Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Country lead from chord shapes – with pedal steel licks – EP462

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn a country style lead that follows the chord changes by attaching licks to chord shapes. Also includes several cool pedal steel licks.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Slow Walkthrough

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Comments

    • JohnStrat says

      Hi Brian,
      I just want to say again a big thank you for this lesson. The addition of the tab and the blue highlight makes it even easier to pick up and is a very helpful ingredient. I think you have given about as much instruction in how to get the better of this lesson as is possible…. the rest is down to us. A really fine lesson in all respects, Loads of techinique and exercise all rolled into one. Like John Chargo I recall those steel bends from EP125 a previous beauty.
      Thanks Again
      JohnStrat

  16. charjo says

    Brian,
    I’ve seen all most but not all of those pedal steel licks before. Seeing them all together, related to the CAGED shapes within a 1, 4, 5 composition is amazing and I’m hoping I can now retain them. Great lesson, I’m so glad you went overboard.
    John

  17. charjo says

    Brian,
    I’ve seen most but not all of those pedal steel licks before. Seeing them all together, related to the CAGED shapes within a 1, 4, 5 composition is amazing and I’m hoping I can now retain them. Great lesson, I’m so glad you went overboard.
    John

  20. Greg O says

    great lesson! made me go back and revisit ep388 and ep 191 which were both excellent pedal steel, harmonized 6th and 3 rd lessons. i’m more of a blues guy but love the way Brian connects scale, chords and licks.

  24. Michael M says

    Brian, your Country Lessons are simply awesome. Well worth the cost of the Premium Subscription to an old, retired player. Been picking since age 12, in 1964. Please, more Country Oriented Lessons! Thank you.

  25. johnnybronx says

    Hi Brian
    This lesson is a guitar course in itself. How to implement chord shapes connected to major pentatonic to play changes. Harmonized 6ths, sus chords, bending, harmonized 3rds, standard bluegrass licks…wow ! I will be studying this lesson. Also, I think there were a few arpeggios thrown in ( which I have been studying currently). Great Lesson for learning how to play guitar. Thank you.

  26. David E says

    Wow! Never thought I could do Country Pedal licks. Well, I can’t just yet. BUT I dam will try now Brian has shown me how. Yippee!! Thanks again Brian for another brilliant lightbulb lesson.

  28. Dan S says

    Question — How do you get these rhythm ideas in your head ? I get stuck on a certain rhythm and can’t seem to get out of it. Being able to change the “feel” of playing is a gift you have.
    Referencing this lesson — yes. Head hurts, but I’ll get there.

  31. Paul N says

    Hey Brian, really taking it up a notch with this one. Awesome! I like where you take “artistic license” with that walkdown. I have small hands and showing an alternate really helps. And what I think was something new you did (could be wrong on this), that I really like, is the full play-thru videos at the end, especially when you show the complete tab while showing the guitar being played. I think on the 1st singing one, you showed mostly chords, but the 2nd one was full tab. That one is a really valuable tool for me personally. Thanks again Brian!

  33. Gregory S says

    Great lesson! Reminds me a lot of Jerry G on American Beauty, or his pedal steel solo on Teach Your Children. Which reminds me: Perhaps time for another Jerry-focused lesson? All guitar roads pass through Grateful Dead country!
    Cheers
    G

  36. Stephen K says

    Brian – I continue to be amazed at the fluidity of your playing and how you can move from one genre to another and sound completely competent in all of them. The pedal steel bend ideas are incredibly helpful and I can already see modifying them a bit and using them in my own songs. Just outstanding technique and teaching virtuosity!

  39. Bob B says

    Morning Brian

    Haven’t been a member long, but this lesson confirms for me that I’m in the right place! Really cool – I found I could play a lot of these licks right away, I’d been practising them for my ‘live’ teacher for a while but just not in this context. Your explanations of where they come from in the chords is really helpful!

    If anybody wants to check out my teacher, I recommend him just to view his work. Just search Jordan Brodie on youtube.

    Thanks again!

  43. David S says

    Brian,Thanks to sound slice I am taking about 3 measures at a time and looping it over and over again until I can see exactly thanks to slow motion what you are doing and makes it a lot easier to play. Put on set of .009’s and it is easy to make your bends,plays a lot easier and sounds better with easier control.Can’t play enough of this lesson.Really like this the more I play
    it.Hope you do some more like this soon.Country with Bluegrass is great.adding steel bends makes it even better. Thank You, Thank You,Thank You!!!!!!!

  44. RANDY M says

    Brian, You shared something very personal. I hope your youngest got the vaccine. apparently, those that did
    have much better odds.
    You hit this lesson out of the park. I remember in the late 70’s when the aging rockers transitioned over and created the new country.
    This lesson is a treasure trove.
    Thanks,
    Randy

  45. Michael G says

    I’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning this song over the last two days. Now all I have to do is bring it up to speeed, another 1,000 hours over the next two weeks. I really enjoy your video’s Brian.

  46. mritalian says

    Brian, You’re compositions/lessons are so damn good. Not only do I learn and progress from your teaching, but I have to be honest I love the music. I rarely listen to much of anyone else’s music anymore, its that good. Thanks for all you do. I know its you’re way of making a living but I wish I could tip you for all that this is worth. Thanks for the efforts again.

  47. RANDY M says

    Wish you were here.
    I flashed back to when my training wheel rolled by me while learning to ride my bike.

    This lesson is that wheel.
    The 2 and 3 hours a day practicing are beginning to pay off.

    I hope they let me bring my acoustic to the hospital. Could take up to 20 days to get back home.
    Replacing an already replaced left hip.

    70 years and still pickin. Music does help with memory loss and is great for well-being.

    2 hips and a shoulder so far. 4th replacement coming up.
    Health care for all!

    Brian, Investing in another year of music with you is great medicine for my mind and body. One horn player to another.
    PEACE!

  48. drlknstein says

    absolutely great lesson…lots of great ideas for improvising and jamming..these kind are the best for me..i can work on this for a while to try to incorporate many of these into my bag of tricks

    • Brian says

      Bob, you have something going on with your browser. you might try either clearing your browser cache, or using a different browser altogether (Google Chrome, Firefox) etc.

  51. William G says

    I have a hard time bending the 3rd string while keeping the second string from also bending. I always bend with my ring finger. Then I tried what you seem to be doing – at the very beginning (8 seconds) you bend the 3rd string with you middle finger! I tried it and it definitely makes it easier to keep my pinkie on the second string, firmly planted. Much more stability. As you would say, a big take away!

  52. Ray P says

    Brian, this was an awesome lesson and learning the steel pedal leads was really neat. I was actually able to learn and play faster. This allowed me to put together a 1 minute video of family vacation in Maui (all done with a green screen).

  55. Michael M says

    Hi Brian- I realize this was a composition of your own making. I am wondering about the structure of the song. Does it adhere to any known standard form of composition or is it a “random act of creativity”? I love these lessons featuring the pedal lick sounds, but struggle to apply them to published songs out there. Blue Sky is the only one I’ve had any luck with.

  56. Charles B says

    Hey Brian
    Just wanted to thank you for this and there’s no need to apologize for the amount of material in this one. I’ve never tried this style before and it took me a while to learn it but it’s starting to stick, always liked country

  58. Terrence H says

    Been playing for 50 years and decided I needed to learn country, Great Lesson, I have an artist being produced and was asked to play in the band, this is a great starting point. Excellent lesson thank you.

  61. Richard F says

    Great exercise in CW bends in context of chords & progressions. You’re right, it works best for the “takeaways.” I hear some alt-CW (the incomparable Ray Price) in the melody. This one slipped by me when it came out. I’ve been in the habit of reviewing older lessons & grabbed hold of this one for sure. Thanks.

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