Country guitar for beginners

Country music tends to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it genres, but for guitarists, it’s a treasure trove of slick licks and twiddly tricks.

And even if you don’t necessarily want to play country music, you’ll find plenty of useful ideas and techniques within this style. Buckethead and John 5 may not be country guitarists, but their playing borrows heavily from country guitar!

Here are a few topics we’ll cover in this article:

• Country guitar scales
• Pedal-steel bends
• Chicken pickin’ (is there a connection with Buckethead’s KFC hat? We have the answer below.)

Dust off your cowboy hat, plug in that gee-tar, and let’s learn how to make that thang twang! 🤠

What’s the best guitar for country?

This is the part where we help you rationalize buying yet another guitar.

It’s an addiction, and as guitarists, we need to stick together and encourage as much wreckless spending as possible.

• If you want to strum chords and sing about how much you’re hurtin’, a big-bodied acoustic is the way to go.
• Dreadnoughts are typical of the genre – something like a Gibson J-45 or a Martin D-series
• By law, lead country guitar must be played on a Telecaster.
• For those outlaws among you that are thinking about attempting it on anything else – do so at your own risk.

In all seriousness, you don't need to spend a lot of money on a guitar, especially if you’re just testing the waters.

There are loads of affordable options available that are perfect for beginners.

• Find a guitar that feels comfortable in your hands and has a sound that puts the yee in your haw.
• You can also check out the used guitar market, which can be a great way to get more for your money.

Why are Telecasters so popular in country music?

There’s no doubt they’re iconic guitars and feel at home in most genres, but none more than country. The essence of country guitar is that twang – which seems to emanate particularly well from the Tele.

• It’s difficult to pinpoint what makes the Telecaster the go-to guitar for so many country players.
• It’s probably down to its relative affordability, durability, and of course, that unique spanky sound it produces.
• Overall it's just a no-frills workhorse, and that appeals to country players.

Learning the basics

Now that you’ve spent your next paycheck on a Telecaster, it's time to start learning the basics.

The backbone of country music is normally quite straightforward.

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• “Three chords and the truth” is an often quoted maxim, and the simplicity of a lot of country music makes it accessible for beginners.
• Strumming some open chords can be all it takes to make a great country song
• Start by just playing G, C, and D chords.
• Practice switching between them until you can do it smoothly.

Some basic chords paired with a sweet melody can often hit harder than more complex styles of music.

People enjoy the uncluttered, ‘warts & all’ approach, with more of a focus on emotional content than technical.

Playing rhythm guitar

The meat and potatoes of any good country song is a solid rhythm, and guitar often plays a big part in that.

Whether it’s plucking the root notes on the downbeat, or rolling banjo arpeggios, country guitarists need to be strong rhythm players.

• It doesn’t need to be complex to be effective.
• Start by strumming the chords in a simple pattern, such as down-up-down-up.
• Once you can do this smoothly, start experimenting with different strumming or fingerpicking patterns to create a more interesting sound.

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Fingerpicking techniques

One of the defining features of country guitar is the use of fingerpicking.

• This involves using your fingers to pluck the strings of the guitar, rather than using a pick.
• There are many different fingerpicking styles that you can learn, but a good place to start is with Travis picking.

Travis picking

Travis picking involves alternating between the bass note and the higher strings of the guitar.

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• Start by plucking the bass note of the chord with your thumb.
• Then pluck the higher strings with your index and middle fingers.
• Practice this pattern slowly until you can do it smoothly, and then try incorporating it into some basic chord progressions.

Chicken pickin’

The answer is no, it has absolutely nothing to do with KFC. This staccato style of hybrid picking got its name by sounding like a clucking chicken🐔

You’re asking yourself: Why should I learn this technique? What’s the big clucking deal?

We’ll tell you:

• Fast runs – using your fingers as well as the pick allows you to hit more notes in quick succession.
• More dynamic picking – being able to pluck the strings with your fingers helps get that snappy country tone.
• Unique rhythmic options – arpeggiated triads using banjo style rolls are fairly straightforward and sound great!