All Lesson Videos
Anatomy of a Walk—First Things First
Guitar sets the table for everyone
One more stepping stone G—C
Same journey—Different hands
Guitars - New Path Familiar Country
D—G Same strategy different trail head
First things first G—C
Mandos—Building on What We Know
D to G - It just makes sense.
G—C Gateway to Bass Walking Fun
Carry our ear from D to G
Every bluegrass instrument approaches a walk differently,
But the musical ideas behind them are surprisingly similar. Before we explore the details on each instrument, it helps to understand what every good walk is trying to accomplish.
A walk isn't just a string of notes between two chords. It tells the listener where the music is headed and when it's going to arrive. Sometimes you know where the ball is going almost as soon as it leaves the bat. In its own manner, a good walk signals its direction, purpose, and momentum.
In this introduction, we'll use the guitar to illustrate those common principles. Later you'll see those same ideas expressed in different ways on the other instruments. The notes may change. The fingerings certainly will. But the musical conversation remains remarkably familiar.