Country Lessons Course

Now that you're familiar with the basic foundation that most country songs are built on, which is the acoustic guitar strumming chords, it's time start exploring how an electric guitar might compliment these basic parts. Although the electric and acoustic guitars are similar in many ways, the roles they play within the band are very different. The acoustic guitar covers the basic harmony, so the electric guitar is actually more of a rhythm instrument in this context.

Introducing common strumming patterns in Country, applied to a one chord groove. Start with all 4, then accent 2 and 4, then add the upstroke so it's "1, 2-and, 3, 4-and".

Introducing some of the most common open chords used in country with the basic strumming from the previous tutorial.

Showing some of most basic chord progressions used in country.

Now that you know some of the most common chord progressions used in country, it's time to look at some of the most common ways to lead into and out of these progressions or any given chord progression for that matter. In the context of a song this would be called adding "intros" and "outros". There are of course endless variations on each of these examples, but in this tutorial we'll explore the most basic and common versions of intros and outros used in country songs.

This tutorial on the Boom-Chick Strumming pattern was inspired by our site to show you how useful it is. In the first four lessons I show you the pattern using the 1, 4, and 5 chord in the key of A, followed by a progression in the next lesson. I change to a 16th note pattern with a D chord in the fifth lesson, and then finish up with a D progression using the 16th note strumming pattern.

Now that you're familiar with the most basic application of barre-chords in a Country Context, let's take it one step further by adding the classic root/5 bass movement, just like we did on acoustic guitar earlier.

Introducing the 5 and the root-5 strumming.

Introducing the concept of separating the root note and alternating between that and the chord. Applied to all the chords from tutorial 2.

In this tutorial we're going to explore one of the most quintessential electric country rhythm tools. This tool is a rhythmic and percussive approach often referred to as "Tic Toc" guitar parts and I'm sure you'll recognize the sound of it!

By the end of this tutorial you should be able to combine the boom-chick strumming technique with barre chords rooted on the E string.

These lessons will combine all of the fundamentals we've studied into stage ready progresssions. We'll use: open chords, barre chords, power chords, strumming, ghost strumming, boom-chick strumming, arpeggiation, and muting and more. Putting these in combinations with each other means you are getting stronger as a player and you are that much closer to being ready to go and play with others.

There are 3 chords in the 12 Bar Blues Form. When you treat each chord as if it were its own key, you can create great riffs around each key. We will walk you through many examples of how this is done and put you on the path to hearing and creating your own great ideas.

Basic chords in a few keys are used to show some basic country embellishment techniques.

Shows how to approach playing various single note embellishments within barre chords.

This tutorial explains basic arpeggiation: arpeggio means "broken chord". When you break chords down, you put together some of the nicest progressions and riffs in the style.

This tutorial will give you a better chord vocabulary. No longer will those pesky 7s, 11s, 13s and so forth be a mystery to you. This tutorial will get you ready for the progressions that follow.

Functional Harmony and the Nashville Number System are the foundations to country songwriting, session work and gigging. Here is a brief look at both.

In this series of lessons, more complex rhythms will be used to create the strumming patterns used by artists today. Also, more complex muting will be used to give your strumming a more percussive sound.

Hybrid picking is a hybrid of using a pick and using the fingers to get a snappy, chicken picking sound. This series of lessons will get you started with solid techniques that will get your hybrid picking fundamentals down.

These lessons will teach you to make the most of your regular chords. We'll learn 9 Major chord inversions and 9 Minor chord inversions and put them into real time. This will put real spice in your rhythm and lead guitar.

Learning the basic rhythmic subdivisions of 8th notes, triplets and 16th notes is the basis for solid pickin'. Practicing the CAGED system using these rhythms will supercharge your chops and make learning licks easier.

This series of lesson will give you the basic preparation to start making licks of the CAGED scales. We'll learn techniques that give your licks feel and style.

Anders starts exploring the concept of "licks" as a language of musical statements. He takes the ideas learned in previous course tutorials and show you how to use them as the building blocks as a starting point for your own country style improvisation.

Anders shows how basic triads can be used a basic introduction to playing solos and lead parts in a Country context.

Anders will explore the top 3 strings of the A major pentatonic scale. He'll use the A major barre chord with the root on the 6th string and make a basic Country lead pattern.

In these lessons we'll learn the basic G run and then show you how to create variations based on the run. From the very simple to the mindblowingly complex, this run will change how you play (excuse me, "pick") the guitar.

This tutorial covers many exercises and ways of speeding up your pick and fingers. Use these exercises to build the chops necessary to play hot licks, scales and riffs.

This tutorial on basic hybrid picking exercises was inspired by a young man who asked me how to get started hybrid picking. I'll show you a variety of exercises that you can do to develop your hybrid picking. In the first five lessons I'll show you some basic exercises using the A, G, E, C, and D chords. Next I'll show you a couple using barre chords, and then how to alternate the bass notes using the A, D, C, and B chords.

This tutorial of hybrid picking exercises was inspired by pickers I've met while performing, and they wanted to know how to get started hybrid picking. These five easy exercises are all root/5 picking patterns, with alternating bass notes. First I'll show you exercises using E, and then A barre chord formations. Then I'll show you similar exercises using the other basic chords.

This tutorial on playing in thirds was inspired when I was trying to think of useful concepts, that would teach some basic ideas for starting to solo. I've put together 4 combinations, and used these shapes in eight positions. I'll play the notes at the same time, and then I'll split them up. I'm starting in the 3rd fret, and I'll move it up to the 15th fret using the musical alphabet.

This tutorial on string bending was inspired by a few subscribers in the forum, that wanted to know how to start bending strings. I started with useful tips, followed by sixteen lessons using whole tone bends on the B string. In the first eight I'm bending the 2nd note of the scale up to the 3rd. In the next eight I'm bending the 4th note of the scale up to the 5th, and close with tips on how to use them.

Country music has a great library of classic lead guitar licks. Some of these licks borrow heavily from the blues. The main focus of these lessons will be the tool that is the staple of blues lead guitar: The Minor Pentatonic Scale. We will discuss how to apply this scale to the progression you are playing and create great riffs using the scale. The concept of lead guitar is discussed further in the next level of the Country style, but this will give you a taste of what is to come. It's an essential way that country music borrows from the blues.

This series of lesson will give you the basic preparation to start making licks of the CAGED scales. We'll learn techniques that give your licks feel and style.

This tutorial on chicken pickin' was inspired by a subscriber in the forum although I've been meaning to do this for a while. I'll show you these concepts followed by a lick in the style of their creators. One method is the popular hybrid pickin' concept and the other method uses the flat pick. Next I'll cover what chicken pickin' is today and share some licks that every chicken picker should know.

This tutorial will give you the basic scale shapes needed to play in any key on the entire neck.

Learning the basic rhythmic subdivisions of 8th notes, triplets and 16th notes is the basis for solid pickin'. Practicing the CAGED system using these rhythms will supercharge your chops and make learning licks easier.

These lessons put the rubber on the road. It's time to learn licks that use everything we've learned so far: CAGED scales, rhythmic subdivisions, articulations and playing in real time. Here are some of the licks that built Nashville.

Hybrid picking is a hybrid of using a pick and using the fingers to get a snappy, chicken picking sound. This series of lessons will get you started with solid techniques that will get your hybrid picking fundamentals down.

This series of lessons will give you what you need to know about the country fill. We'll look at common fills using the scales and chords you know.

This double stops tutorial was inspired by some pickers I met on the road, they all wanted to know how I was playing these licks. The first two lessons are a 1, 4, 5 progression in G, and then I'll show you a few double stop tricks. I'll also combine some other techniques like string bending, with the hybrid picking licks, and then a G progression using open chords.

This double stop progression was inspired by some pickers I've met while performing, and they wanted to know how I put these licks together. The first one is mostly double stops, but there are hammer ons, pull offs, even string bending in the next three. I'll show you the licks in the 1, 4, and 5 chords, and play them with the "Med A 1-4-5 Progression Jam" in our jam station.

Material from this tutorial builds upon material from the previous two tutorial sessions, Double Stops - How They Work and More About Double Stops. This tutorial introduces 5ths and 7ths as components of double stops and gives multiple examples of how to play them.

Parallel thirds (double stops) are commonly used in many styles of guitar playing. Both non-inverted and inverted thirds are used. Unfortunately, it's not a nice and neatly packaged concept. We commonly move back and forth between both types while playing the same song. The learner will understand the differences between the two types upon completion of this tutorial.

Red Wing is an old American traditional fiddle tune which for this tutorial series has been arranged and adapted to the guitar. This arrangement greatly takes advantage of the use of hammers and pulloffs in order to play it. The learner will understand the differences between split string and adjacent string pulloffs.

I have received e-mails from subscribers requesting more lessons on double-stops similar to what was done on the lesson for the Wabash Cannonball. This song Wildwood Flower is the next in the series.

In these seven guitar lessons, Mike Olekshy will teach you "Folsom Prison Blues," by Johnny Cash. Mike will provide an overview of the song, and talk about the gear and different tones. The acoustic boom-chick part will be next, followed by the electric boom-chick part. Mike will then dish out that sweet solo for us. Next comes the play-along performance, and then we'll end with a jam along where you take over.

In this set of eight videos, Anders Mouridsen will be teaching you the country/tex-mex classic, "El Paso", by Marty Robbins. Anders will talk about the gear and tone, then break down the intro lead and the intro and verse chords. Then Anders will mosey on to the chorus of the song, followed by showing you some tex-mex soloing techniques. We'll finish up with a full performance play along, and a jam along with the backing track.

Mike will show you all the great parts in this song: power chords, diad boogie rhythms, suspended chords, and some harmonized lead concepts.

In this set of lessons Mike Olekshy will teach you "I've Been Everywhere", as recorded by Johnny Cash. After introducing the song, Mike will lay out the free-time chords and strumming in the song's intro. Then we'll launch into the chorus of the tune at tempo, learning the chords and strumming rhythm. Next up is the verse, followed by the final chorus outro. We'll end with a play along performance, then you'll take over in the jam along.

Mike will show why this is a country classic that features textbook acoustic strumming and soloing, as well as some great parts played on electric. You can learn the solo and all the fills or just play the whole tune using only one guitar all the way through.

In these ten videos, Tom Finch will teach you "Amie", by Pure Prairie League. After an overview of the song and and a look at gear and tones, Tom will break down the intro and verse acoustic parts. The verse electric fills are next, then it's on to the chorus acoustic part and the chorus electric fills. Tom will then teach you the acoustic solo, and the outro/ending of the tune. For the finale we'll do a play along, the you'll jam alone with the band.

Caren will show you this classic, which is old school country music at it's best, with lots of pedal steel and back ground vocals to sweeten things up. Take that away and you have the rhythm guitar part that carries the core of the song.

In this tutorial, Caren Armstrong will teach a campfire version of "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue", as made famous by Crystal Gayle. Caren will introduce the song then look at the acoustic tones before talking about the rhythm and strumming. The breakdowns of the intro and 1st two verses are next, then we'll learn the bridge before we go to verse 3. We'll learn the song ending, then the theme melody; we'll end with a play along.

This tutorial was inspired by a great country classic from the legendary Merle Haggard in 1968. This song is one of the most requested, and it can still be heard several times a day on lower Broadway in Nashville. We'll learn the verse and chorus chord progressions, the signature intro lick, the solo and tone, the dobro parts, and there's an acoustic and electric play along to boot!

In this tutorial, Henrik Linde will teach "Drivin' My Life Away", as made famous by Eddie Rabbitt. We'll start with a song introduction and a look at the gear and tone, then drive right into the intro and the acoustic verses. The acoustic and electric chorus parts are next, then the interlude on both guitars. We'll learn the electric verses and variations before we do full and single guitar performances, then you'll take over in the jam along.

"Crazy" is a great example of that wonderful mixture of the down home country vibe and the jazzier harmony and more elaborate production that was popular in Nashville at that time. But in it's essence, this song is all about the vocals and the heart breaking message the lyrics are conveying. So everything the guitar is playing is working to support that.

Mike will show you both iconic parts to this county classic from the clean electric guitar that chicken picks its way through some killer old school country rhythms and leads to the acoustic guitar that lays a solid foundation with open chords and boom-chick strumming.

In this tutorial, Mike Olekshy will teach "Always On My Mind", as made famous by Willie Nelson. Mike will introduce the song then dig right into the intro; then into the verse chords and strumming. We'll examine the chorus chords next, then learn bridge before we take on the guitar solo. We'll do a full performance, then a single guitar performance; we'll cap it all off with a "guitar karaoke" jam along.

In this tutorial Caren Armstrong will teach you the country classic "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys" as made famous by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. Acoustic strumming and campfire story telling on tap!

In this set of lessons, Caren Armstrong will teach you a beginner version of "El Paso", by Marty Robbins. Caren will start with an overview of what she'll be teaching, then show you all the chords you'll need to play the song. After the chords, you'll learn the rhythm and strumming pattern; then we're on to the song structure. Next is a slow play-through, then a play along up to speed, and you'll finish with the jam along.

In these lessons, Douglas Showalter will teach you "Wide Open Spaces", by The Dixie Chicks. Douglas will introduce the song and talk about the gear and tones, then break down the song intro. Verses 1 and 2 are next up, then the chorus parts; then we'll look at verse 3. Lesson seven breaks down the solo section, after which we'll examine the final verse and the outro. We'll conclude with a full performance, a single guitar performance, and a jam along.

In this set of beginner song lessons, Caren Armstrong will teach you "Wide Open Spaces", by The Dixie Chicks. We'll start with an overview of the song, then take a look at different capos and how to use them. Next up is a breakdown of the chords in the song, followed by the strumming pattern. Then we'll look at the song form and do a slow-play; we'll conclude with a play along performance then a jam along.

In this series of country song lessons, Ben Lindholm will teach you "I Walk The Line" by Johnny Cash. Ben will introduce the song to you, then talk about the tuning, tones, and time, and give you some tips on learning the song. There's a twist on a "snare" drum that Ben will show you before he launches into the intro riff. Next up are the five verses in a row, and we'll finish up with a performance play along and a jam along where you take over.

This country classic features an easy chord progression, some cool hybrid picking, as well as some modulating chords that create a nice build in the song. The two guitars playing throughout the recording can be combined into one easy part with using a capo!

Caren will show you a made easy, beginner version of this great country classic with an acoustic guitar part that is perfectly suited to playing along with the band.

In these lessons Mike Olekshy will teach "Guitars, Cadillacs", by Dwight Yoakam. After setting up the song and discussing gear and tone, Mike will break down the intro electric lick. Then it's time to learn the acoustic guitar part that occurs throughout the song; we'll follow that with the fill licks in the verse and chorus. Next up are the solos, then we'll do full and single guitar performances. To conclude, you'll take over in the jam along.

This tutorial breaks the classic country staple down to its basic elements: Great boom-chick strumming, hooks that sell millions of records (or downloads for you net savvy hipsters), and well-crafted harmony guitars. Let's get to it!

In this set of five lessons, Andy Gurley will show you how to play the country standard "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", as made famous by Hank Williams. Andy will dig into the boom-chick strumming in 3/4 time, the lead fills, and as a bonus he'll teach you a solo based on the vocal melody. To close it out, we'll play along with whole song.

In the list of traditional country standards, this is one of the most popular. The 1970 country music Song of the Year is a longstanding classic that features many must-know techniques: solid acoustic strumming, hybrid-picking acoustic guitar and standard electric guitar fills. Learning this song is taking Country 101. Merle Haggard helped write the textbook while the guitarists helping him on this tune were none other than session legends Jerry Reed and James Burton. Get out your solid timing and taste and let's learn Okie From Muskogee.

This is a non-playing lesson series meant to give you an idea of how to practice and set goals that better you as a musician. Music is a performance art that is driven by YOU and your interaction with others. Make the most of it!

Now it's time to try combining all of these techniques, but in order to avoid overwhelming you with options, we'll explore the different combinations one at a time, before we put it all together at the end.

In this chapter we've explored a whole bunch of new tricks and techniques, and it's always important to take a little extra time to repeat and explore all of the new vocabulary, before you move onto the next thing. So in this tutorial we'll look at some of the best combinations of the different lead tools we've explored in this chapter, and try them out over a backing track.

This series of lessons, Ned Luberecki will detail the technique used by guitar players to emulate the fingerpicked roll style made famous on the banjo. First you will learn how to do basic rolls, then we'll look at a forward roll within a chord progression. Last we'll look at banjo rolls using a regular pick.

This tutorial on string bending behind the nut was inspired by a previous tutorial on B bender guitar. I'll show you how to do this with the left hand, and also using the right hand. Then I'll show you how this works with open chords, and also the barre chord positions. Some of these will work by bending the string a whole tone, and some work by bending the string up only a half tone.

This tutorial on string bending behind the nut was inspired by a previous tutorial on this technique. I'll show you how to do it with the left hand, and also the right hand. Then I'll show you how it works with open chords, and also barre chord positions. Some of these work by bending the string up a whole tone, and others work by bending the string up only a half tone.

This B-bender guitar tutorial was inspired by a subscriber in the forum, that had recently gotten one of theses guitars. In the first lesson I'll describe this device, tell you how it works, and use it to complete an A chord. Then I'll show you a two finger bending combination, and then the same one using a bar instead. Both of these concept's are useful, and can lead to some great licks.

This tutorial on B-bender guitar was inspired by a subscriber in the forum, that had recently gotten one of these guitars. I'll show you several ways to use a B-bender with open chords, and how it works with E formation barre chords. Next a few ways to use it with a G chord, and then the A formation barre chords. Some of these only work with a whole tone bend, and others only work with a half tone bend.

in this lesson series we will learn a traditional country progression, techniques to play that progression, tone and equipment choices to sound like the masters, and who to check out to hear examples of great Traditional Country music.

In this series of lessons we'll explore some of the techniques and equipment necessary to play in the Brent Mason style. We'll show you a couple of example licks that use hybrid picking, inversions, and arpeggiation, and talk about how to get that Brent Mason style tone.

In this series of lessons we'll check out the best players to hear in order to learn the Western Swing style and the way to play a chord progression using the right techniques and equipment for this style.

In this series, the guitarist will know how to treat a chord progression in the style of masters Chet Atkins and Merle Travis and what choices to make to play this style with great tone and equipment. This series also gives a great list of references so that you know which players and recordings to check out to master this style.

In this lesson series we'll look at masters of the Modern Country style and learn which techniques and equipment to use to transform any chord progression into a Modern Country masterpiece.

In this tutorial, I'll first introduce the elements of the Chet Atkins style; then for those of you new to fingerpicking, I'll also talk about how to use a thumbpick and fingers. We'll learn two pieces that I wrote - to learn how to play rhythm and melody at the same time - then walk through those pieces measure by measure, looking at both the right and left hands. Finally, we'll walk through several "banjo rolls" with Atkins-style chords.

In this series of eight lessons, Andy Gurley will introduce you to the picking styles of Chet Atkins and Merle Travis. First up is the basic picking hand motion, then you'll start developing the use of your thumb. Adding finger syncopation is next, then we'll examine a progression using our basic pattern. Then it's time to develop independence with your fingers and thumb, and we'll conclude with some moveable shapes and final thoughts.

In this tutorial we'll give you an overview of the Telecaster, Strat, and Les Paul tone controls and pickups, plus getting tones from an acoustic guitar. Each of these guitars are commonly used in country music, and in these lessons you'll get an idea of how they sound and the role they play in country music.

In these lessons we take a look at amplifier setups in order to achieve great country tone. We'll introduce you to both tube and solid state amps, then learn about EQ controls and how equalization affects your tone. We'll demonstrate volume controls and how volume changes tone as well, then look at various settings you can use on your amp.

Yes, effects are used in country music! Here we'll travel down a chain of commonly used effects in country music and hear how each can affect your tone. We'll teach you some ways you can use and tweak overdrive, compression, chorus, delay, tremolo, phaser, and a volume pedal to achieve killer country tone.

This tutorial contains lessons on some miscellaneous components that will affect the tones to get in your country playing. We'll hear how using a pick affects your tone, then how things sound when you play with your fingers. We'll get into the sound of the slide next, then look at the use of a capo.