Chromatic Ideas for Bluegrass Guitar

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I wanted to show you some ways to incorporate chromatic ideas into your bluegrass chops. This is something I use all the time in my playing. I find it super helpful to be fluid with this stuff. The possibilities are literally endless and hopefully this will change how you think about "licks" v. "ideas."

[@user-tk9nz8gx8d]

This guy is a phenom.

[@ralphcarelli471]

Hands down my favourite KZbin channel, teacher and musician. I was just woodshedding some bluegrass licks yesterday trying to incorporate chromatics.

[@alexgraf8417]

Thanks Ralph, good to see you here!

[@ralphcarelli471]

@@alexgraf8417 thank you Alex! I love your endless flowing improvisational lines of steady eighth notes. Do you use these chromatics to do so? Or is there something else you would suggest practicing to obtain that amazing machine gun fire fluidity ?

[@alexgraf8417]

I use a lot of different ideas to achieve the 8th note flow. I’m gonna start to address this in the “Acoustic Club” videos. But ya chromatic ideas are super useful and becoming fluid across the different zones/shapes of the fretboard is equally important. Lots of different things going on the achieve it.

[@ellenrik]

Very well articulated. This is my first view, I've subbed.

[@alexgraf8417]

Welcome aboard!

[@JPMGuitarPicker]

This is great! So well put Alex! For a long time, I was against licks and preferred tendencies. Yes, licks alone can be detrimental. But it's all about what you do with them. Understand where they come from, notes they target etc. Ideally you want everything you play to be fresh and new. But licks can be your fallback at times when you're not having a full 100% day. They can be be a springboard to get you going in a direction. Besides, every one of the greats had their licks. Django. Tony Rice. Charlie Parker. And that last chromatic lick--at least the first part of it--was used by Mark O'Connor in his version of Dixie Breakdown!

[@alexgraf8417]

Totally agree! As long as we’re aware of the function of a lick it can still have utility and not be a drain on our playing!

[@brucenicholls854]

I totally agree with you about playing licks.They give a foundation so you can improvise and combine them in different positions.Some guy I think was trying to criticize my playing when he said,"You sound like a lick player".I just said ," Thank you".I really enjoy your videos,thanks for the great ideas!

[@timsmusic7349]

Your stuff is just fun. Thank you.

[@alexgraf8417]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@dan711g]

God bless you brother! Just stuff's amazing! And fun :-) 😁

[@cardboard316]

I'm not half glad I've found this channel. I'm still on the boom chuuca

[@EdGrain]

Thank you for this

[@makeitcount179]

Good lesson. Thanks. Im trying it

[@AspergerL]

Fantastic ideas man!!

[@som5011]

Keep uploading bro i also subbed so not to miss any update❤

[@alexgraf8417]

Thanks for the sub

[@makeitcount179]

Licks are fine. Yes ' a language' ' dialects' ' vocabulary' ' style' choice' : free country : borrow: incorporate : patterns : advantage : licks map fretboard : licks are what guide us. Yes Alex. Be all and all.😊

[@alexgraf8417]

I love your comments! Thanks!

[@makeitcount179]

@@alexgraf8417 you are doing good work. The very least we can do is give you feedback and positive support. Thanks Alex

[@jasperpearson4624]

This channels dope thanks for sharing ur knowledge 🙏

[@makeitcount179]

Be the lick. Idio chromatic. Nice

[@StarDarkAshes]

In reference to the first point being made about licks, obviously you’re gonna use and build upon what came first. To not do that would be like the first man discovering electricity, and then everyone else not using it because, well they should discover their own thing, and not use electricity.😂 That would be copying! Everything that’s ever been discovered, including every style where every set of notes, the way they’re played, etc., were always there just waiting to be discovered before someone started using them particular way. In the same way, that electricity has always been there even before it was discovered. So anybody can use that electricity and sure maybe someone was the first person to use that electricity, but to completely avoid using electricity because you didn’t discover it would be completely asinine. It’s true you can develop your own style, but it would be impossible to not use some of the elements that came before. In this day and age, it would be almost comical to only use your own particular method of tapping in that has absolutely no reference to any style that came from somebody else.

[@alexgraf8417]

Totally agreed

[@outdoorbill6271]

Why is your capo on your string on the other side of the nut? When I’ve done that my guitar becomes out of tune. Thanks for the video

[@alexgraf8417]

I keep it there so I don’t lose it. It’s not tightened at all just enough to stay in place but not bend strings.

[@outdoorbill6271]

@@alexgraf8417 Ok Great. That explains it. Thank you!

[@vjensen56]

Hey, I’m looking to get either a Martin D18 or D28. I mostly just play by myself and sing along. Do you have any recommendation? Thanks 🙏

[@alexgraf8417]

Both are incredible choices. I play a D18 and love it. Hard to recommend one over the other. I’d recommend reading through some online forum comments on the differences between the two so you can make a choice based on your wants!

[@makeitcount179]

And then Alex added a painters phrase : broader brushstrokes.

[@cbcannz]

Sounds like you bluegrass folks could steal a lot of gypsy jazz

[@alexgraf8417]

I’ll have my people talk to yours

[@AspergerL]

Vice versa too. Yeah music is a language, but although i like gypsy jazz, i get bored quickly because guitarists constantly repeat a few cliches, licks and tricks not expanding the style enough and that's about it. I'm refering to everything but Django. Also guitarists in gypsy jazz sound very dirty a lot of the time, very staccato... Bluegrass technique would help there.

[@cbcannz]

Sounds like Gypsy jazz with just 3 major chords 😂

[@makeitcount179]

idea....not a lick.

[@makeitcount179]

Traditional culture. Bluegrass. No rapping. Just real playing and maybe get a girl to sing. No rap.

[@alexgraf8417]

There’s nothing wrong with rap. I like rap too. They aren’t in opposition to one another.

[@makeitcount179]

@@alexgraf8417 okay like peanut butter and mustard