What's the key?

I don't know much about country bluegrass scales, but it sounds like it would be either in G of F, especially with the Bb. I play some power chord progressions which use a lot of I-IV-bIII-I (ie G5-C5-Bb5-G5), which would work here.

G A Bb C D E F

Based on the notes you are using, it looks like it should be in F, but w/o thirds it could be in G...

Can you post a clip?

Bluegrass songs are almost always in a G key. (Having said that, I made the exact same statement to a student a couple of months ago, then put on a random track from a Flatt & Scruggs CD to show him - and the tune that came up wasn't in G!)

The reason G is so common has to do with bluegrass instrumentation - it's traditionally banjo, mandolin, guitar, fiddle, and bass - the format of Bill Monroe's "Blue Grass Boys" band, from which the style gets its name. Ever look at a 5 string banjo? There's one short string - the high G string (on a guitar it'd be in the A string position). That string is rarely fretted, so G is the most comfortable key for the banjo.

The most common bluegrass progressions are:

G-C-D-G (I-IV-V-I)
G-Em-C-D-G (I-iii-IV-V-I)
G-F-C-G (I-bVII-IV-I)
G-Bb-F-G (I-bIII-bVII-I)

Those last two have a more modal sound - traditional in some 'mountain music'. Think of it as G Mixolydian, and G minor Mixolydian if you'd like.

Bluegrass is mostly based on the major scale, but there's a lot of chromatic runs used in it... look at the quintessential bluegrass riff:

-----------------
-----------------
---------------0-
---------0h2p0---
---0h1h2---------
-3---------------


All G scale notes... except for the 2-b3-3 chromatic run.

It would have to be pretty high(or do I mean low?) on the fretboard to mimic the mandolin part.

Something recently learned: whenver your speaking of high/low, always speak of pitch, rather than physical placement in relation to something. So in this case, yes you mean "high", as a mando is higher pitched.

I would start with scales in the key of G. With many other things to take into consideration, it comes to what you want to create when your playing. Here's a couple things that will give you kind of country rock sound. This first one shown here in G can be played three frets lower. Insteadde of playing it on the 3rd or 15 fret, drop it down three frets and play it open or 12th fret.

E|---|---|--®|---|---|--®|---|
B|---|---|--®|---|---|--®|---|
G|---|---|--®|---|--®|---|---|
D|---|---|--®|---|--®|---|---|
A|---|---|--®|---|--®|---|---|
E|---|---|--®|---|---|--®|---|

Here's an acsending run. when you include the slides were the -> are you'll hear that style. I'm trying to expalin.

Have Fun

Joe

Thanks guys I'll give it a try! 8)

Joe, am I right in assuming that playing that scale run open or on the 12th fret puts it in E? why would it be okay to play that if it's in a different key?Is E the relative minor of G?

What Joe showed was the minor pentatonic in G (G-Bb-C-D-F-G). If you move it down three frets, it becomes the E minor pentatonic, which is the same notes as the G major pentatonic (G-A-B-D-E-G)

The major pentatonic works better for country, bluegrass, etc. - the minor works better for blues, most rock, and so on.

The most common bluegrass progressions are:

G-Em-C-D-G (I-iii-IV-V-I)

Isn't this I vi IV V I ?? Just wanted to make sure I caught this correctly.

G Am Bm C D Em Fdim
I ii iii IV V vi vii

Yep - my typo.

Yep - my typo.

That's good to know (the typo) because I was starting to worry that all my learning was wrong :D

As Notebeat said country, folk, bluegrass styles commonly use major pentatonics, while Rock and blues use minor pentatonics.

Joe

Cool, this has been a really helpful read. :D