Country Guitar Essentials: Chicken Pickin'

This is an overview of what equipment you will need to achieve that chicken pickin' tone.

Telecasters are the obvious guitar for country guitar but you have other options as well.There are two types of Teles to choose from Modern Telecasters with six saddle bridges, modern neck cuts and modern pickups. There is also the Vintage Style Telecasters with three saddle bridges, vintage neck cuts and vintage wound pickups.

I'm going to show you how to get the proper tone out of your amp modeler/effects unit. The formula that I've used for years is COMP>OD>DELAY>REVERB>AMP

This video is a little dated, but it is still the process I would use when setting up pedal and an amp. 

In this lecture we will discuss the colorful picks that I use. DAVA GripTip Picks don't slip and spin in your hand.

In this lecture you will learn the basic techniques for maintaining your fingernails.

For this activity I would like you to download this Country Guitar Tone Set-Up PDF file. Use this as a starting point. Try these settings with your amp/pedal set-up. If you find a sound you like, write down the settings for future reference.

This is an overview of Basic Music Theory. By knowing the basics, you'll better understand the rest of the material in this course.

The Major Scale is a seven note scale that is use in popular music.

For each note of the Major Scale, there is a chord tone associated with that note. Scale tones 1-4-5 are major tones. 2-3-6-7 are minor tones.

In this lecture we will discuss how to apply the the Major Scale and the Major Scale Chord Tones to the Nashville Number System.

This is an overview of the scales we will be covering in this section.

The major scale is a 7 note scale used in popular music.

The Major Pentatonic Scale is a 5 note scale derived from the Major Scale.

The Minor Pentatonic scale is also a 5 note scale that is very popular with blues & rock guitarist.

The Country Composite scale is another variation of the minor pentatonic. Similar to the blues scale with it's flattened fifth, but also includes the major third.

This lecture covers the difference between 1/4 notes, 1/8 notes and 1/16 notes.

Download the Scales Tabs and the Drum Tracks here.

Hybrid picking is a technique that involves picking with a pick and one or more fingers alternately or simultaneously.

This is a very basic hybrid picking exercise.

Here is a simple 6 note sequence that will help get your right hand up to speed.

This is a 6 note sequence. Down>Up>Down>Pluck>Down>Pluck

Banjo Rolls use multiple fingers on the right hand. For this example the right hand pattern is Pick>Middle>Ring.

This example builds on the previous example but adds a hammer-on on the forth string.

This is a basic forward roll. Pick>Middle>Ring

Similar to the previous example but includes a hammer-on on the forth string.

This example builds on the previous example. It has the same right hand pattern but has a slightly different pattern with the left hand. This example moves to the first, second & third strings.

Download the Tabs for this section here in this lexture.

In this lecture we will discuss the 3rd & 6th intervals.

This is a basic example of double stop using the A minor pentatonic scale.

This is a repeating 8 note pattern that incorporates double stops.

This example build upon the previous example making it a 16 note run.

This Double-Stop example uses the 6 note sequence but adds in some double-stops

This Double-Stop example adds the minor third to major third transition that is so common in country guitar.

This example shows you how to add Double Stops into your rhythm playing.

Download your Tabs for this section.

While chicken pickin' is often used as a general term for country guitar, there are specific techniques that create this particular sound.

This is a very basic chicken pickin' exercise.

This is another chicken pickin' exercise incorporating pinched harmonics.

This chicken pickin' example uses triplet ghost notes to create the effect.

Download the Tabs for this section.

Country style bends are different than blues or rock bends in that they are very mechanical. Very "On & Off' like a steel guitar with very little vibrato.

In this first example you will bend the third string up a whole step while maintaining the notes on the first & second strings.

This is a cool dissonant bend that grabs your ear.

Download the Tabs for this section.

This is on overview of Open String Licks.

This is a basic open string lick in the Key of G.

This Open String Lick is in the Style of Brad Paisley. A fun lick you can play in many different keys.

Download the Tabs for this section.

This is an overview of the Solo example. You'll get the Tabs and Backing Track so you can play along.

Fire It Up is the example solo. Here it is played at full speed.

Download the Tabs and Backing Tracks for Fire It Up.