Happy Blues? It almost doesn't make sense, but when I hear a snappy ragtime blues tune, I just can't help but smile. This progression pulls its influence from ragtime music, but crosses into the blues world thanks to players from the Piedmont region of the United States. Piedmont Blues (at least to me) is often upbeat and snappy. More often than not the fingerpicking is second to none and the songs are played at a speedy tempo. And many songs borrow from the Ragtime style of music. If you're like I was, Ragtime music is completely unknown territory. To help decode things a bit, this lesson focuses on the classic ragtime chord progression in C major. My words of wisdom: go slow and if you're new to fingerpicking, use a pick and just get the chords down. We'll add some typical Piedmont fingerpicking patterns to this later. But for now, focus on the chord movements. That's the key. In other words -- we'll add the flashy stuff later :) Be sure to check out the website for the complete lesson, including a chord chart to get you strumming: http://www.bluesguitarinstitute.com/decoding-a-classic-piedmont-blues-progression If you're serious about improving your blues guitar skills, join the Blues Guitar Institute community and get quick tips, licks and lessons: http://www.bluesguitarinstitute.com/YT034 If you are new to fingerstyle blues and want to get started, check out this video: http://www.bluesguitarinstitute.com/intro-fingerstyle-acoustic-blues In this video, I'll show you how to get started playing some sweet finger picked acoustic blues. Play Hard! -John P.S. - If you liked this video, share it with your friends! http://youtu.be/neqemQJRZhM