Video tutorial: Union station on bluegrass
Union station demonstrate bluegrass strumming
Bluegrass with Union Station
Union Station gained international recognition following the release of the Coen brothers cult movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?, in which guitarist/mandolin player Dan Tyminski became the singing voice of actor George Clooney.
The band played the parts of The Soggy Bottom Boys in the film, and their version of the folk song Man Of Constant Sorrow became an instant hit. The band have since toured regularly with Alison Krauss.
In this guest lesson, we've tabbed the basic bluegrass strumming style as demonstrated by Tyminski himself. When you go through the tab, don't worry about exactly how many strings you're hitting with each strum. Think of the strings as having three areas: lower, middle and top. These 'areas' then become your drum kit, kick drum (lower), hi-hat (middle) and snare (top). The main accents in most rhythms will appear on the kick and snare, with the hi-hat quietly chugging away to maintain the momentum.
More infomation is available on the Alison Krauss and Union Station website.
Click here for full-sized tab.
Video
Get the MusicRadar Newsletter
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.
“I can’t play jigs or reels or any of that traditional Irish stuff, but I have got a good ear for blues, the tonality of it”: 3 ways to supercharge your lead guitar playing like Rory Gallagher
“A well-crafted sequence is successful wherever you may wish to use it”: Use these tried and tested chord progressions to build an engaging song