Country guitar
Country means open major chords, a springy boom-chick rhythm where the bass alternates with the chord, and bright solos with bends. Below are the chords, scale, techniques and a riff you can hear and practise.
1920s90–160 BPMboom-chickG–C–D
What is country
Country took shape in the American South in the 1920s from folk songs, blues and gospel. At first it was played on acoustic guitars, banjos and fiddles; later the electric guitar arrived with its bright, snappy sound.
The main rhythm is boom-chick: a bass note on the strong beat and a chord on the weak one, with the bass alternating between the root and the fifth. Between chords the bass walks step by step, and solos are built on the major pentatonic with bends that imitate the pedal steel guitar.
Signature chords
The basis is open major chords G, C and D: the I, IV and V degrees in G major. They cover a huge number of songs. G, C, D, G is the most common move in the genre.
Scale for soloing
Solos use the major pentatonic, which sounds bright and down-home. Below it is shown from the 3rd fret, where the solo on this page is played.
Techniques
Boom-chick
On beats one and three a single bass note, on two and four a chord on the upper strings. The bass alternates: for G it is G on the sixth string and D on the fourth. The riff below is built this way.
Bass walk
Before a chord change the bass walks up step by step: from G through A and B to C. The walk links the chords into one line. Tap G and imagine the bass stepping towards C.
Pedal-steel bend
A note on the third string is bent a whole step while the neighbouring note on the second string stays put. Together they sound like a pedal steel guitar. Tap the example to hear the bend.
Riff in the style
G bar: bass G, chord, bass D, then a walk A - B into the C chord. C bar: bass C, chord, bass G, chord. Play the bass with your thumb or pick and the chord with a short stroke.
Country-style solo
A pedal-steel double-stop bend, a couple of short snappy notes and a descent down the major pentatonic to G with vibrato.
The riff opens as a draft: change notes, tempo and tracks however you like.
Open in RiffonicWhat to listen to
Listen to these songs and pay attention to what is described next to each one.
- Johnny Cash - “Folsom Prison Blues”. A boom-chicka rhythm: bass and chord alternate so evenly that it sounds like the wheels of a train.
- Dolly Parton - “Jolene”. A fast fingerpicked pattern that repeats through almost the whole song and carries it.
- Chet Atkins - “Mister Sandman”. Fingerstyle: the thumb plays the bass while the other fingers play melody and chords at the same time.
Every riff and solo on this page is an original exercise in the style of the genre, not the notes of someone else’s song.
FAQ
What chords do you need for country?
Start with G, C, D and Em. Many country songs rest on three major chords in one key, sometimes with a capo to fit the key to the voice.
What is boom-chick?
An accompaniment where a bass note on the strong beat alternates with a chord on the weak beat. The bass moves between the root and the fifth of the chord.
What guitar is country played on?
Both acoustic and electric. Rhythm is more often on acoustic, bright solos on a clean electric. All the examples here work on either.