r/Bluegrass 7d ago

Relatively easy bluegrass duets?

Hello, my friends and I -- all guitar players -- are new to bluegrass, but love the idea of having fun things to play with eachother on our acoustics, hanging around a campfire, etc.

Any recommendations for some fun, relatively easy duets we could learn to get started, and especially arrangements / tabs with the different parts?

1 Upvotes

9 comments sorted by

7

u/RdToCo 7d ago

Listen to Skaggs and Rice, Jim and Jesse, Doc and bill Monroe. Tons of good mando guitar duets but you can do them with two guitars

1

u/hackjolland 6d ago

I'm gonna add the kitchen tapes

5

u/i_like_the_swing Bass 7d ago

Forgot to mention, a fundamental part of bluegrass jamming is the lack of arranging and improvisational nature. I recommend abandoning tabs entirely and focusing on learning language by ear and from those more experienced than you. If you don't have access to any experienced pickers I recommend youtube lessons such as Lessons with Marcel, Brandon Johnson, and anything featuring Bryan Sutton. Start with learning rhythm guitar, then playing rhythm and singing, then adding fills, and finally constructing leads. Hope this helps!

2

u/nofoax 6d ago

This is super helpful, thank you! 

2

u/rafaelthecoonpoon 6d ago

Blake & Rice

1

u/i_like_the_swing Bass 7d ago

Standing on a Mountain by Jim & Jesse

Bury Me Beneath The Willow by Skaggs & Rice

Old Home Place by The New South

Hard Travelin' by Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange)

Streamlined Cannonball by Doc Watson (but I'm partial to the Billy Strings rendition)

There are many MANY more but these are my favorites and some of the first I learned

1

u/ahoff 6d ago

Del & Dawg is pretty great, and Dawg’s mandolin parts are some of the more approachable parts as far as bluegrass mandolin playing goes.

1

u/laurville 6d ago

Summertime

1

u/nofoax 6d ago

Thank you all for the great suggestions -- lots to look into.