The traditional song “John Henry” is popular in bluegrass, old-time, and blues circles, and it is played both as a vocal song and as an instrumental. With an unusual 20-bar form, a simple melody, and few chord changes, it’s often played at a fast clip and with some shuffles and double stops to give it a sense of urgency. In this lesson, Sharon shows you a great version to play with a closed left-hand position in the key of G up at the fifth fret and beyond. In this video, Sharon reviews the L-shape and the arpeggios, double stops, and major scale in the key of G at the fifth position, and teaches you a basic version of the melody for “John Henry.”
