How Does Country Guitar Work? ▶︎ The 7 Essential Country Techniques

In this video you'll learn the 7 techniques at the heart of Country Guitar!
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✅ Get My New Book! 'Country Guitar Jam Session' ► geni.us/yOAx
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✅ Book Your Zoom/Skype Guitar Coaching session ► [e-mail]
✅ Modern Country Jam Session Book ▶︎ geni.us/moderncountry
✅ The Americana Guitar Book ▶︎ geni.us/americana
✅ The Country Rock Guitar Book ▶︎ geni.us/countryrock
✅The Legends of Acoustic Guitar Book ▶︎ geni.us/acousticlegends
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● Website: www.stuartryanmusic.com
● Instagram: stuartryanmusic
● Gear Used: Fender Custom Shop 52 Tele Relic, Kemper - Princeton Profile
ABOUT STUART
Stuart Ryan began his career as a professional guitarist in 2003 when he won Guitarist Magazine's 'Acoustic Guitarist of The Year'. He has recorded 4 albums for BMG International and has recorded guitar sessions for Amazon Prime Movie Studios soundtracks, Fashion House Ballenciaga and many more. He has written 10 bestselling guitar method books (all available on Amazon) and spent 15 years as Head of Guitar at The British Institute of Modern Music (BIMM). Stuart has been the acoustic guitar columnist for Guitar Techniques magazine since 2004. Get in touch to discuss recording sessions or one to one lessons via Skype/Zoom.

[@jimyoung9262]

The irony of having a Brit teaching country guitar. And really well. Cheers man. This is great!

[@dermotgillespie5138]

Surprised at a British teaching country guitar 😅 really!! where do you think Abert lee was born 😊

[@tomcoryell]

Ray Flacke

[@bigrig4385]

​@@dermotgillespie5138What percentage of professional Country pickers are not American?

[@TS-so2xi]

Uh Albert Lee?! He was a legend

[@wighatsuperreggie]

All the best guitar teachers on KZbin seem to be brits

[@nedrow5915]

Hi, I’m an old guy who has been in rock/blues bands. I love country and appreciate you taking time to make these techniques more easily understood. You play flawlessly, too. Wonderful, sir. Thanks again.

[@kubel83]

I’m a guitarist. Always played rock and pop. But I never played country. But after watching this video I have realized there is soooo much for me to learn. Thank you for this wonderful video. I’m literally a beginner again 😅

[@4stevio]

Man if you own a Tele you’ve got let it go country now and again.

[@knutnskar6796]

Never liked country music, but country guitar is really cool 👍

[@jackieandthesheetmetals]

@@4stevio are teles good for country?

[@drifterman319]

Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan? gee whiz! Incredible stuff!.

[@jshphysicistatyahoo]

@@jackieandthesheetmetals I believe SS (no humbucker) Telecasters are an excellent choice for country, especially if the pickups are not high output impedence.

[@fivefingerfullprice3403]

Great playing and great instruction, also I love the look of that tele. Omg it's a work of art.

[@kc4e841]

My grandparents had a small club in Silver Springs,Nv back in the 60's 70's. They had a house band of older retired musicians who played Reno for years. Slim the guitar player taught me "Chicken Picken " and other tricks. His wife Kathy looked and sounded like Loretta Lynn. Good memories!

[@caseylee12]

I've been playing since I was 5 years old. I've worked on everything from rock, blues rock, jazz, R&B, to disco. The hardest thing I've ever worked on is " chicken pickin' ". All of lives we teach ourselves to let every note ring clear and to hit it cleanly. In Chicken Pickin', every 2 or 3 notes is muted. It really takes a while to get a handle on it. Great lesson!

[@ronaldburo7354]

Thanks Stuart, I'm a fairly advanced intermediate and this video really filled in some gaps in my country playing which I started later in my guitar life. Keep it coming. Ron

[@ronaldburo7354]

Great practical examples for more advanced players who want to add more country to their playing.

[@julianwilsonsongwritermusi9413]

Great to see you out there helping players Stuart. Jules

[@lencline]

Sincere thanks for keeping our music alive.

[@jonathanbazely8104]

Thank you for your very useful country guitar playing lessons, I'm looking forward to learning more through your videos.😊

[@leechild4655]

Play the D cowboy chord up an octave. add the pinky to make it the sus4. hit that and bend that first finger up a tone. Hit that again but play just the major chord. now slide down to the 9th fret and play the same shape, hit that once, then last hit you play the sus4 while bending the first finger on the G string up to finish the lick. Its a total of five chord strikes w/bends and or w/added 4th.

[@Jaymorganhair]

Such great guitar tips and techniques. I’m going to be implementing this stuff into my practice.

[@yieldspreadEXP_Music]

Incredible video as always! I've learned more watching your surf guitar and country guitar videos in the last 20 minutes than I have in the last 2 years with rhythm and technique!

[@pridgenwatkins2867]

This is so valuable! I have been at this style for decades, but this adds a lot to my creative options. Thank you!

[@cygnus4232]

Fantastic, more of a prog and hard rock guy but always admired Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed and Brad Paisley. This helped tremendously in breaking down some of those techniques and they're incredibly fun to try and master.

[@johncarlo7395]

Great video, I especially loved the open string section, very well explained.

[@pedropadel141]

Thanks a mil for this great video. I love your amazing playing too.

[@DavidRees43]

marvellous stuff. whilst here I was encouraged to buy your soul rhythm book so plenty of fun to be had whilst I create my own musical mayhem. thank you

[@Ronno4691]

Didn't know Stuart Ryan had his own YT channel!? He's a stonkin' guitar player and I've got a lot of his articles in magazines like Guitar Techniques and the DVDs they put out several years ago.

[@lorenvguitar614]

Thank you, great video and really appreciate the tabs

[@peterfalahee]

Fantastic video really help me in my search … well done great stuff love it ❤️

[@codyhaviland9650]

Excellent tutorial! Short and direct. Well done!

[@eduhlana]

This is the best class I’ve seen about country music ever!! Thank you so much

[@drsteviejasengnsangma8739]

Tips to become a considerable country player in a nutshell❤️ Awesome video!!!

[@frankortega4280]

Very thorough lesson on the essential country guitar techniques. Nice work. Thank you.

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Thanks Frank!

[@FretSuccess]

This is great. Thanks for sharing this big group of techniques as a country hit list. Good luck with the book and channel!

[@robertnewell5057]

A really great lesson, Stuart. You are a great talent in so many aspects of guitar. It would be interesting to see something on adapting the bends for acoustic guitar. As a banjo player, I would just mention, in addition, that the classic banjo forward roll is not TIM, TIM, TI, but is TIM repeated against the bar lines so your thumb is on beat 1 of every 4th bar - Earl's major contribution, and what gives bluegrass its drive. Works the same way for TMI (the backward roll). The other classic banjo licks are not grouped in 3s, but are more like regular guitar fingerpicking. The open string lick also comes in part from banjo, so called 'melodic' banjo as introduced by Bobby Thompson and Bill Keith. I would really recommend anyone serious about banjo rolls to get a beginner bluegrass banjo tutorial, even if you never play the banjo. Earl's book is great, and Pete Wernick has loads of stuff out there, a lot of which is free. Cheers and thanks again.

[@limitededition1053]

You forgot to mention that you need a Telecaster with ash tray and brass saddles as well. 😁

[@RedDirtRules]

Great lesson Thanks for sharing your skills 👍

[@stevenkettle7395]

Great Video. I always thought the chicken picking was with the right hand ( a sort of hybrid) which was why I couldn't do it. Now, thanks to you, I can. Thank-you.

[@tomcoryell]

Hi Stuart, Thanks for this! I am in the midst of putting fills on a song I just recorded and this has been helpful. Most of it Ialready knew, but I also learned a lot. You make a great teacher and are obviously a very good picker as well!

[@michaelclark9082]

Great stuff Stuart, thanks! I can incorporate these licks into my traditional British folk band, goes quite well, Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention, Pentangle, that sort of thing. Best wishes from England!

[@leonardobadilla3374]

Terrific lesson !

[@narta11]

This is an amazing video. Straight forward and easy to follow.

[@robertomui333]

Very nice lesson...well explained and played ! Thx 😎

[@behnamzadeh1936]

Very good perfect teaching.thanks

[@bassboy8910]

Thank you for these great ideas! It’s like going to school again @ 73 years old! 🎸

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Thanks for watching, glad it helped!

[@TS-so2xi]

Great stuff!

[@jumpskirt]

Cool stuff! You nailed the really signature country licks!

[@brunosampaio2399]

Great tips and ready to expand to other levels. Thank you!

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Thank you Bruno, glad it helped! All the best, Stuart

[@rosicrucian8993]

Always eager to hear some good ole country music .........from a dude with a british accent. Go on: Show us what some authentic country guitarist taught you.

[@Rusty92024]

Excellent. Very clearly presented and extremely useful techniques.

[@watercolordreamrubix8449]

love the lesson genius I am take it little by little

[@zanebanks116]

Great lesson!

[@johnpandolfino8663]

Well done mate......

[@s119497]

This great stuff 🙂

[@richardprutz6458]

Very Good- I forget some of these----- Thank You Train Wreck II

[@sectionbooe]

Ace stuff. I am looking at ways to improve my rockabilly playing. These are just the job. Thanks

[@humanbeing2420]

You mentioned Albert Lee a few times - I've always loved his playing on Clapton's "Just One Night" live album, recorded in '78 or so, and spent some time learning his tasty solo in "If I Don't Be There By Morning"....

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Albert is such a great player! Thanks for watching!

[@robertrichter7702]

man alive !! your awesome !!

[@timpark8198]

Really enjoyed this Stuart - thank you. Made a lot of things come into focus and I'm a novice. First time using tab too which which helps a lot as a beginner.

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Thanks for watching Tim, glad it helped! Best wishes, Stuart

[@Rockin23]

Yeehaa! All good stuff mate. I love playing country guitar :)

[@chipcurry]

Wow, I'm a lifetime musician, and that was fantastic! You have Demystified a boatload of stuff for me!

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Thank you, glad it helped!

[@ajtblues]

Exxcellent, really. Thanks a LOT!!!

[@TheKevinKitchen]

master class ! Great

[@flowerfarmerscott]

Great lesson. Thanks, Stuart!

[@icarusi]

I recently started doing steel style bends also on the D string. Slightly different fingering, and more push needed on the thicker string. You also need to use the little and 3rd finger on the upper 2 strings, rather than the little finger on both. I've always used little+3rd finger on all the upper 2 strings, 'cos I'm often holding that bend (+ the lower of the upper 2 strings), and playing another line over it on just the top string, using the little + 1st finger.

[@davidivanjosephsalonia4566]

Very helpful. Been playing a while and found 2 new techniques. Thanks you very much. Peace🙏

[@tnvalleyyoga7122]

I'm from TN but have always preferred blues, however, there's no doubt that blues and country have crossed tracks many times, even rock/country. I can strum chords and keep up with most country songs and being exposed to country all my life the rhythms in country come pretty naturally but the lead parts are difficult for me.

[@Timanator]

Great lesson! subbed

[@mikegeeguitarman8991]

Amazing video mate..you nailed it in one video for my money..brilliant teacher if ever there was one !

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Thanks for watching Mike, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Best wishes, Stuart

[@luismendo]

Nice tips; and great playing, as always!

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Thanks for watching Luis!

[@pridgenwatkins2867]

Ok! I'm subbed. This is a gold mine. I'm shopping your book. Please keep up this channel forever!

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Thank you! More on the way!

[@jimdriscoll5115]

Really great video thanks

[@macpakinga1271]

Yah ol gotta own a telecaster 🎸, 👍😂😅thank you for sharing 🎸👍

[@SukalyanDas]

Love all your videos, Sir.

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Glad you like them Sukalyan, stay well!

[@teleuser]

Liking the guitar !

[@sseltrek1a2b]

great breakdown of basic country playing...

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Thanks Steve! All the best, Stuart

[@davenewton4862]

Excellent lesson, thanks!

[@StuartRyanMusic]

My pleasure!

[@stavrosk.2868]

Country stuff explained in beautiful RP English. The wonders of the internet. And very well explained as well.

[@scottcasey4665]

This is gold

[@in2mu5ic]

Excellent! Just wanted to mention pre-bends too. Very country-sounding when used effectively!

[@krtkllr70]

Well thanks , back to the woodshed for me cause I ain't quite country yet ..

[@JakeSpeed1000]

Awesome lesson. Thanks

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Thanks Scott! All the best, Stuart

[@dougsmith8430]

Just subscribed and liked 👍 Fender Tele , awesome for Country!

[@nicholascroukamp1463]

Great overview

[@paulboden7850]

I could see you wearing a big Stetson living in Nashville...thx Stuart!

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Ha ha! Nashville is FULL of monster players, it's the last place any professional guitar player should want to move to really!

[@streetlegal008]

This is good stuff. I'm trying to play 'fingerstyle' guitar, so I'm always interested in these specific technique videos.

[@davidmacleod9313]

You play country so well you should have a Kentucky accent! Damn! 😊 (Thanks!)

[@mrmr314]

Great lesson but even better is your old well-worn Tele. We note how the main used sections of your guitar are the top four strings from the 12th fret up to the 21st, and the top fours strings from the 1st fret up to the 7th. How many times have you had that thing serviced? The electrics, pots, pickups, machine heads (tuners), nut etc have all hung in over that time?

[@humanbeing2420]

His gear description includes the phrase "Heavy Relic" with the Telecaster, so I think it's not nearly as old as it looks. It is a great looking guitar though.

[@johng.8625]

I love the style here I go I'm going to learn it your student

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Thanks for watching!

[@tomconklinvo]

After watching this, I am realizing I sort of already play this style... And I'm in an indie rock band.

[@luckydog-287]

Thank you!

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Thanks for watching!

[@kruoffsorndontree]

I like your guitar.

[@davidaraujo927]

Stu, that tele though!

[@jazzguitarneophyte-christo7988]

Greeting from the USA! Just ordered your book! Looking forward to it! Cheers!

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Thank you and sorry for late reply, just getting over the dreaded Covid!

[@jazzguitarneophyte-christo7988]

@@StuartRyanMusic No woories at all! Glad you got over it!! Book should be here on the 11th. Looking forward to it!

[@ednaplate]

Great vid. I’m not a fan of relic’d guitars but that Tele is a thing of beauty

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Thanks for watching - this Tele really is a great one, nice big neck profile too! All the best, Stuart

[@behnamzadeh1936]

Best of best

[@jockster5525]

Awesome thanks for your efforts and sharing your knowledge.. thoroughly enjoyed it ❤

[@JacksonTaylorandTheSinners]

Dude. You’re an absolute Hoss

[@inlandbott]

those frets are huge!

[@spivvo]

Brilliant…. Subscribed :)

[@nitochi3]

Do you have any video showing how to step by step learn the open string lick and chicken picking lick? Also do you happen to have any video that teaches how to spice up country songs in D, G, E and A?

[@krisskross6135]

Nice

[@linkedup7346]

Beautiful old Tele. What year? You have a great method of spelling your techniques out.

[@IndusRush]

Hi Ryan, could you please give me a tip on some practise exercises on how to learn this style of fingerpicking. My fingers seem soft and ineffective for this at the moment and I never really got the hang of travis picking either…always been a plectrum player.

[@sooparticular]

does that tele have the Nocaster set? or the blackguard?? sounds like the real deal

[@kmckinlay8070]

8. Slap-back delay and room reverb hides my mistakes. Thanks for this. Good lesson.

[@waylonjosiah5824]

You all probably dont care at all but does someone know of a method to log back into an instagram account? I somehow lost the account password. I love any assistance you can offer me!

[@reignleonardo1217]

@Waylon Josiah instablaster ;)

[@waylonjosiah5824]

@Reign Leonardo I really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and im in the hacking process atm. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.

[@waylonjosiah5824]

@Reign Leonardo it did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. I'm so happy! Thank you so much you saved my account !

[@reignleonardo1217]

@Waylon Josiah No problem xD

[@tylermuecke7875]

Great video

[@StuartRyanMusic]

Thanks for watching Tyler! All the best, Stuart