Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
I came up with the name Infinity Pattern as a way to describe the creative feeling I have about this handy arpeggio fingering that starts on a major third. I never heard Bill Monroe do this, but to me it is an extension of the way he would play often two octave arpeggios starting on the root.
Here we're looking at the context of two of our favorite teacher songs, Blue Ridge Cabin Home and Your Love is Like a Flower. We use them a lot because they are simple and user-friendly for adapting new concepts in lead and in this case backup.
This Infinirt pattern works well from Eb to A or so coming off the G string and can be adapted in pieces for chords starting on the D string also, but is really optimized for beginning on the G string major third.
Please consider supporting this channel by becoming a Patron at
patreon.com/noyamountainmusic
if you'd like to send a tip: Venmo: @Christopher-henry02 or Paypal: @noyamountain
For the full line of Noya Mountain Music mandolin courses and videos please visit:
noyamountainmusic.com
email christopher@noyamountainmusic.com for private lessons or questions.
I came up with the name Infinity Pattern as a way to describe the creative feeling I have about this handy arpeggio fingering that starts on a major third. I never heard Bill Monroe do this, but to me it is an extension of the way he would play often two octave arpeggios starting on the root.
Here we're looking at the context of two of our favorite teacher songs, Blue Ridge Cabin Home and Your Love is Like a Flower. We use them a lot because they are simple and user-friendly for adapting new concepts in lead and in this case backup.
This Infinirt pattern works well from Eb to A or so coming off the G string and can be adapted in pieces for chords starting on the D string also, but is really optimized for beginning on the G string major third.
Please consider supporting this channel by becoming a Patron at
patreon.com/noyamountainmusic
if you'd like to send a tip: Venmo: @Christopher-henry02 or Paypal: @noyamountain
For the full line of Noya Mountain Music mandolin courses and videos please visit:
noyamountainmusic.com
email christopher@noyamountainmusic.com for private lessons or questions.




![Bill Monroes The Lick [Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Improvising Device Lesson]
The Lick is one of the most quintessential Bill Monroe improvising devices that he first recorded in 1954 on White House Blues. He used it a lot later in his career on Bluegrass Breakdown and this can be very powerful to unlock for creative abstractions away from the melody in a switch-and-swap concept.
Its a two bar device in the modern count and can connect wonderfully with other Monroe Style Devices lick Minor-Major Lick and The Scooper. If a student can pick this up, it can instantly add a lot of classic bluegrass flavor and texture into your jam session breaks and garner respect from experienced aficionados. You might find yourself getting a nod, smile, or a kind word from folks who know Bills music well.
Please consider supporting this channel by becoming a Patron at
http://patreon.com/noyamountainmusic
if youd like to send a tip: Venmo: @Christopher-henry02 or Paypal: @noyamountain
For the full line of Noya Mountain Music mandolin courses and videos please visit:
https://noyamountainmusic.com
email christopher@noyamountainmusic.com for private lessons or questions.
Happy Picking! Bill Monroes The Lick [Advanced Bluegrass Mandolin Improvising Device Lesson]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jn9enhjShQY/mqdefault.jpg)

![4 Mini Lessons [to strengthen your ear]
Here are four great lessons for learning important foundational skills in bluegrass mandolin with a focus on understanding important improvisational concepts especially through a Monroe Style lens.
SIngle stroke arpeggios through chord forms is a wonderful way to develop creative confidence and improve muscle memory through chord forms. Here we are demonstrating with Blue Ridge Cabin Home, a classic jam session standard.
Little Maggie is a super standard that has the flat 7 chord in it so it can be a wonderful place to starnd understanding the infinity pattern for improvising.
Salt Creek is another must-know jam tune. Here were checking into staggered argpeggios and also touching back with the infinity pattern.
For the last mini-lesson, were back to Blue Ridge Cabin Home, but this time using the staggered arpeggio Monroe Device to color the chords, then demonstrating how to switch and swap with the melody which is a crucial threshold for learning to improvise.
Please consider supporting this channel by becoming a Patron at
http://patreon.com/noyamountainmusic
if youd like to send a tip: Venmo: @Christopher-henry02 or Paypal: @noyamountain
For the full line of Noya Mountain Music mandolin courses and videos please visit:
https://noyamountainmusic.com
email christopher@noyamountainmusic.com for private lessons or questions. 4 Mini Lessons [to strengthen your ear]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kDijHRDq7GE/mqdefault.jpg)



