There are many aspects to country guitar that are very unique and give it a distinct sound. If you have listened to some of the great classic country songs you will see what I mean. Listen to “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash. You can distinctly hear the unique guitar rhythm play along with the drums and the subtle guitar fills during the song.
Pedal Steel Guitar
Another major part of guitar and country music is the pedal steel guitar. This is not a traditional guitar, but a type of guitar that is set up horizontally and is supported by legs or a table surface.
Learning the pedal steel guitar can be a difficult task because it mostly played using a variety of finger picks on each finger including your thumb.
In addition, it has a variety of foot pedals that can change the sound by altering the pitch. With this in mind, it is also played with a slide that gives it a very unique sound. Also, it is often tuned to an open chord with the C or E chord being the most common. It really depends on the song.
As you cans see, there are a lot of factors you will have to know to be able to play this type of guitar, but it is definitely worth it if you want to get that country feeling while playing.
A great pedal steel guitar player is Ben Keith who often plays with Neil Young. A more modern player of pedal steel guitar that you should definitely check out is Robert Randolph.
Check out these Pedal Steel Guitars from Guitar Center:
Lap Steel Guitar
A Lap Steel Guitar is similar to a Pedal Steel guitar because they are both played with a slide. The main difference is that this type of guitar is usually played in your lap and does not have pedals to manipulate the sound.
Some more great and unique pedal and lap steel guitar players that you should check out are David Gilmour, Bob Brozman, Kaki King, Steve Howe, Emily Robison, Kelly Joe Phelps and Jerry Douglas.
Check out these lap steel guitars from Guitar Center:
To learn country guitar properly you should really immerse yourself in all types of country music to get the feeling of the type of style you want. Like many types of music there are many genres and country music is no exception. In order to reach a decent level of playing, you must practice and learn all the basics.
A lot of newer players assume that learning how to play country guitar is much easier than other types, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. It requires a lot of practice and dedication to get to a level to play comfortably. In addition, a lot of country songs have difficult picking patterns that require a lot of skill to play. Also, a major sound to the country style is the use of the pedal steel guitar and learning that is pretty difficult and requires a lot of time and practice.
In conclusion, if you are really serious about learning country guitar you should practice as often as possible and listen to as many different varieties of country music as possible. Once you have the basics down, you will be well on your way to becoming a great country guitar player. Keep practicing!!
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