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Shady Grove Guitar Tabs

Doc Watson

Shady Grove Guitar Tablature: One Song, Many Styles

Recomended level: Intermediate

Tags: #bluesy, #minor key, #vocal song, #folk music

Shady Grove is a classic folk song for guitar that features both simple melody arrangements and an advanced ones. Perfect for both beginner and intermediate guitarists, this timeless tune is certain to delight.

Start with the melody. It's easy, achievable and the heart of the song. It's important for players of all levels to know the melody. After that, check out the create your own: rhythm or the Bluegrass arrangement. Good rhythm playing and timing makes all aspects of your musicianship improve. If you plan on jamming, then rhythm is essential! The bluegrass arrangement is a typical way to play this tune as a lead. The Carter Style version of this tune is very cool. It combines rhythm and lead playing for a sound that works great as a soloist or in a group.

With all of these, make sure to read the individual descriptions to get more playing tips and advice. There's several other versions with varying degrees of complexity. Use the Tunefox tools to customize each to your current skill level.

Learn how to play Shady Grove on Guitar with this selection of tablatures:

  • Guitar Shady Grove Melody

    Melody

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      Dm
    • Tempo
      90 bpm
    • Tuning
      EADGBE

    This arrangement of the melody for Shady Grove is based on the way it is sung. Use the Tunefox player and lyrics in the guitar tab to get a good understanding of how it's suppos...

    Learn
  • Guitar Shady Grove Create Your Own: Rhythm

    Create Your Own: Rhythm

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      Dm
    • Tempo
      75 bpm
    • Tuning
      EADGBE

    Shady Grove is a bluegrass classic. Learn to play good rhythm guitar. Even if you play mostly by yourself, rhythm is very important. Good timing makes everything sound better. So it...

    Learn
  • Guitar Shady Grove Bluegrass

    Bluegrass

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      Dm
    • Tempo
      100 bpm
    • Tuning
      EADGBE

    Shady Grove is a jam classic! Sprinkle in a few licks after you get the basics and listen to the Doc Watson reference recording regularly! Repeated listening is practice. It's one of...

    Learn
  • Guitar Shady Grove Basic

    Basic

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      Dm
    • Tempo
      100 bpm
    • Tuning
      EADGBE

    Shady Grove is a traditional folk tune recorded by many artists. The minor key version of this song was made popular by Doc Watson in the 1960s. After you learn the basic ver...

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  • Guitar Shady Grove Adding Slurs

    Adding Slurs

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      Dm
    • Tempo
      100 bpm
    • Tuning
      EADGBE

    Slurs are used throughout this version of Shady Grove for guitar. A slur is a technique that allows you to play multiple notes using only one pick stroke. Examples of slurs are: ham...

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  • Guitar Shady Grove Carter Style

    Carter Style

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      Dm
    • Tempo
      75 bpm
    • Tuning
      eADGBE

    This simplified Carter style version of Shady Grove for guitar works great as a soloist or in a group context. Check the guitar tablature to closely follow the fingering suggestions...

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  • Guitar Shady Grove Jam Solo

    Jam Solo

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      Dm
    • Tempo
      100 bpm
    • Tuning
      EADGBE

    Channel your inner fiddle player here, because this version of Shady Grove is exactly how a fiddle player may approach the melody. Keep an eye out for the hammer-ons, pull-offs, and ...

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Practicing Tips

Learning Overview
Immerse yourself in the world of folk music with the ever-appealing 'Shady Grove'. This guide provides flatpicking guitar tablatures in Melody, Bluegrass, Melody - Key of Am, Bluegrass - Key of Am, and Jam Solo Styles, designed specifically for intermediate players. The composition’s bluesy tone, vocal song shell, and minor keys have been captured in a variety of arrangements.>


Practice Tips: Tunefox Features
Begin your practice by understanding and leveraging the features of the Tunefox platform. This includes the 'Lick Switcher', a handy tool in adding new licks and revealing new variations of the same song. It allows you to personalize the arrangement to your taste and learn contemporary interpretations of the tune. Simply tap the measure to unveil the hidden licks.>


The 'Arrange Slider' helps adjust the difficulty level of the arrangement with precision and ease. Move the slider left to show a simple, core arrangement or to the right to showcase a more elaborate tablature with all the 'fill-in' notes comprising the full song.>


Practice Tips: Tempo and Backing Tracks
Another feature valuable in mastering this song is the tempo slider, useful in adjusting the pace of the song to your comfort. Don't shy away from playing along with backing tracks. It makes the learning experience more engaging and builds your readiness for a live jam session.>


One key aspect of learning bluegrass is actual practice and experimentation. Select measures, repeat them, and use the 'Speed Up' function to incrementally increase the tempo over time. Starting at a comfortable speed, 'Speed Up' subtly augments the pace each time you play through the song, which is tremendously beneficial while transitioning to faster tempos.>


General Practice Tips
Lastly, constant practice is the most reliable path to mastering 'Shady Grove'. Play the song on a regular basis, experiment with different arrangements using the Lick Switcher and Arrange Slider, and steadily increase your speed until you are comfortable playing the arrangement at its original tempo. Do not forget to have fun while learning!