Learn how to play the country guitar with these easy tips & lessons. Its the best genre to play on the guitar, when it comes to playing for your friends, family and others. Learning the basics of playing the country guitar is also an effective way to quickly take your level up one notch.
Country isn’t dependent on one set of scales, like rock or blues. To play country, you must play over the chords much like a bluegrass or jazz player.
It is no coincidence that many country players are also jazz players and vice versa. Every chord has different lines, chord shapes, or riffs associated with it. The better the player, the more tricks he has for each chord. In country, there are a few basic chords you must be able to play over – C, D, E, G, and A.
Country also uses a great deal of first position playing, based on chord shapes like bluegrass. This means the riffs played revolve around the chord shape, not just the notes in the chord but others around the chord.
Here are some useful lessons.
- Understand the sounds of the Blues pentatonic scale and the bends you can make. The blues guitar sounds are very similar to the country guitar sounds and should be mastered before moving on to country guitar. Learn the blues pentatonic scale and the major chords that go with it.
- Learn how to do bends, add in some jazz anticipations and other non-traditional sounds and you have the makings of country guitar sounds. It is important to make sure you know how to do the different techniques well before playing around with them.
- Listen to some country guitar licks played by giants like country rockers the Allman Brothers, rock and blues icon Eric Clapton and blues and R&B legend BB King. Also listen to country guitarists/singers Vince Gill and Lyle Lovett to hear a more modern country sound that is folksy and bluesy. While they are all slightly different styles of music, the country guitar sounds are similar in all of their music. Listen to the guitar sounds and the flow in their songs, then try to reproduce it on your own guitar.
- Practice the sounds and techniques you have learned. Play along with a country guitar player to hear the likeness between yours and theirs. This will help you play better and learn by ear better and faster, as well. Record yourself playing, then play it back to hear what it sounds like for the audience.
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
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