{"id":19739,"date":"2023-06-30T14:40:29","date_gmt":"2023-06-30T19:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/?p=19739"},"modified":"2025-10-29T10:41:01","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T15:41:01","slug":"country-music-guitar-essentials-chicken-pickin-string-bending-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/country-music-guitar-essentials-chicken-pickin-string-bending-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Country Music Guitar Essentials: Chicken Pickin\u2019, String Bending, and More"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Plus: Travis Picking, CAGED Shapes, Pentatonic Scales, and the Rhythms Behind the Country Sound
<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

The following information on country music guitar techniques is excerpted from the Berklee Online course Country Guitar<\/em><\/a>, written by Kevin Belz<\/a>, and currently enrolling.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In all genres of music, there are songs that survive the test of time. These standards are used as the springboard for building a repertoire in a style. In this time we have together we\u2019ll explore a few songs that I feel every aspiring country music guitarist should know. (There are many, many more in the 12-week version of my Country Guitar<\/a><\/em> course!) Over time, these songs have been interpreted in many different ways, and this versatility makes them great tools for developing your chops and your own style. We\u2019ll explore some notable approaches by listening to different versions of each song discussed, and explore how each song lends itself to practicing techniques and tools needed to build a country guitar repertoire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s begin by looking at everything from the roots all the way up to some more modern country music (which has more of a pop edge). We’ll see how the style splits off into subgenres, such as Americana, to avoid the corporate structure of country pop music, while still staying true to the original country music founders. We\u2019ll review some basics of rhythm playing, chords, and the fretboard, and we\u2019ll practice rhythm, melody, and chord melody playing. We\u2019ll also get into some classic techniques like string bending and chicken pickin\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CAGED System<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before we get too deep, let\u2019s review an effective system that has become popular in recent years, called the CAGED system, for better understanding the guitar fretboard. The system is named for the 1st-position chord shapes of C, A, G, E, and D, which are mirrored in different places up the guitar neck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea behind the CAGED system is to memorize these open-position triad shapes all over the neck to generate chords in different keys. This method can help in visualizing and understanding the intervals found in chord tones and arpeggios in relation to these chord shapes. The CAGED system harnesses the open chord forms as guideposts that can expose note relationships up the guitar neck. The CAGED system is a way to help expand your fretboard knowledge in an efficient way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out this summary of the CAGED system<\/a> from Premier Guitar<\/em> magazine to read more about how it works. And then come back here to learn how it applies to country music guitar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Scales are Used in Country Music?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s not one correct answer to this question. If there is an answer, it would be all of them. This can be confusing, but in essence, you tend to use a combination of pentatonic, major, minor, blues scale, modes\u2014major, Mixolydian, minor, natural minor, etc. It ultimately depends on the chord progression or the harmony of the song. Is it in one key? Does it modulate? How long does it stay on the I chord before going to the IV or V chord? All of these variants will determine what scale works. And it\u2019s up to you to decide what kind of \u201ccolor\u201d sound or mood you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s do some scale review on our major and minor pentatonic scales. Here, we\u2019ll review them in all five positions. Once you feel comfortable with the positions, it\u2019s important to explore different keys with these scales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember, the order of the scales are always the same and movable all over the neck, so understanding your starting point\u2014or root note\u2014is the key to visualizing the fingerboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s examine our A minor pentatonic scales. Pay special attention to your root note, and what degree of the scale position you start and end the scale on. Practice your scales slowly and accurately, using a metronome, focusing on accuracy and consistent-sounding notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Blues Scale<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The A blues scale is basically the same scale as the A minor pentatonic pictured above, just adding the b5th to the scale. In this case it would be the Eb. This note is often used as a passing note to help link phrases together. Play through all positions of the A blues scales, paying special attention to where the b5 falls in the scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that you\u2019ve familiarized yourself with five positions for the A minor pentatonic scale, practice the five fingerings for the A blues scale that follow. Like the pentatonic scales that you\u2019ve been practicing, parts of each of these fingerings work particularly well for generating soloing licks and phrases. Keep your ears open while practicing the scale fingerings, and try to relate or connect sounds from each scale fingering to licks and phrases from solos that you\u2019ve heard. Keep experimenting with the fingerings to find licks and phrases to expand your soloing vocabulary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Major Pentatonic Scale<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the difference between major and minor pentatonic scales? You may not even realize you already know major pentatonic scales. If you already know all your minor scale positions listed in the key of A, then playing major pentatonic is the same fingering, just starting on a different note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, If we take our A minor 5th fret position and move it down to F# on the 2nd fret, it\u2019s F# minor pentatonic, which is also the relative minor of A. In order to play A major pentatonic, you can play the F#min pentatonic starting and ending on an A instead of F#. This will sound as an A major pentatonic scale: A B C# E F# A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another way to look at it is by playing any minor pentatonic scale, and starting on the 2nd degree of the scale (2nd note), you\u2019ll get its relative major scale. In this case, with F#min being the minor pentatonic scale, starting on the next note A will give you the major pentatonic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are all movable root scales. If you take a look at E major pentatonic, you\u2019ll notice it\u2019s the same as playing C# minor pentatonic, but starting and ending on a different root note, in this case being the E.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honky-Tonk<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One thing you\u2019ll find as a common thread in many honky-tonk songs is a change from the traditional laidback sound of country music, to a more aggressive \u201ctwang\u201d and \u201cedge.\u201d The guitar takes on more of an up-front role in the mix, as opposed to that role being held by fiddle, pedal steel, or piano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a few rhythms you\u2019ll find throughout many honky-tonk songs. Let\u2019s take a look at a couple variations commonly played, starting with the country shuffle feel. You hear this kind of rhythm in many country songs. It\u2019s usually played with a quarter-note walking bass line outlining the chord changes and\/or a snare drum, and sometimes a piano or guitar playing all the up beats or \u201c&\u201ds of the chords. Eighth notes also have a bit more of a \u201cswing\u201d to them. They aren\u2019t played as straight eighths as you might hear in a basic rock rhythm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Straight Eighths<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

(1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In straight eighths, each eighth note is of equal value, dividing the quarter beats in half.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Straight<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Swing Eighths<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

(1…&2…&3…&4…&)

In swing eighths, the first eighth note of each pairing is longer and the second eighth note of each pairing is delayed or \u201cfelt\u201d later in time. The most common description is a triplet without the middle note. If you count \u201c1 trip-let 2 trip-let 3 trip-let 4 trip-let,\u201d and take out the \u201ctrip\u201d of each grouping, you have approximated the swing feel. Sometimes, based on genre and feel, the swing subdivision can be called a shuffle<\/strong>. Generally speaking, in a shuffle feel, each second note of the pairing is even more delayed than in a swing feel. For charts, the convention is to write regular eighth notes, even though they are performed in this \u201clong-short-long-short\u201d way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Swing<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You can hear this swing-eighth feel in a song like \u201cHeartaches by the Numbers.\u201d This version features Ray Price on vocals. Notice the offbeat rhythm that is being played with the chords, and the swung-eighth note feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n