I want to become a proficient country accoustic guitar player

[Matt Till]

Yeee Haw

You heard me.

Yeee Haw. My friend wants to do a jokey country band that does metal/punk songs. This band is just me and him. Other than the I-V chord thing, what's good for country guitar. I don't follow country that much.

[Aaron Saunders]

Watch the Blues Brothers.

[Hollow Man]

A lot of major pentatonic stuff. And mandolins. And banjos. And Skoal. And cancer of the gums.

[jive1]

The I,IV,and the V are the most common used chords.
The major pentatonic is a common scale to solo over.
Chord melodies are used frequently in Country, i.e. playing a partial chord like the root and 3rd, or root and 6th and moving it up and down to fretboard to play a melody.

If you want to sound authentic, you have to get the "two feel" down. Whereas most rock and some country have a "four feel", the classic country has a two feel. Instead of counting 1-2-3-4, count 1-2 regardless of the time signature to get the feel down.
Some country will have a three feel (3/4), which is for waltzes.

[Bard2dbone]

If you're trying to do country as anything other than a joke, you will need a rock-solid awareness of the 'one'. I don't know why it is. But it seems that in rock the drummer is the timekeeper and everybody follows him. But in country the bass is the timekeeper and everyone follows him.

Yes. I know you're saying "But wait, we're all playing together. What do you mean a timekeeper? Don't we all just play along with each other?" Well when you finish saying that I will say "HAH!" really loudly with my mouth open very very wide.

Actually after a few practices it feels instinctive, just like playing rock does now. But when it feels wrong the first couple of practices, don't freak out. That probably means you're actually learning to do it right. It's just new. It was a frustrating thing for me because it sounds like you should have more freedom because you're 'driving.' But in stead you have to be more restrained. It's an odd feeling.

[Matt Till]

Originally Posted by jive1

The I,IV,and the V are the most common used chords.
The major pentatonic is a common scale to solo over.
Chord melodies are used frequently in Country, i.e. playing a partial chord like the root and 3rd, or root and 6th and moving it up and down to fretboard to play a melody.

If you want to sound authentic, you have to get the "two feel" down. Whereas most rock and some country have a "four feel", the classic country has a two feel. Instead of counting 1-2-3-4, count 1-2 regardless of the time signature to get the feel down.
Some country will have a three feel (3/4), which is for waltzes.

THIS is what's going to be hard, these songs aren't country. Johnny Cash + Johnny Rotten = What I'm doing I guess.

I still need new machine heads for my accoustic.

[fulcrum]

My answer is the same either way. If you're getting into country guitar, sooner or later you're going to have to come to grips with one Chet Atkins, CGP. It may as well be sooner.

[Thor]

It helps to go back and listen to some basics.

Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs.
Les Paul and Mary Ford.

Throw in a little Patsy Cline, then move to the newer
music after you have those 'basics' mastered...

If you ever do...

[jrthebassguy]

Want inspiration?

http://www.epitonic.com/artists/boxharp.html

Download "Church In Calhoun"

Best country song ever, as far as I'm concerned.