How To Play Country Songs On Guitar?
The American cultural fabric includes country music. It’s already developing into brand-new musical genres with elements of hip-hop, rock, and more. And if you enjoy country music, you could be interested in picking up the guitar and learning a few simple country tunes. Every country song on the list uses simple chords and works well with an acoustic or electric guitar. Storytelling is at the center of country music, with the singer’s tales of love, heartbreak, and bar stool sadness serving as the central theme. The bulk of country songs use common major and minor chords, and the majority of songs in the canon are formed using just three or four chords. As a result, the harmonic content is typically kept quite simple. Let’s dive deeper into “How To Play Country Songs On Guitar?” topic.
Because of the relatability of the material, it offers: story-songs about trials, relationships, pleasures, and even historical events, country music has been a cornerstone in American society. No matter where you are, a well-timed country ballad will fit you well. As a guitarist, country music provides you with something no other genre can. The snaps and twangs of a guitar progression cut deep and compliment the melody well, whether accompanied by the upbeat rumble of a piano or the delicate resonance of a pedal steel guitar. It’s no surprise that country music is a favorite of many seasoned guitarists.
Learning to play country music is a rewarding experience due to the genre’s distinct tone. To emulate the sounds of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, and others, one must first learn the key country guitar playing skills. Here are a few to get you started!
How To Play Country Songs On Guitar? | A Brief History of Country Music
Country music evolved from blending Black southern gospel and American folk influences. Folk music evolved from numerous cultures in the United States melting pot, with the most prominent forms coming from the Appalachian mountains and the cowboy culture of the southwest.
Meanwhile, the church gospel had evolved into ragtime, jazz, swing, and R&B quickly nicknamed rock and roll. An emphasized backbeat distinguishes R&B and rock on beats 2 and 4, as well as the prominent use of blues scales. Because of the enormous manufacture of recordings in the 1950s, practically every musical genre incorporated rock and dance backbeats into their sound.
The technology was fantastic, but the music was largely sold to divide audiences, resulting in particular genres having social identities. Even though some country songs used R&B elements, it was largely sold to white audiences. Rockabilly was initially rebellious, but country music became a more socially acceptable sound.
After the 1960s, it was divide into two types of bands: those that were more folk-like and didn’t use drums, and those that did use drums and were more country rock. Bluegrass was the folk-oriented extremity of the country, while country-rock gave rise to genres such as Country & Western, Southern Rock, Americana, and roots rock.
Country music has expanded in many ways by the turn of the century. However, even newer bands that employ it continue to use the same musical motifs.
The Acoustic Guitar Playing In Country Music
Few things go better together than country music and acoustic guitar. Since the early years of country music, when founders like Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family promote the sound of the acoustic guitar, the two genres have been inextricably linked. The acoustic guitar has remained a cornerstone of country music for decades, featuring on albums from Hank Williams and Patsy Cline to George Strait and Garth Brooks.
One of the most significant aspects of country music is the bass line. Even if you have no ambition of becoming a professional guitarist, there are countless benefits to studying country music. A typical country bass line consists of two cycles between the chord’s root and the fifth. Strumming chords is entirely acceptable in country music. Single-note riffs may be use more effectively, especially if you want to create a country mood.
There isn’t any pattern for bass or chord strumming; the lowest note marks the strumming rhythm’s beginning and end. Choose the C on the third fret of the fifth string and strum from the fourth string down to make a C chord. This approach is popular in other instruments and is employed in several genres, including country and bluegrass guitars. Use your bass line to locate the bass line in a chord.
How To Play Country Songs On Guitar? | Which Country Song Is the Easiest to Play on Acoustic Guitar?
There are several easy country tunes to learn to play on acoustic guitar. Many of them include only a few chords and employ simple strumming patterns. If you’re just starting, try some of these songs: Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line,” Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” Hank Williams’ “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” Hank Williams’ “Jambalaya (On the Bayou)” Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” Hank Williams’ “Hey, Good Lookin'” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.”
Dolly Parton’s song “Jolene” is an impassioned plea from one lady to another. Jaime Wyatt gives the classic a new, grungy spin. Willie Nelson’s “One the Road Again” is a traditional country ballad with a rhythm guitarist and a road tale. Learn how to fingerpick Hank Williams’ jambalaya (on the bayou) and Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” are fingerpickers. Residents in small towns may all be hear singing John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.” Carrie Underwood’s latest single, “Blown Away,” is widely regard as the frontrunner for the Queen of Country honor. In Blown Away, you can get there with just one chord sequence.
In country music…
Alternating strumming and string muting methods are essential, as seen in Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors. Guitar Secrets, Cadillacs by Dwight Yoakam teaches beginning guitarists how to pick and down pick 16th notes. John Hurt’s version of “I Shall Not Be Moved” has been recorded by Johnny Cash, Son House, and Elvis Presley, among others. Jaime Wyatt’s tenacity shows through in songs like “Just a Woman” and Brad Paisley’s “He’s Not Having to Be,” both of which employ one-finger chords to simplify chords and rhythms. Willie Nelson’s song Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Go mothers not to leave their children alone.
The cowboy lifestyle is ramblin’, as reflected by the song’s ambling fingerpicking approach. Merle Haggard’s I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink is a fantastic tune to learn how to execute. You may learn various country classics, like shuffle strumming with this tune.
How To Play Country Songs On Guitar? | The 3 Cowboy Chords
These simple open chords, sometimes known as cowboy chords, may be play on the fretting hand with only three fingers: index, middle, and ring. They all have no notes beyond the third fret, making it easy to move between them when performing a solo.
Simple chords, such as cowboy chords, are usually consider the most basic method to play the guitar. Because of its open strings, the open chord is a guitar chord that only takes three fingers to play. Because of the usage of cowboy chord strings, many old guitars only exhibit indications of wear at the first fret. After fret five, just a couple of our frets are worn. You should complete the entire operation when doing a refret, whether it is a full or partial refret. While using a partial refret on most electric guitars is allow, it is not always the case.
This trio of chords can help you enhance your chord-playing abilities or teach you new chords for the first time. Because there are no requirements for playing the G, C, or D keys, you can use them in a wide range of music. If you want to try something different, use your first finger to play the first-fret F on string one instead of the G chord.
What Are The Chords Used In Country Music?
These chords are widely use in country music. The chord progression may be found in the verse, chorus, or bridge of the majority of popular country songs.
Country and western music have long been a part of American culture. Suppose you know how you’ll be able to recognize a few basic chords and figure out how you can fit them together in standard country song patterns. The first and most significant thing you should know about Country is that there will be a lot of major and dominant 7th chords. There are several basic chord progressions for the I-IV-V-I scale in country music, but they are not the only way to go. Listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Hillbilly Blues for a different take on how those Major chords may fit into the country sound. This is a sample of a variation you can hear if you listen to country music.
How To Play Country Songs On Guitar? | Essential Guitar Techniques for Country Guitar Playing
Open String Runs
Country music has many cascading and shimmering tones. This is from the technique—some may say “philosophy”—of alternating between open strings and fretted notes for licks and riffs. The form is incredibly showy and works well in acoustic and electric guitar solos. The open strings are important aspects of these licks because they emphasize notes and key changes.
To begin practicing your open string runs, apply them to the E minor pentatonic scale, which uses all six strings. Given that you’re hitting a lot of open strings don’t be afraid to utilize pull-offs to achieve a sharper sound – after all, just because it’s country doesn’t mean you can’t throw in some bluesy flavor.
Hybrid-Picked Double-Stop Lines
With hybrid picking, you may play lengthy, flowing melodies that sound wonderful and lend a unique edge to any song.
Hybrid-picked double-stops, also known as two-note chords, serve as a short, harmonized chord in and of itself and as the basis for melodies and guitar solos. This method is clear, uncomplicated, and unmistakably rural.
Picking a lower string (low E or A) while plucking a higher string (high E or B) is an example of how double-stops work; this picking and plucking action can occur simultaneously or independently. The idea is to alternate between picking with the guitar and plucking with the free fingers of your strumming hand. Adding some slides around the neck gives your music a broader sound, especially the bass note of the chord and continuing through on the strings.
This style is normally play with downstrokes, but you can add some up strums on the chickas to distinguish the two alternating portions. You may perform this on several chords, but the typical E chord is a good place to start, with your bottom notes alternating between the E and A strings. For a more uptempo rhythm, use the D chord, moving between the D and A strings for your bottom notes.
This method can be perform at either a slow or quick pace. In reality, you may start slowly and quickly increase the speed, much like the velocity of the trains Johnny often sang about.
Country Scales
Because the country is such a vast genre, there is a huge selection of scales. A “country-fried” rendition of the pentatonic scale would be their finest.
This pentatonic scale includes a flat third and the usual major pentatonic scale. With this scale, you’re hitting the root, the second, the flat third, the third, the fifth, the sixth, and the root again. Begin by practicing the action in a simple key, such as G and C, using your first, second, and third fingers.
You’ll get it down in no time, and once you do, you’ll be able to locate hundreds of licks and fillers for your country song by adding bends and dropdowns.
Don’t try to learn all these methods at once; start with the country scales and work through the two-note chords. Starting with something you’re already acquaint with (for example, the pentatonic scale) and simply mixing it up will do wonders for your country’s style. Listen to a selection of country music from various decades along the road. Starting with Hank Williams and progressing through today’s top-tier country performers (e.g., Brad Paisley), you’ll get a solid sense of the significant role guitar plays in country music and how it – and the genre – has developed over time.
How To Play Country Songs On Guitar? | Conclusion
Country and folk music are often extremely simple to play and sing along with. That is not to say the music is bad; it is just not complicate. One of the reasons it is constantly popular and catchy is that most listeners desire a fun tune to dance to! That leads us to rhythm; not all country music uses drums. Understanding how to keep the song’s beat running on your guitar is critical.
Making random playlists and learning songs you enjoy is the greatest way to learn to play country music. Try various decades and country styles, and you’ll discover that it’s a song for people of all skill levels.
The Deplike Learning App can help you to learn to play country guitar and country songs. You can use the Deplike Learning App to see chord charts, guides to playing songs, or articles about improving your guitar techniques.
