Now and then I learn some new country licks and incorporate them into my playing. Country licks always sound so fresh and uplifting. It’s really nice to have a couple of these under your belt.
Today I’ll show you two gorgeous country guitar licks in the video lesson above. You can find the tablature in the post below. You can play the licks slow or fast, they sound great either way.
Sometimes I use these kind of licks at the end of a song. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be a country song. It can be a folk song or anything that has the same vibe as long as it sounds good to your ears.
Country guitar players often use a technique called the hybrid picking technique that involves picking with a pick and one or more fingers alternately or simultaneously.
I won’t be using the hybrid picking technique today, but I will play the licks with just a pick.
If you want to dive deeper into this style of playing then check out some these country guitar virtuosos:
Albert Lee, Brent Mason, Ray Flacke and Jerry Reed. They are the masters of country guitar.
Have fun ya’ll!
COUNTRY LICK #1 (G Major) e--3--0-----------------------------------------------------| B--------3--0-----------------------------------------------| G--------------3--2--0--------------------------------------| D------------------------3--2--0----------------------------| A---------------------------------1h2-----------------------| E--------------------------------------3--------------------|COUNTRY LICK #2 (A Major) e-------3---------------------------------------------------| B--3bu-----3bd--1-------------------------------------------| G------------------2--0-------0--------------2--------------| D------------------------1h2-----2-1-0----------------------| A---------------------------------------3h4------0--------0-| E----------------------------------------------------2bd----|
Bobby Kittleberger says
March 15, 2013 at 4:52 pmI’ve been trying to get into some country guitar playing lately. It just doesn’t come naturally after so many years of rock, though I know the two genres do cross paths a lot lately.
Klaus Crow says
March 16, 2013 at 7:29 amHi Bobby,
You right on that.
I’ts the same with jazz. If you grew up with playing rock and blues and you want to expand your skills and learn to play jazz it’s a tough job, I think jazz players who started with jazz are better off in some ways because they learned to talk like that from the moment they were born.
But then a again what’s a jazz player without any influence of blues. If I may quote Scott Henderson: “I’d rather hear Albert Kind drop his guitar than listen to a traditional jazz player playing 8th notes for a whole solo”.
So mixing up all of these styles rock, country, blues, jazz to any degree is just a great match up and you decide what kind of guitarist you wanna be. As the Dalai Lama would say “Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.”.
I also think it takes some time of practice, getting into the feel of the genre to make it feel more natural to incorporate it into your own style. Be patient and just enjoy the path of learning.
Best regards,
Klaus Crow
Gabe says
April 2, 2013 at 7:52 amgreat stuff man! It’s great that you’re spreading wisdom while educating through art. Your posts have definitely helped progress my playing as well as helped me to wake up early each day which is awesome! I follow a path molded by Paramahansa Yogananda which is very similar to zen in many ways, with yogic meditation practices and embracing the essence of stillness(peace & joy). Humanity is on it’s way for many profound changes and with the help of people such as yourself who bring truth where there is chaos and suffering, the flame of universal consciousness will burn ever more brightly.
Len says
May 23, 2013 at 3:46 pmHey Klaus,
Thanks for this site and all he info! What’s the last chord that you play at the end of Lick #2?
Klaus Crow says
May 25, 2013 at 12:21 pmHi Len,
That’s an A13
A13 = x05677
Best regards,
Klaus Crow
Mike says
June 5, 2014 at 4:29 amI am a slow learner and the way you took your time showing the licks was extremely helpful
Sue says
May 16, 2016 at 4:06 pmStarting with country and working my way thru…should keep me busy for a few years!
Thank you