Chords for What ANY GUITARIST Can Learn From Billy Strings

[G] Billy Strings is the type of player who can really change [C] the way you view [G] guitar.
Let's take a look at how he does this, but [D] first, let's head back to his [Em] roots.
_ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [C] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ [D] _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ [C] _
[G] _ _ _ _ [D] _ [G] _ Billy is a virtuosic [C] player who does so much playing acoustic, electric,
and he's a great singer-songwriter, [N] and he's sitting with bands all the time.
And so many bands want to play with him, not only because of his skills,
but because he's so humble and confident at the same time with such a cool vibe.
He's a master of traditional bluegrass, so let's first take a look at some simple basics
of the style.
Here's what people often sound like attempting to [G] play bluegrass.
_ _ [C] _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _
If you're not familiar with playing bluegrass, here are some things you want to know about
playing chords in this style.
The first step towards getting the more traditional sound
is to realize that often there are no thirds played in the chords.
_ [Cm] _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ [G] _ _ [C] It gives a tighter sound
that cuts through the other instruments more and allows the guitar to sound more percussive.
And a common strum [Abm] pattern is a [G] boom chuck like this.
_ _ _ [Cm] _ _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ And it doesn't always [E] have to be
exactly that precise, but something close to it.
You know, another way to cut through the
other instruments more is to get a thinner sound, and we can get that by picking a little [G] closer to
the bridge.
_ _ _ [C] _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
And often to get other keys, you can just throw in a [Em] capo like this and [Bb] play the
same old, you know, chord shapes.
_ _ _ [Eb] _ _
_ _ [F] _ _ _ _ _ [Bb] _
_ _ Now, for playing leads, [F] let's listen to an example of
Billy taking a solo.
[Eb] _ _ _ [F] _ _ [Fm] _ _ _
[F] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [Bb] _ _ [Fm] _ [G] _ [Gbm] _ [Fm] _ [F] _
_ _ _ _ [B] _ [F] _ _ _
[G] _ [F] _ _ _ [G] _ Now, Billy did something there really powerful, but before we get to it,
let's look at some of the traditional bluegrass lead ideas he was doing.
He often uses open
[Bb] strings a lot like this.
_ [Gm] _ _
[Bb] _ _ In the first song, we heard he was doing something super [E] common in a
major key, which is playing a G run, and it's very often used to resolve [Bb] a solo.
[F] _ [Bb]
And there's a lot of
variations, but [E] here's one where you can add the minor [Bb] third.
It gives you a little bit more of a
bluesier edge.
[Db] _ [Dm] _ [Bb] And Billy gets fluid all over the fretboard.
[Bb] _
_ _ _ Now, Billy [N] often does something that
most guitar players could really do a lot more [Bb] of as it helps shape solos and gives them more
direction, and that's repetition.
And that's what he did over and over in that [F] example.
_ [Eb] _
_ [C] _ _ [F] _ _ [Cm] _ _ _
So he [Abm] did
that a few times, and then the fourth time was a little bit different.
Then he meandered on for a
little bit and came back to the same phrase [F] with a slight twist.
_ _ _ [B] _
[F] _ _ _ _ [B] Now, [E] Billy is often [Abm] compared to
Jerry [E] Garcia, so here's an example of him sitting with Bob Weir's band playing a [A] Grateful Dead song
on electric [E] and listen to how he listens so well. _ _ _ _
[A] _ [D] _ [E] _ _ _ [A] _ _ _
[D] _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ [E] _ _ [D] _ _ _
[E] _ _ Billy is often compared to Jimi Hendrix, so let's
check [Em] out another example of him playing electric sitting in with Humphreys McGee.
And even though
he's [E] often playing so fast, he's not afraid to really hang on enough.
[Em] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ To highlight what I believe to be the most important thing any guitarist can [Dm] learn from
Billy Strings, [D] let's listen to a later [F] part of his solo from a song we heard earlier. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Gm] _
_ [Fm] _ _ _ _ _ _ [F] _
_ _ [Bb] _ _ [F] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [C] _ [F] _ _ _
_ _ _ [Bb] _ _ [F] _ _ _
I think the biggest takeaway from Billy [Bb] Strings is that we [F] don't want to worry about following
all the rules of music.
While he's in the world of [Bbm] traditional bluegrass, which has [Gb] some [F] fans
tend to have a very narrow view of what that style means, he's not afraid to break out of it
and blend in other styles.
And he doesn't worry about the backlash from the critical peers who
think bluegrass has to stay a certain way.
Now, Billy's become so innovative because he learned
not only from great bluegrass guitarists, but also from non-bluegrass players as well.
And in this
video here, you can find out what any guitarist can learn from Trey Anastasio.
Billy Strings has
so much respect for him and recently sat in with the Trey Anastasio band, so you don't want to miss
out on what you can