Blue Grass

Bluegrass is a style of American folk music. It will make you want to dance!

This is a piece that can be played in different ways.

Open string part.

I suggest you start with this. Play it through a few times, either plucking or with the bow. Once you know the notes, switch on the backing track and have a listen. Its fairly easy to see how the open string part fits with the backing, as the notes are all one beat until you get to the end!

Please watch the demonstration films below. The open string version is demonstrated towards the end of the films.

Blue Grass Open String Part:

D D D D G G G G

D D D D A A A A

D D D D G G G G

D D A A D - D -

Blue Grass accomp 4 choruses.mp3

Blue Grass backing track

Fingered tune

Try watching my video for violin or cello, showing how to finger the notes (if you play the viola, follow the violin video but make sure you put your fingers on the D string)

Don’t worry if this all feels very difficult. You could try:

just putting your fingers on the string and not playing
Putting your fingers on one at a time, climbing up and then down
Plucking the notes as you do this
Having a game to find the notes:

D F# G E F# D G E D G F# E etc.

Don’t try to play the tune with the bow unless you can pluck it. The hard thing about string playing is using 2 hands to do very different things! Practice the bowing by playing the Open String part. Practice the fingered notes by plucking.

Using fingers on the D string for violin.

See the end of this film for the open string version demonstration.

Blue Grass Violin:

Using fingers on the D string for cello.

See the end of this film for the open string version demonstration.

Blue Grass cello:

Blue Grass viola:

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