist and GRAMMY winner Cathy Fink presents here in this Bluegrass Rhythm Handbook, they’ll serve you quite well playing country music and several folk styles as well -- you’ll also be the star in every Bluegrass jam you attend!
”My approach to playing bluegrass rhythm comes from playing in a pre-bluegrass duo, a bluegrass band, a country band and many old-time country bands. The solid bass note and strum can truly define a band's timbre. I think it’s easier learning to play loud and hard and then toning it down rather than learning to play with a "light" right hand and then trying to make it louder. The muscle memory works better the first way. Power to the rhythm guitarist!”
Cathy kicks the course off with a series of key concepts and techniques: The Bluegrass Rhythm Approach, Practice: Speed & Stamina, Picks & Strum Techniques and Keys & Capos
The rest of the course is organized into 4 sections. In the first section, you’ll learn chords, bass patterns and three Bluegrass tunes in the G position: Common Chords & Bass Patterns, Connecting Bass Runs, Classic G Run & Variations, Ain’t Gonna Work (Performance and Breakdown), Don't Let Your Deal Go Down (Performance and Breakdown), and Rabbit In The Log( Performance and Breakdown)
”Timing, tone, and finesse are all key to a great bluegrass rhythm guitarist. Of course, these same techniques will give you chops for old-time country music, classic country music, and many folk song as well.”
C Position chords, bass runs and tunes are examined in the second section: Common Chords & Bass Patterns, Connecting Bass Runs, Classic C Run & Variations, Beaumont Rag (Performance and Breakdown), and Wabash Cannonball (Performance and Breakdown)
The third section focuses on the A Position: Common Chords & Bass Patterns, Connecting Bass Runs, In The Pines (Performance and Breakdown), Old Joe Clark (Performance and Breakdown) and Orange Blossom Special (Performance and Breakdown)
The fourth and final section drills down on D Position: Common Chords & Bass Patterns, Connecting Bass Runs, Classic D Run & Variations, and Arkansas Traveler (Performance and Breakdown)
Cathy demonstrates all of the tunes over practice rhythm tracks for optimal musical context. She then breaks them all down by stepping you through the key concepts and techniques used in the tunes.
All of the key demonstrations, performances and examples are tabbed and notated for your practice, reference and study purposes. You’ll also get Guitar Pro files so that you can loop and/or slow any section down as you work through the lessons. Plus, Cathy generously includes a jam track pack , which features different tempos and various mixes for each tune.
Grab your guitar and let’s jam some Bluegrass with Cathy Fink!
What you'll learn
- Master alternating, ascending, descending, and chromatic bass runs in A
- Play waltz rhythm in 3/4 time for bluegrass
- Perform rhythm guitar for classic bluegrass and fiddle tunes
- Use the run as a phrase or tune ending
- Maintain timing while executing the run with chord changes
Release date: 10/07/2015 • 2h 28m runtime
Sample lessons
Common Chords & Bass Patterns
Demonstration
Connecting Bass Runs
Demonstration
Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow
Performance
Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow
Breakdown
What's included
39 lessons • 20 charts • 13 Jam Tracks
Bluegrass Rhythm Handbook
Hi, I'm Cathy Fink and welcome to Bluegrass Rhythm Handbook.
The rhythm guitar is often taken for granted, but really, that player is the unsung hero of the band. A great rhythm guitar player becomes the glue in a band, offering both a sonic backdrop and a clean, steady bass line.
If you're coming to bluegrass from another style of guitar playing, you'll find new sounds in the basics and nuances of playing bluegrass rhythm. I've listened to bluegrass music for forty years and have learned by listening to others, watching bluegrass guitar players in concerts and festivals, and of course, as the rhythm guitar player in many a band starting in the 1970's. Timing, tone, and finesse are all key to a great bluegrass rhythm guitarist. Of course, these same techniques will give you chops for old-time country music, classic country music, and many folk song as well. Enjoy!
The Bluegrass Rhythm Approach
My approach to playing bluegrass rhythm comes from playing in a pre-bluegrass duo, a bluegrass band, a country band and many old-time country bands.
The solid bass note and strum can truly define a band's timbre. I think it’s easier learning to play loud and hard and then toning it down rather than learning to play with a "light" right hand and then trying to make it louder. The muscle memory works better the first way. Power to the rhythm guitarist!
Practice: Speed & Stamina
Bluegrass songs and tunes come in all tempos. When you're building your speed, take your time; use a metronome to practice and don't go faster than you can while staying in time. I guarantee that a few days/weeks of practicing like this will serve you very well later on.
Speed takes a good sense of timing but also stamina, which takes a little time to build. Be patient!
Picks & Strum Techniques
Bluegrass demands a clean, crisp tone and clock-like rhythm. In this lesson, we'll look at right hand placement and how you hold the pick. We'll explore options with these, and see how they'll have a great deal of impact on the tone.
Keys & Capos
The right key for a bluegrass instrumental will be determined by the lead instrumentalist. Some common instrumentals have universal keys, such as "Old Joe Clark." It's generally played in A, though you may find a few folks who play it in G. The right key for singing is determined by the lead singer.
I frequently use a capo to play G chord positions in A (second fret), Bb (third fret), and B. I usually personally prefer that sound to the open A chords. But in "In the Pines," the open A really speaks to me. Experiment and see what you enjoy for your voice and your hands.
SECTION 1: G Position
A lot of bluegrass guitar is built around chord shapes in the key of G, which give it a classic sound.
Common Chords & Bass Patterns
Let's learn the basic chords and bass notes in the G position. We'll play alternating bass notes to create our shapes, starting with the G cord, then going to the C chord, the D chord, the A chord, and finishing on the E chord.
+ 32 more lessons
Reviews
8 results
acroswell
Verified buyer
12/24/25
Bluegrass Rhythm Handbook
If your goal is to become a solid Bluegrass rhythm guitarist, this course is for you. The 4 main parts of this course are: Play Clean. , Playing in Time, Building Speed, and Building Stamina. And of course falling in love with the Bluegrass music.
BlindRaspberryRage
Verified buyer
04/18/22
Bluegrass Rhythm Handbook
Yes OK as an add on and free purchase but I am now intermediate
RickBlanco
Verified buyer
02/10/22
Excellent Product!
Cathy Fink is an excellent instructor!
TravisTrucker
Verified buyer
02/19/21
Excellent course in Bluegrass Rhythm playing. Great stuff to learn, not only for Bluegrass/acoustic players.
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