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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.

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.

Country Strumming & Fills Style of Merle Haggard

Lesson 8 – Country & Bluegrass Rhythm Course
Lesson ID: A0129

In this guitar lesson, I’ll teach you a classic country strumming pattern and we’ll practice strumming over a chord progression in the style of “Today I Started Loving You Again” by Merle Haggard. I’ll also show you four fills that’ll make your rhythm guitar sound even more country. After you master the strumming and fills, practice them over the jam track. Tablature is available to Gold Pick members below the lesson video.

Overview

Strumming Pattern

Progression and Fill Riff

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Bonus Fills

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Backing Track

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12 Bar Blues with Six Turnaround Riffs in E

easy beginner 12 bar blues guitar lesson turnaround riffs
Lesson ID: A0118

Understanding blues guitar can really improve your country and bluegrass guitar playing. In this guitar lesson, we’ll teach you the most common way to play the 12 bar blues and then we’ll go over six awesome blues turnaround riffs that will turn some heads at your next jam session.

Overview

Rhythm Progression

Blues Turnarounds

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