Learn Cannonball Rag Song on Guitar

Learn some ragtime guitar techniques while playing the classic "Cannonball Rag". This song is an all time classic with tons and tons of different playing methods. Due to popular demand by our visitors, we had included this song for your learning pleasure.

Jamplay has kindly offered this video guitar lesson to you guys FREE and Mitch Reed is the guitar instructor as he takes you through a step by step guitar lesson in learning the song.

This is the FULL version of the song. Nothing is held back in this guitar lesson.

Points to take note of when learning to play Cannonball Rag

1 - Use of thumbpicks. Most guitar players that I know of have almost never used a thumbpick before. Admittedly, fingerpicking is not an easy technique to master and for players who had been playing with a guitar pick all their lives might find it difficult to shift to playing with a thumbpick initially.

2 - Use of broken chords. Broken chords are used in songs all the time. In this song, there is a heavy use of arpeggios instead of the usual strumming of a full chord. This will help you build up finger memory and independence on your right hand.

3 - The position of your right hand is important when playing fingerpicking styles at a fast speed. Here's some tips to help you out. Play around and try out several ways of positioning your right hand and use the one that you are most comfortable with.

I personally rest the palm of my right hand on the body of the guitar for "anchorage" purposes. By doing this, I also improve the accuracy of my fingerpicking as the anchoring of the palm gives me an idea of where my fingers are exactly.

p.s You might want to bookmark the  easy songs to play on guitar section regularly for updates on videos that help you learn playing the guitar.