Dawn Watson

A Bill Monroe Classic

Music for this workshop

This is a classic Bill Monroe break to On and On. I transcribed it from a compilation tape of bluegrass standards put together by the bluegrass faculty of South Plains College.

I like this solo a lot. It seems simple, but it's challenging to play up to tempo and it's full of signature Monroe licks.

The hardest part of this solo to play, I think, is the first two measures (excluding the pick-up notes.) It's tough to go from a full measure of double-stop tremolo to picking individual notes, especially as you begin to increase your speed.

Measures two and three are classic Monroe arpeggios over a G-chord and a C-chord, respectively. The syncopation of measure five is really great, and is worth exporting into other songs you already play.

In measures nine and ten, Monroe shows us how to get a lot of sound and some great ideas, out of just a few notes. Measure 15 is a good all-purpose lick for ending a solo in the key of G.

Because this solo is not especially melodic, you can easily use these licks to solo over another song with the same chord progression. Also, experiment with playing On and On as mostly down-strokes to increase your right-hand power.

I hope you enjoy On and On. I'll see you next time.

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