|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 NEWS
Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Click here
|
|
|
|
|
Lead On!
|
|
Fire up a rockabilly-style lead over a classic Merle Haggard song
|
This sound is strong enough that with the right lick, you can just plow through a I–V–I chord progression at the end of a solo without worrying about hitting notes particular to the E chord. In Example 21, notice how the new C# note doesn’t get added in until the very end of the lick.
  Example 21
Example 21, Played Slowly
Like the blues, country guitar is as much about tone and timing as the licks themselves, so check out some recordings of country guitar greats like Roy Nichols, James Burton, Clarence White, Ray Flacke, and Redd Volkaert, and do a little listenin’ along with your pickin’. Good luck!
Roman Numerals
Using Roman numerals (like I, IV, V) for chords is a notational trick that makes both talking about songs and transposing them much easier. Here’s how it works: In the key of G, for example, the G chord is the I, also called the tonic. In that key, the C chord (whose root is the fourth note in the A scale) is the IV. The D chord (whose root is the fifth note in the A scale) is the V. Minor chords are designated with lowercase Roman numerals: in the key of G, the Am chord would be ii, the Bm chord iii, and the Em chord vi. Get it? Now, if you’re playing a song in A, the A is the I, D is the IV, and E is the V, etc. If this sounds confusing, think of it as the Esperanto of music language—no matter what key you’re in, you can call out those numerals (“One!” “Four!” “Minor two!” to your bandmates and (if they’ve learned how to speak it) they can hit the right chord regardless of whether they’re using a capo or are in a different tuning, etc.
Fine and dandy, you say, but how do I know what key the song is in? If you’re a total beginner, it may involve a bit of guesswork. In general, the key or tonic chord of a song will recur often, and it will “feel” like the one to which the chord changes keep resolving and returning. Usually (but not always) it’s the first and last chords of a song. If you’re looking at sheet music in standard notation (not tab), you can also identify it by the number of sharps and flats at the beginning of the first line (for example, C has no flats or sharps, G has one sharp, F has one flat, D has two sharps, and A has three sharps)—but this may require more knowledge than you need at this point. As a last resort, ask an experienced player for help. In time, you’ll develop an ear for identifying not only the tonic or key of a song, but the characteristic sound of those changes (I to IV, I to V, IV to V, and so forth) in any key.
Bending Strings
The goal of country-influenced lead guitar is to create precise-sounding bends that mimic the mechanical string-bends pedal steel players achieve with their pedals. In particular, we’re interested in something guitarists call a prebend, in which the note is raised before you even pick it and then released after you pick it once. To do a prebend, you first have to know how to bend, so let’s start with that.
Put your ring finger on the fourth fret of the third string, with your middle finger at the third fret and your index at the second. Using all three fingers, push the string away from the floor (toward your face). Make sure you press the string into the fretboard, too. If you pick the string first and then push it up, you will hear the pitch of the note go up as you bend. Bend the note until it sounds the same as the fifth fret on the same string, which makes this a half-step bend.
To execute a prebend (shown in Example 6), first get a feel for how far up you have to push to make the half-step bend. Next, make that bend without picking the string. When you’ve got the string bent, pick it and undo the bend with a quick motion of your fingers back to the “unbent” position.
With practice, you’ll be able to get your notes prebent just in time to pick and release them right on the downbeat.
SUGGESTED LISTENING
The Byrds, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Columbia Legacy 65150. With Gram Parsons and Clarence White.
Steve Earle, Guitar Town, MCA 170265.
Merle Haggard, The Lonesome Fugitive, Razor and Tie 82059.
Old 97’s, Too Far to Care, Elektra 62050.
Gram Parsons, GP/Grievous Angel, Warner Brothers 26108. The father of country-rock, with the legendary James Burton on guitar.
Uncle Tupelo, Anodyne, Sire 45424. The band that launched the alt-country movement.
Wilco, A.M., Sire 45857.
Lucinda Williams, World Without Tears, Lost Highway 170355.
|
|
| |
|
|
Previous Page |
1
2
3
4
5
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
