Super Time Ultra

Bluegrass Guitar School: From First Pick to Jam

A progressive browser course for bluegrass guitar: flatpicking technique, boom-chuck rhythm, tabs, tune checkpoints, listening, breaks, and jam preparation.

Follow a progressive course that turns mechanics into musical jobs: find the pocket, build vocabulary, make a break, play with people, and lead a short set. The 25-lesson path ends in a 12-piece repertoire ladder of fiddle tunes and songs, with listening, charts, play-alongs, review, and timing practice built into each step.

What this tool includes

Find the pocket

Build a relaxed pick hand, even alternate strokes, boom-chuck rhythm, a G-major map, and a first melody.

Build the language

Add chord road maps, bass runs, a G-run, crosspicking, and the ability to leave space for a singer.

Make a break

Protect the melody, connect positions, phrase a fiddle tune, follow chord changes, and improvise with a form.

Play with people

Practise count-ins, endings, capo and key communication, backup, recovery, and a jam-ready take.

Build the repertoire

Use Tune Lab to learn the form, chord road, melody, break shape, and complete proof take for 12 fiddle tunes and songs.

Review like a player

Listen back for time, form, melody, sound, and role, then save one specific change for the next pass.

How to use this tool

  1. Start with the first lesson, set the recommended Super Time preset, and complete the three-part practice loop.
  2. Move through the foundation before chasing speed: pocket, pick direction, rhythm, fretboard map, then melody.
  3. Use Tune Lab to put each new skill inside a tune: name the key, say the AABB form, play the chord road, and keep a proof take.
  4. Listen before you copy: compare a classic recording, a modern player, and your own recorded take.
  5. Finish with a complete start-to-end take that includes a count-in, a break, backup, and a clean ending.

Practice tips

  • Use wired audio or your device speaker when timing matters; wireless audio can add delay.
  • Increase tempo only when the sound stays even, the pulse stays present, and the wrist stays relaxed.
  • Record often. A competent player can hear whether the melody, time, tone, and role are all reaching the listener.