Bluegrass Guitar: Your First Songs

These are the songs that get called at almost every jam, and most of them sit on two or three chords. Start with the ones in G that stay on G, C, and D. “Worried Man Blues,” “Nine Pound Hammer,” “Lonesome Road Blues,” and “Bury Me Beneath the Willow” are all good first picks. Once those feel comfortable, add a four-chord song like “Wagon Wheel” or “I’ll Fly Away.” Bill Monroe tunes like “Blue Moon of Kentucky” and “Uncle Pen” move a little faster, so save those for when your chord changes are clean.

Work on one or two songs at a time. Get the chords under your fingers first, then sing along, then try playing at jam tempo. Each song’s page on Picker’s Guide has chord charts, lyrics, recordings, and a short history. Listen to a few versions before you settle on how you want to play it.