Sunday, 29 December 2013

What scales are best for country music

 The trick with music theory is to break everything down into
  baby-steps i.e., guitar scales for country music, guitar scales
  for bluegrass music, guitar scales for jazz music, guitar scales
  for rock music.

  Let's say your primary style of music is country music. we could
  subdivide the subject of music theory into: what guitar scales
  for country, what chord progressions for country, what style of
  country music, what guitar techniques for country.

  What guitar scales for country:

  major pentatonic, major diatonic, cascading scales ...


  What chord progressions for country:

  two chord songs, three chord songs, four chord songs ...


  What style of country music:

  Traditional country, modern country, country rock ...


  What guitar techniques for country:

  Hammer-on's, pull-off's, bends, slides ...


  As you zero in on the specific skills you need to learn the
  complex subject of music theory becomes a lot less stressful
  and much more achievable.

  By dividing and sub dividing any complex subject you also learn how
  to accelerate your progress on guitar. What scales you would
  learn for country guitar would be determined by what style of
  country music you intended to play.

  Instead of just saying "I want to play country guitar", if you
  are prepared to dig a little deeper, you will decrease the amount
  of information and skills you need to acquire by looking at each
  area of country guitar playing i.e., chord progressions, if you
  predominately play three chord songs in the keys of G and D,
  you would only have to learn four chord shapes.

  Three chord songs in key of G:   G - C - D

  Three chord songs in key of D:   D - G - A

  Although country guitar has spawned no shortage of modern greats
  (Albert Lee, Ray Flacke, Danny Gatton, and the Hellecasters come
  quickly to mind, although there are many others) in general,
  however the music buying public doesn't really know how popular and
  entertaining instrumental country guitar is.

  Here's ten top country guitarists to get listening for specific
  country guitar playing techniques.

    1. Chet Atkins
    2. Merle Travis
    3. Jerry Reed
    4. Roy Clark
    5. Hank Garland
    6. Albert Lee
    7. Maybelle Carter
    8. Doc Watson
    9. Norman Blake
  10. Tony Rice


  The classic electric guitar sound for country music is
  characterized by the undistorted sound of single-coil guitar
  pickups, usually a Fender Telecaster or Fender Stratocaster, and
  the employment of fairly undistorted amplification most often a
  Fender Twin Reverb 100watt amp.

  Guitar scales for country music are: major Pentatonic, major
  diatonic, and to a lesser degree the minor pentatonic scale and
  the blues scale.

  The most popular guitar scale for country music without
any  doubt is the major pentatonic. the two most common ways of playing
  this scale for country music are :


  A major pentatonic scale

  --------------------------------------------------2------5---
  --------------------------------------2----5-----------------
  ----------------------------2----4---------------------------
  -----------------2----4--------------------------------------
  ------2----4-------------------------------------------------
  -5-----------------------------------------------------------




   A major pentatonic scale (pattern #2)

  -------------------------------------------------------------
  ---------------------------------------------------------10--
  ---------------------------------------------9-----11--------
  ----------------------------7----9----11---------------------
  -----------------7----9--------------------------------------
  -5----7----9-------------------------------------------------

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