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Guitar tablatures for Watson Blues

Bill Monroe

Recomended level: Intermediate

Tags: #blues, #guitar, #doc watson, #rhythm. bluegrass, #bill monroe

A classic Monroe instrumental that features a signature guitar riff from his friend Doc Watson

  • Guitar Watson Blues Doc Watson Style Rhythm

    Doc Watson Style Rhythm

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      E
    • Tempo
      70 bpm
    • Tuning
      EADGBE

    This is a wonderful instrumental written by Bill Monroe. It's called the Watson blues in honor of his friend Doc Watson. Doc contributed the signature riff which has become an iconic...

    Guitar Watson Blues Doc Watson Style Rhythm
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  • Guitar Watson Blues Bluegrass

    Bluegrass

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      E
    • Tempo
      55 bpm
    • Tuning
      EADGBE

    This is a great Bill Monroe number. The classic Doc "run" in this tune is super fun to play, but sometimes you wanna play some lead. It's really fun to play on guitar, and there are ...

    Guitar Watson Blues Bluegrass
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  • Guitar Watson Blues Up the Neck

    Up the Neck

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      E
    • Tempo
      55 bpm
    • Tuning
      EADGBE

    This tune is a lot of fun up the neck! So many new options open up. Check out those licks!

    Guitar Watson Blues Up the Neck
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  • Guitar Watson Blues Tony Rice Style Lead

    Tony Rice Style Lead

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      E
    • Tempo
      55 bpm
    • Tuning
      EADGBE

    This is a transcription of Tony Rice's playing from the album, "Tone Poems". The transcription is for the B part only, because, well; that's the only time he soloed on the song. It's...

    Guitar Watson Blues Tony Rice Style Lead
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  • Guitar Watson Blues Tony Rice Style Rhythm

    Tony Rice Style Rhythm

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      E
    • Tempo
      55 bpm
    • Tuning
      EADGBE

    This arrangement is based on Tony's rhythm playing on the "Tone Poems" album. There's lots of great licks to switch things up once you get the arrangement down.

    Guitar Watson Blues Tony Rice Style Rhythm
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Practicing Tips

'Watson Blues' Learning Overview: This engaging and enriching resource delivers an array of flatpicking guitar tablatures across several styles including Doc Watson Rhythm, Bluegrass, Up the Neck, Tony Rice Lead, and Tony Rice Rhythm. It's ideally suited for intermediate level players who are keen to expand their technical skills and theoretical knowledge. The key areas of focus are Blues, Guitar, Doc Watson, and Rhythm. Bluegrass, Bill Monroe.


Making the Most of Tunefox: This platform offers several innovative features that can drastically enhance your learning experience. Start by trying out the Lick Switcher, which lets you insert new licks into the song. This gives you an entirely fresh perspective on the tune and allows you to experiment with the various musical possibilities it presents. For a more personalized interpretation of the song, tap each measure to discover the hidden licks!


Next, try the Arrange slider which is a simple yet effective tool for customizing the difficulty level of the song. Slide it to the left to simplify the tablature by removing many "fill-in" notes. Conversely, swiping to the right fills in the extra notes to render a complete arrangement of the song. Also, don't forget to play around with the tempo slider to vary the speed of the song.


Playing Along and Speeding Up: Jamming to backing tracks can be a lot of fun and also very beneficial to your progress. You can select individual measures to repeat and benefit from the 'Speed Up' feature which gradually increases the playback tempo. This is an excellent way of familiarizing yourself with playing at faster speeds. Start with a comfortable tempo and let 'Speed Up' incrementally elevate the speed each time you play through the song.


General Practice Tips: Consistency and patience are key to mastering this song. Practice regularly and take your time to understand the nuances of the different styles. Remember, progress is often gradual so don't be discouraged if you're not playing like Doc Watson or Tony Rice overnight. Stay persistent, enjoy the journey, and soon enough, you'll be playing the 'Watson Blues' like a pro!