Anytime you want to learn to play a certain style of music it's extremely important to remember that at least 90% of the sound comes down to how you play and and what you play. Not which guitar you play it on, or which amp or pedals you run it through! Using the right gear and tone can be great down the line, but when you're first starting out there's so much to be learned that you really shouldn't worry about those last 10% until you've gotten all the basic skills down. You can learn all the material on any instrument, and then you can always upgrade or change it down the line. So make sure to always keep that in mind every time we're talking about gear and tone in these tutorials!
For this tutorial you just need a pick and a guitar. It can be a steel-string acoustic like the one I'm using today, which is going to get you the most authentic country sound, but it could also be a classical guitar with nylon strings or even an electric with a clean tone. Cause again, you can learn the material on any guitar, and then you can always upgrade or change it down the line. And when it comes time to upgrade there are companies that make great steel-string acoustics for just a couple of hundred bucks.
For this tutorial you just need a pick and a guitar. It can be a steel-string acoustic like the one I'm using today, which is going to get you the most authentic country sound, but it could also be a classical guitar with nylon strings or even an electric with a clean tone. Cause again, you can learn the material on any guitar, and then you can always upgrade or change it down the line. And when it comes time to upgrade there are companies that make great steel-string acoustics for just a couple of hundred bucks.
Difficulty:



focus:
Rhythm Guitar
style:

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1: The Acoustic Foundation
Basic Country Strumming
- Intro: One-Man Country Band
- Strumming Gear and Tone: Spurs, Picks and Steel Strings
- Strumming All 4
- Accenting 2 and 4
- Adding The Upstroke
- Speeding It Up
- Strumming Pattern Practice Tune
- Strumming Front Porch Practice
Common Country Chords
- Intro: Cowboy Chords!
- Country Chord Gear and Tone
- The First Cousins: G and C
- Bringing It Home: Adding the D
- Partners In Crime: E and A
- The Notorious B7
- Country Chord Practice Tune
- Country Chord Front Porch Practice
Root-Chord Strumming
- Intro: Adding Bass To Your One-Man Band!
- Root-Chord Gear and Tone
- Root-Chord Strumming: E
- Root-Chord Strumming: A
- Root-Chord Strumming: B7
- Root-Chord Strumming: G
- Root-Chord Strumming: C
- Root-Chord Strumming: D
- Root-Chord Practice Tune
- Same Practice Tune: Different Key
Root-5 Strumming
- Sharpest Right Hand In The West!
- Root-5 Gear and Tone
- Root-5 Strumming: E
- Root-5 Strumming: A
- Root-5 Strumming: B7
- Root-5 Strumming: G
- Root-5 Strumming: C
- Root-5 Strumming: D
- Root-5 Practice Tune
- Root-5 Front Porch Practice
Common Chord Progressions
- Intro: Common Chord Combinations
- Country Progressions Gear and Tone
- 8 Bar Country Progression (Ala Jambalaya)
- 8 Bar Country Progression (Ala Hey Good Lookin')
- 12 bar Country Progression (Folsom Prison)
- 16 bar Country Progression (Georgia On a Fast Train)
- Substituting Minor Chords - Part 1
- Substituting Minor Chords - Part 2
Intros and Outros
2: Electric Rhythm Tools – Vol 1.
2 and 4 Barre Chords in Country
- Behind Barre Chords
- Gear and Tone: Electric Twang!
- Barre Chords 6th String Root
- Barre Chords 5th String Root
- Common Country Chord Progression #1
- Common Country Chord Progression #2
- Common Country Chord Progression #3
- Common Country Chord Progression #4
Root/5 Barre Chords In Country
- Bouncing Barre Chords
- Bouncing Barre Chords Gear and Tone
- Barre Chords: Separating The 6th String Root
- Barre Chords: Separating The 5th String Root
- Barre Chords: Finding The 5 (6th String Root)
- Barre Chords: Finding The 5 (5th String Root)
- Barre Chords: Root/5 Practice Tune
Tic Toc Part 1
- Jump On The Tic Toc Train
- Tic Toc Tone!
- Tic Toc - Stripping Down The 6th String Root
- Tic Toc - Stripping Down The 5th String Root
- Tic Toc Practice Tune #1
- Tic Toc Practice Tune #2
Tic Toc Part 2
- Tic Toc Train Taking Off!
- Open Chord Tic Toc Tone
- Tic Toc - Open E-Chord
- Tic Toc - Open A-Chord
- Tic Toc - Open B7-Chord
- Tic Toc - Open G-Chord
- Tic Toc - Open C-Chord
- Tic Toc - Open D-Chord
- Open Chord Tic Toc Practice Tune
Basic Triads In Country
- Boiling Down The Full Chords
- Country Triad Tone
- Dissecting The 6th String Barre Chord
- Dissecting The 5th String Barre Chord
- Adding a Flat 7 - Making It Bluesy
- Adding An Alternating Triad - Honky Tonk Style
- Country Triad Practice Tune
Electric Intros and Outros
3: Country Lead Tools – Vol 1.
Triads, Triads and Triads!
- Cutting Straight To The Chords
- Gear and Tone: Electric Lead Twang
- Triad #1
- Triad #1 - Making It Your Own
- Triad #1 - Following I-, IV- and V
- Triad #1 - Arpeggiating
- Triad #1 - Arpeggiating and Making it Your Own
- Triad #2
- Combining Triad #1 and Triad #2!
On The Pentatonic Trail
- Single Note Stride
- Gear and Tone: Electric Lead Pentatonic Twang
- Major Pentatonic - Top 3 Strings
- Major Pentatonic - Top 3 Strings - Making It Your Own
- Major Pentatonic - D-, G- and B-Strings
- Major Pentatonic - A-, D- and G-Strings
- Major Pentatonic - Bottom 3 Strings
- Changing The Key
When the Blues Scale Becomes Country
- The Magic Note
- Gear and Tone: Electric Lead Twang
- Magic Note On The G-string
- Magic Note On The A-string
- Magic Notes On The B-string
- Using The Full Pattern With The New Notes
- Changing The Key
Standard Country Licks Vol 1.
- Musical Sentences
- Gear and Tone: Electric Lead Licks 1
- Basic Country Lick #1
- Basic Country Lick #1 - Making It Your Own
- Basic Country Lick #2
- Basic Country Lick #3
- Combining All 3 Licks
- Coming Up With Licks
Combining It All
4: Electric Rhythm Tools – Vol 2.
Adding Melody Lines
- Welcome: Rhythm and Lead Overlapping
- Gear and Tone: Melodic Rhythm Tone
- Walk-up Lead-in
- Using Walk-up's in Chord Progression
- Walk-downs!
- Classic Filler Lick
- Melodic Lines Practice Tune!
Arpeggios in Country
- Welcome: Many Pieces To a Pie
- Arpeggio Gear and Tone
- Arpeggiating the A-major Shaped Barre-chord
- Arpeggiating the E-major Shaped Barre-chord
- Arpeggiating the Open Chords
- 6/8 Arpeggiation
Pedal Steel Sounds
- Welcome: When The Lonesome Whistle Blows
- Pedal Steel Tone Gear & Tone!
- Basic Bending Technique
- Adding A Pinkie Note
- Alternative Pedal Steel Lick
- The Tough One: Bends On G-string
- Pedal Steel Practice Tune
Country Chord Licks
- Welcome – Welcome To The Honky Tonks
- Chord Lick Tone!
- Cash'y Chord Lick
- Adding the 6th
- Introducing The Boogie Pattern
- Boogie Pattern – A major shaped Barre Chord
- Boogie Pattern – E major shaped Barre Chord
- Chord Lick Practice Tune!
Country Finger Picking
5: Country Lead Tools – Vol 2.
Half Step Below
- Welcome: The Jazzy Touch
- Half Step Gear and Tone
- Half Step Below - Finding The Notes
- Half Step Below – Let's Try a Lick!
- More Half Steps
- Half Step Below – Let's Try Another Lick!
- Something Old – Something New (Mixing In the Half Step Below Approach)
Chicken Pickin'
- Pluckin' and Pickin'
- Chicken Picking Gear and Tone
- Find The Notes and the Right Hand Technique
- Your First Chicken Picking Lick!
- Improvising With Your First Chicken Picking Lick!
- Another Chicken Picking Lick!
- Improvising With the New Chicken Picking Lick!
Pedal Steel Lead
- Pedal Steel Train Takin' Off
- Pedal Steel Licks Gear and Tone
- Repeating The Pedal Steel Patterns
- Improvising with Pedal Steel Pattern #1
- Improvising with Pedal Steel Pattern #2
- Improvising with Pedal Steel Pattern #3
- Mixing In the Pedal Steel Patterns
Double Stoppin'
- When Two Notes Become One
- Double Stop Gear and Tone
- Double Stops – Chord Tones and Tension Notes
- Your First Double Stop Lick!
- Improvising With Your First Double Stop Lick!
- Extending The Double Stop Lick!
- Improvising With The Extended Double Stop Lick!
Acoustic Lead Playing Vol. 1
- Ditch The Voltage
- Acoustic Lead Gear and Tone
- Acoustic – Transferring the Electric Vocabulary
- Acoustic – Open Position Vocabulary
- Adapting The Classic Country Licks To The Open Position
- Your First Acoustic Lick
- Improvising with Your First Acoustic Lick
- Using a Capo to Change The Key
Acoustic Lead Playing Vol. 2
6: Country Gear and Tone
Twangy Guitars
- Twang Time!
- Telecaster AKA “Tellyâ€
- Stratocaster AKA “Stratâ€
- Jazzy Hollowbody – Gibson 335
- The Bigsby / Vibrato Arm
- Acoustic Guitars – Nylon Vs. Steel Strings
Country Amp
- Firin' Up An Actual Amp!
- Trusty Old Telly
- What's What?!
- Channel 1: Getting A Basic Sound
- Channel 2: Adding Some Reverb and Tremolo
- Channel 2: Adding Overdrive
- Channel 2: Adding Overdrive with Pedal
Slap Back Delay
- Welcome . . . (welcome . . . welcome . . . )
- Basic Delay Knobs
- Slap Back Delay
- Slap Back Delay With Rhythm - Setting The Knobs
- Ambient Washy Delay for Pedal Steel
The Jokers

More ReviewsI find it quite easy (so far!) to navigate, and found the "where do I start" to be very helpful! I'm getting there!!
I LOVE the forum, too. I've never been one to use forums, but the GT forum is full of great people and helpful information at ALL levels! Congrats on a WONDERFUL site!!
Good job!