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Country Strumming & Fills in the Style of Willie Nelson

willie nelson style rhythm guitar technique fill riffs bass walks
Lesson 3 – Country & Bluegrass Rhythm Course
Lesson ID: A0143

In this guitar lesson, I’ll teach you a classic country strumming pattern in the style of “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” by Willie Nelson. First I’ll break down the strumming pattern and give you some strumming tips that will help you get those clean alternating bass line picks. Then I’ll show you a couple of Willie Nelson style chord progressions to use for practice. After that, we’ll start working in some classic country bass line walks and I’ll teach you a couple of Willie Nelson riffs that’ll spice up your country rhythm guitar.

Overview

Playthrough

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Strumming

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Strumming Pattern Breakdown
01:09 min Right Hand Pick Technique
02:46 min Willie Nelson Hammer-On
04:11 min Alternating Bass Line over B7 and A Chords

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Progressions

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Progression 1
00:54 min A Major Accent Chord
02:37 min Progression 2
03:24 min How to Practice with “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain”

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Bass Walks

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Bass Line Walk 1
01:17 min Bass Line Walk 2
03:42 min Bass Line Walk 3
04:50 min Bass Line Walk 4

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Fill Riffs

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Willie Nelson Style Fill Riff 1
04:14 min Willie Fill Riff 2 for a Song Ending

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Practice

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Practice with Willie Nelson

Practice your classic country strumming and fills over the song “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” by Willie Nelson using the player from Spotify. We’d highly recommend using Spotify for online radio. If you don’t have a Spotify account, click here to sign up free with your Facebook account or with an e-mail address.

Angeline the Baker

angeline-the-baker-bluegrass-guitar-lesson
Lesson ID: A0145

Angeline the Baker“, also known as “Angelina Baker”, is an old traditional song that was written by Stephen Foster and published in 1850. Foster was one of the first commercial pop composers and he wrote “Angelina Baker” for a group called Christy Minstrels. Since 1850, this song has been recorded by several artists and it’s become a standard for country and bluegrass jams. In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn two flatpicking breaks for “Angeline the Baker” along with tips for playing the rhythm guitar part.

Lesson Overview

Arrangement 1

Video 1 – Playthrough with Tablature

Video 2 – Full Lesson Breakdown

Arrangement 2

Video 1 – Playthrough with Tablature

Video 2 – Full Lesson Breakdown

Chord Progression

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Backing Track

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Merle Haggard Style Classic Country Intro & Fills

merle haggard style intro and fills in e
Lesson 15 – Rhythm Fill Riffs and Lead Guitar Course
Lesson ID: A0141

In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a classic country intro in the style of Merle Haggard along with some nice country fill riffs that’ll spice up your country rhythm guitar. First, we’ll work through the intro with tablature. Then, we’ll talk about the guitar scales you should learn to get this classic Merle Haggard sound in the key of E. After that, we’ll go over two rhythm progressions in the style of Merle Haggard that are loaded with classic country bass line walks and fills.

Overview

Country Intro

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Playthrough with Tablature
01:42 min Full Breakdown of the Intro

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Guitar Scales

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Scale Charts
02:28 min Notes Used to Play the Intro

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Progression 1

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Progression 1 Overview
00:21 min Playthrough with Tablature
01:23 min Classic Country Strumming Pattern
03:57 min Line 1 Breakdown with Country Fill
06:31 min Line 2 Breakdown with Another Country Fill
09:19 min Line 3 Breakdown with More Country Fills
10:54 min Line 4 Breakdown
12:00 min Practice Along with Me

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Progression 2

Video Start Time Lesson Topic
00:00 min Progression 2 Overview
00:32 min Playthrough with Tablature
01:27 min Line 1 Breakdown with Country Fill
02:14 min Line 2 Breakdown with Another Country Fill
04:54 min Line 3 Breakdown with More Country Fills
06:50 min Line 4 Breakdown
08:00 min Practice Along with Me

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Practice

Practice with Merle Haggard

Practice your classic country strumming and fills over the song “Fightin’ Side of Me” by Merle Haggard using the embedded player from Spotify. We’d highly recommend using Spotify for online radio. If you don’t have a Spotify account, click here to sign up free with your Facebook account or with an e-mail address.

George Jones Rhythm with Country Fills

george jones style country rhythm guitar lesson fill riffs choices chords tablature
Lesson 9 – Country & Bluegrass Rhythm Course
Lesson ID: A0134

Let’s spice up our country rhythm guitar even more! In this guitar lesson, I’ll teach you a classic country rhythm guitar pattern and we’ll practice using a progression in the style of “Choices” by George Jones. I’ll also show you some old school melodic country fills in the Key of D. We’ll break down the entire practice progression with tablature and I’ll give you some helpful country rhythm tips throughout the guitar lesson. After you master the progression, practice along with George Jones! Download tablature below the video.

Overview

Playthrough with Tablature

Full Breakdown

Practice

Practice picking your country rhythm over the song “Choices” by George Jones. Play “Choices” below using the embedded player from Spotify. We’d highly recommend using Spotify for online radio. If you don’t have a Spotify account, click here to sign up free with your Facebook account or with an e-mail address.