Sam Smiley Music
Chicken Pickin’
The Vocabulary of the Country Guitar Masters Over 100 licks in the style of Brent Mason, Brad Paisley, Don Rich, Albert Lee, Redd Volkaert, Roy Nichols, and more!
Sam Smiley Music | samsmileymusic.com
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Chicken Pickin’
Chicken Pickin’ –
the Vocabulary of the Country Guitar Masters
by Sam Smiley All Rights Reserved ©2014 Sam Smiley Music|samsmileymusic.com
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Sam Smiley Music
Table of Contents I. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 7 Context ................................................................................................................................................. 8 II. Vocabulary ......................................................................................................................... 10 Learning the Licks ......................................................................................................................... 11 Moving the Licks ............................................................................................................................. 12 Different String Sets ...................................................................................................................... 13 Transposing ..................................................................................................................................... 13 III. Country Chord Progressions ....................................................................................... 15 Three Chords and the Truth ....................................................................................................... 15 Nashville Numbers ........................................................................................................................ 15 Spacing ............................................................................................................................................... 17 Hooks ................................................................................................................................................. 17 Country Chord Progressions ...................................................................................................... 18 Hook 1 .............................................................................................................................................................. 18 Hook 2 .............................................................................................................................................................. 19 Hook 3 .............................................................................................................................................................. 19 Hook 4 .............................................................................................................................................................. 19 Hook 5 .............................................................................................................................................................. 19 Hook 6 .............................................................................................................................................................. 20 Expansion ......................................................................................................................................... 20 Find More .......................................................................................................................................... 20 IV Techniques ......................................................................................................................... 21 Cluck-‐a-‐Cluck ................................................................................................................................... 21 Oblique Bends ................................................................................................................................. 23 Pedal Steel-‐Type Bends ............................................................................................................... 24 Hybrid Picking ................................................................................................................................ 26 Banjo Rolls ....................................................................................................................................... 27 Speed .................................................................................................................................................. 28 Your Own Technique .................................................................................................................... 29 V. The Players ......................................................................................................................... 30 James Burton ................................................................................................................................... 30 Danny Gatton ................................................................................................................................... 30 Albert Lee ......................................................................................................................................... 30 Brent Mason ..................................................................................................................................... 30 Roy Nichols ....................................................................................................................................... 30 Brad Paisley ..................................................................................................................................... 31 Don Rich ............................................................................................................................................ 31 VI. Gear ..................................................................................................................................... 32 Guitars .............................................................................................................................................................. 32 Amps ................................................................................................................................................................. 33 Compressors ................................................................................................................................................. 33 Overdrive ........................................................................................................................................................ 34
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Other Effects .................................................................................................................................................. 34
VII. The Licks .......................................................................................................................... 35 Albert Lee ......................................................................................................................................... 35 Lick 1 -‐ Key: A ............................................................................................................................................... 35 Lick 2 – Key: A .............................................................................................................................................. 36 Lick 3 – Key: A .............................................................................................................................................. 36 Lick 4 – Key: E ............................................................................................................................................... 37 Lick 5 – Key: B .............................................................................................................................................. 37 Lick 6 – Key: Eb ............................................................................................................................................ 37 Brent Mason ..................................................................................................................................... 38 Lick 7 – Key: F ............................................................................................................................................... 38 Lick 8 – Key: F ............................................................................................................................................... 38 Lick 9 – Key: F ............................................................................................................................................... 38 Lick 10 – Key: F ............................................................................................................................................ 39 Lick 11 – Key: F ............................................................................................................................................ 39 Lick 12 – Key: G ............................................................................................................................................ 39 Lick 13 – Key: C ............................................................................................................................................ 40 Lick 14 – Key: G ............................................................................................................................................ 40 Lick 15 – Key: G ............................................................................................................................................ 40 Lick 16 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 41 Lick 17 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 41 Lick 18 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 41 Lick 19 – Key A ............................................................................................................................................. 42 Lick 20 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 42 Lick 21 – Key: E ............................................................................................................................................ 43 Lick 22 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 43 Lick 23 – Key: E ............................................................................................................................................ 43 Lick 24 – Key: E ............................................................................................................................................ 44 Lick 25 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 44 Lick 26 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 44 Lick 27 – Key: B ............................................................................................................................................ 45 Lick 28 – Key: E ............................................................................................................................................ 45 Lick 29 – Key: E ............................................................................................................................................ 45 Lick 30 – Key: D ........................................................................................................................................... 46 Lick 31 – Key: G ............................................................................................................................................ 46 Brad Paisley ..................................................................................................................................... 46 Lick 32 – Key G ............................................................................................................................................. 46 Lick 33 – Key: D ........................................................................................................................................... 47 Lick 34 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 47 Lick 35 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 48 Lick 36 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 48 Lick 37 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 49 Danny Gatton ................................................................................................................................... 49 Lick 38 – Key: G ............................................................................................................................................ 49 Lick 39 – Key: G ............................................................................................................................................ 50 James Burton ................................................................................................................................... 50 Lick 40 – Key: D ........................................................................................................................................... 50 Lick 41 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 50 Lick 42 – Key: F#mi .................................................................................................................................... 51
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Lick 43 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 51 Lick 44 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 51 Lick 45 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 52 Ricky Skaggs .................................................................................................................................... 52 Lick 46 – Key: G ............................................................................................................................................ 52 Lick 47 – Key: G ............................................................................................................................................ 52 Lick 48 – Key: G ............................................................................................................................................ 53 Lick 49 – Key: G ............................................................................................................................................ 53 Lick 50 – Key: G ............................................................................................................................................ 53 Roy Nichols ....................................................................................................................................... 54 Lick 51 – Key: G ............................................................................................................................................ 54 Lick 52 – Key: G ............................................................................................................................................ 54 Lick 53 – Key: F ............................................................................................................................................ 55 Lick 54 – Key: D ........................................................................................................................................... 55 Lick 55 – Key: G ............................................................................................................................................ 56 Redd Volkaert ................................................................................................................................. 56 Lick 56 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 56 Lick 57 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 57 Lick 58 – Key: D ........................................................................................................................................... 57 Lick 59 – Key: D ........................................................................................................................................... 57 Lick 60 – Key: G ............................................................................................................................................ 58 Lick 61 – Key: G ............................................................................................................................................ 58 Lick 62 – Key: Bb ......................................................................................................................................... 58 Lick 63 – Key: F ............................................................................................................................................ 59 Lick 64 – Key: F ............................................................................................................................................ 59 Lick 65 – Key: F ............................................................................................................................................ 59 Lick 66 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 60 Lick 67 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 60 Lick 68 – Key: D ........................................................................................................................................... 60 Lick 69 – Key: D ........................................................................................................................................... 61 Lick 70 – Key: A ............................................................................................................................................ 61
VIII. The Licks – Chord Movements ................................................................................. 62 Voice Leading .................................................................................................................................. 62 Quick Theory Lesson: ................................................................................................................................ 62 How to Voice Lead and Resolve ................................................................................................. 62 I to IV .................................................................................................................................................. 63 Lick 1 – G to C -‐ Brent Mason ................................................................................................................. 63 Lick 2 – A to D -‐ Brent Mason ................................................................................................................. 63 Lick 3 – E to A – Brent Mason ................................................................................................................ 64 Lick 4 – E to A – Brent Mason ................................................................................................................ 64 Lick 5 – A to D – Brent Mason ................................................................................................................ 64 Lick 6 – F# to B – Brad Paisley .............................................................................................................. 65 I to V .................................................................................................................................................... 65 Lick 7 – A to E – Brent Mason ................................................................................................................ 65 Lick 8 – A to E – Brent Mason ................................................................................................................ 66 Lick 9 – E to B – Brent Mason ................................................................................................................ 66 Lick 10 – E to B – Brent Mason .............................................................................................................. 66 Lick 11 – G to D – Roy Nichols ............................................................................................................... 67 IV to I – Back to Tonic ................................................................................................................... 67
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Lick 12 – A to E – Brent Mason .............................................................................................................. 67 Lick 13 – B to F# -‐ Brad Paisley ............................................................................................................ 68 V to I .................................................................................................................................................... 68 Lick 14 – D to G – Brent Mason ............................................................................................................. 68 Lick 15 -‐ B to E – Brent Mason .............................................................................................................. 68 Lick 16 – B to E – Brent Mason .............................................................................................................. 69 Lick 17 – B to E – Brent Mason .............................................................................................................. 69 Lick 18 – D to G – Brad Paisley .............................................................................................................. 69 Lick 19 – D to G – Brad Paisley .............................................................................................................. 70 Lick 20 – E to A – Brad Paisley .............................................................................................................. 70 Lick 21 – E to A – Brad Paisley .............................................................................................................. 70 Lick 22 – A to D – Brad Paisley .............................................................................................................. 71 Lick 23 – E to A – Brad Paisley .............................................................................................................. 71 Lick 24 – A to D – Redd Volkaert .......................................................................................................... 71 Lick 25 – A to D – Redd Volkaert .......................................................................................................... 72 Lick 26 – C to F – Redd Volkaert ........................................................................................................... 72 Lick 27 – C to F – Redd Volkaert ........................................................................................................... 72 IV to V ................................................................................................................................................. 73 Lick 28 – Bb to C – Brent Mason ........................................................................................................... 73 Lick 29 -‐ Bb to C – Brent Mason ........................................................................................................... 73 Lick 30 – A to B – Brent Mason ............................................................................................................. 73 Lick 31 – B to C# -‐ Brad Paisley ............................................................................................................ 74 Lick 32 – G to A – Brent Mason ............................................................................................................. 74 V to IV ................................................................................................................................................. 74 Lick 33 – D to C – Brent Mason ............................................................................................................. 74 Lick 34 – D to C – Danny Gatton ........................................................................................................... 75 Lick 35 – E to D – James Burton ............................................................................................................ 75
IX Etudes .................................................................................................................................. 76 Etude 1 ............................................................................................................................................... 76 Etude 2 ............................................................................................................................................... 77 X. Essential Listening ........................................................................................................... 78 XI. Where to Go Next ............................................................................................................ 80 Further Reading ............................................................................................................................. 80 About the Author ............................................................................................................................ 82
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I. Introduction The guitarists in the tradition of country music have created a rich and interesting style of guitar playing over the last 75+ years. In true American style, they have created a melting pot of different styles – from folk to jazz to rock – and played these phrases through their own filter. Music is often compared to a language. A player can ‘speak’ the blues, or can ‘speak’ bebop. You can also learn a musical style similar to how you would learn a language, by learning the words, vocabulary, syntax, and grammar. In fact, if you approach learning a style this way you will probably find yourself sounding authentic much faster than if you approach it by learning the theory, techniques, and other peripherals that are involved. Think about how a child learns to speak. They start out imitating the words their parents say to them, and then learn a couple of small words – momma, dada, no. As they continue to hear their parents speak, they continue to just try to learn words. As soon as they have a few words down, they start creating their own sentences. Much of the time they don’t make a lot of sense unless they are repeating exactly what they hear. But they continue to try to formulate ideas, sentences, and phrases. Eventually they are communicating effectively with their parents and people around them. Most children don’t learn to communicate by starting with the alphabet. Most kids don’t learn their first few words by spelling first, then trying to sound them out slowly, and then learning the meaning, and only after knowing all of this they start using them in a controlled environment. That would be absurd – imagine a 2 year old learning the spelling of the word ‘no’ before she actually uses it.
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Chicken Pickin’ The analogy holds up with music as well. It’s just as pointless to start learning a style by spelling scales and chords, learning the scales that go with the style, and finally start dealing with the music. Go to the ‘words’ first. Start by trying to speak the language first. Then go back and analyze the note choices, scales, and other elements that go into the music. Remember, that two year old will eventually take a grammar class in high school, and move on to English Comp 101, and maybe even further. She will definitely learn the mechanics of letters, spelling, and grammar. The distinction is that she isn’t STARTING there. Many guitar teachers teach soloing by starting with the letters (notes), scales (spelling), and grammar (theory). So start with the vocabulary (words).
Context The other element in learning a musical language is context. In fact, this is what usually moves a player from learning a style to actually playing the style authentically. Licks and phrases don’t exist in a vacuum. In other words the licks aren’t enough on their own. Using the speaking analogy again, if you learned the words battery, coffee cup, move, that, and away, you won’t make much sense until you can put them into some kind of order. “That away coffee cup battery move” makes no sense. But when you learn the context of those words you can create a sentence like “Move that coffee cup away from that battery.” It’s important then to learn the context that these licks, or vocabulary, fit into. Each musical style has a different way of using context. In rock, solos are usually played with one scale, sometimes over several chords. The context then is more about the arc of the solo – beginning, middle, and end. Or it can be based on the shape of the solo, tension and release. In jazz, the improviser usually plays different sounds for each chord and chromatically prepares each chord using chord tones. Country playing is sort of a combination of both approaches. The country guitar style uses some chord movements like jazz, and hangs on chords, more like rock.
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In this book, we will define 2 contexts: Single chord and moving from chord to chord. Some of the vocabulary presented is to be played over a single chord. Usually this is a major or dominant 7th chord. Other times the licks move from one chord to another. In order to really sound authentic, you have to know how to ‘play the changes’ or how to move from one chord to another in that style. Many times this involves chromatic notes. We will look at moving from I to V, I to IV, V to I, and IV to V.
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II. Vocabulary When many guitar players start to “solo” they are usually taught to start with scales. The scale approach can be a quick way to get some useable sounds that will work when playing country solos. But that sound gets old pretty quickly because using a scale for an entire solo lacks direction and voice leading. The country masters not have necessarily thought much about ‘voice leading’, but I am certain they could tell by musical instinct that they needed to use something other than just scales. You can hear them highlight chord movements within their lines. So how do you go beyond scales and play something musical? The goal should be developing vocabulary instead of scales. As it was mentioned earlier, the idea behind vocabulary is that playing a musical style is similar to speaking a language. Conversations are made up from words and groups of words, not from letters and punctuation. Sure, it’s important to understand spelling, letters, and grammar, but it is not the key to communication. Vocabulary is.
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1. Instead of starting with phonics and the alphabet start by trying to make words you hear from others (recordings). 2. Once you have a few of these together you should try to string them together to make a musical thought. Still not paying attention yet to the scale or theory behind it. It’s just raw music still at this point. Again, you’ll make mistakes and that’s ok. Using your vocabulary out of order or trying to force new “words” into places they don’t belong yet are all natural processes of learning to speak the language. 3. The next step is to really get into grammar or context of the music. Think of grammar as where you’re placing the words and how you connect them. The more music you get into the more you find where and when the licks work. The licks are organized by common chord progression. Sounding ‘authentic’ is not only about knowing the vocabulary but how and where to use it. 4. Eventually you’ll begin to speak the language. You are putting things where they belong, using the right words, and maybe even bringing your own thing to the conversation. Great! 5. NOW is a great time to start trying to really infuse your personality and create something original. You’ve probably already been adding in your personality, but really focusing on originality and personality is really effective once you can speak a musical language effectively.
Learning the Licks In order to really start speaking this language, you need to learn the phrases and licks. There is some tediousness to this, but it is a necessary step in learning to speak the language. 1. Memorize the lick – Hopefully this is obvious, but it is the first part of the process. Start by learning the lick where it is presented. 2. Practice the lick until you can play it at just about any tempo – meaning fast and slow. Some licks feel more comfortable played fast, slowing those down can be just as challenging as playing
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3. 4.
5. 6.
Chicken Pickin’
them fast. I never preach speed, but it is a good marker of how well you know the lick. Start moving the lick around -‐ transpose. Start playing the lick in context. Use backing tracks or practice with recordings. The best way to really get the lick under your fingers is to use it. It is best to practice licks at home to get a feel for where it does and does not work. Make your mistakes at home! When you do practice licks in context (with recordings or backing tracks), start overusing them. This does two things. First, it ingrains the lick into your playing. You won’t forget the lick if you’ve played it a hundred times in a practice solo. And secondly, you find where it doesn’t work. By forcing it in way too much you will definitely find places where it doesn’t work. Write solos or etudes using the lick. Planning where you can use the licks slows down the process and helps you make it even more of your own vocabulary. Move the lick to different sets of strings.
*Numbers 3 and 6 detailed below
Moving the Licks It is important to be able to move the licks around the neck, or transpose them to different keys. This way you are not stuck with a lick that only works in one key. In order to transpose a phrase you first have to know what note it starts on in the key. Let’s take this lick in the key of C:
The easiest way to transpose this lick is to see that it starts on the root-‐ C. To transpose the lick to D, simply move it up two frets and play the exact same pattern:
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Different String Sets
Now, if we wanted to move the lick to a different set of strings we have a couple of options. 1. You can do it completely by ear. If you know the sound of the lick really well, you can really start on any other note and ‘fish’ around to play the lick starting from that note. This is actually a great way to train your ear and to get a very natural feel of the guitar. In fact, if this is difficult for you, spend some time working on this in order to improve your ear in this way. You won’t be sorry! 2. Find the notes starting on a different string. You will have to know the notes all over the neck. Most licks will take a shape similar to the original. You might run into some issues with bends, so not all licks will transpose to different strings.
Transposing
In order to transpose the lick, we first need to determine what the notes are in the key. The lick starts on the root (C), then moves to the second of the scale, chromatically up to the third, and then to the fifth (G). It ends by moving to the sixth (A), back to the fifth and then up to the root (C). In scale degrees you would have: 1 2 #2 3 5 6 5 1 13
Chicken Pickin’ Let’s transpose the lick to the key of G. First, we need to know the scale. (Figuring out major scales is outside the scope of this book, so do a quick Google search if you need help finding the notes in a major scale.) The scale with degrees is: G A B C D E F# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 If we apply the numbers above to this scale, we end up with: G A A# B D E D G 1 2 #2 3 5 6 5 1 Then applying these notes to the guitar we get:
It can be extremely helpful to be able to transpose licks. It will dramatically increase your vocabulary. It will also help you learn the neck in a completely different way. Try to learn each lick starting on every string possible.
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III. Country Chord Progressions Country music has long been celebrated and mocked for being a simple music for simple people. I can’t disagree with that, but it’s also one of the things about it that I really love, usually honest music for honest listeners (with a bit of a cash grab thrown in for good measure). But let’s not kid ourselves, which style of music doesn’t have its share of hacks? The chord progressions are one thing about country music that makes it simple. Almost all of this music is diatonic, and other than the ‘Disney half step up key change’ it rarely even changes keys or key centers in a song.
Three Chords and the Truth You’ve heard that expression I’m sure, but here’s the truth about three chords and the truth… it’s (almost) the truth!! Really, most of country music is made up from 3 chords; the I chord, IV chord, and V chord. Now there are other chords in the style of course, mainly the minor chords ii, iii, and vi, but they are heard with much less frequency. The magic in this style though is the different things the writers do with such little material.
Nashville Numbers Nashville Number System is a murky topic that many players think is quite complicated. It’s just a way of organizing and describing chord progressions regardless of key. It’s a great way to communicate with other musicians and can help reduce the time of explaining a new song to someone, especially when the key might end up changing.
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Chicken Pickin’ The basic idea is that each scale degree can have a chord built from that note. Then each chord is numbered in order. In C: C D E F G A B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jazz and classical musicians will use Roman Numerals, but Arabic numbers are common with this system. In major keys (which is what the majority of country music is written in) the 2, 3, and 6 chords are minor. Use either a minus sign or small m to denote minor chords. 2-‐ 3-‐ 6-‐ Dmi Emi Ami The 7 chord is rarely (I’ve never seen it) used in this style. But if it were it would be diminished, which is notated with a small o. Dominant Chords are tricky because using a 7 would make a chord look like two different chords. For example 57 looks like a G followed by a B chord. Many musicians end up using carets around these chords when they are dominant, <5> would be G7. Chords outside of the key are notated with a b symbol. So if you wanted a Bb chord you would write b7. Bb7 would be . F# diminished would be #4o.
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Spacing
The other part of Nashville Numbering System is the spacing. This will tell you how many beats each chord will last. Typically a set space, like a TAB on the keyboard, will be used. Then if you see more than one chord in that space you’ll know generally where the changes happen. 1 1 4 5 1 Would be the 1 chord for two measures, 4 chord and 5 chord each for 2 beats. Sometimes musicians will underline when 2 chords happen in a measure. 4 5 1
Hooks Country chord progressions have a lot of similarities between songs. I’ve found it much easier to learn tunes when there are ‘hooks that I can grab onto. A hook is a part of a song or a chord progression that you already know (note: I’m not talking about melodic hooks or pop song hooks). For example, most experienced guitarists know the blues form. A player working on a tune that has part of the blues in it, or that’s based exclusively on the blues, can memorize it much more easily because they can grab on the blues ‘hook.’ Not only can you learn a song easily, but you have things you can do over that part of the song. You might have certain licks or ideas that work really well when going from IV to V. If you know a major II chord (we’ll get to that below) is coming up, you’re much better prepared to deal with it than if you’ve never played a progression with a major II. This is how some musicians can step in and play the hell out of a song they’ve never heard – they might not know that tune, but they’ve played those chord progressions a number of times. My eBook Blues Language
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Chicken Pickin’ is all about using the hooks in the blues progression and knowing how to solo over them using the language of the blues masters. The more hooks you know the better you’ll know the music and the better you’ll be able to deal with learning new songs.
Country Chord Progressions Ok, so finally let’s talk about the actual country chord progressions. We will be looking at mostly classic country here, think Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Hank Williams, Waylon Jennings, Wynn Stewart, etc. The principles will still apply to newer country, and that music does have a lot of what follows in it, but the traditional sound is the backbone even to modern country. Here are some hooks in country music. Most center around using the 1, 4, and 5 chords in different configurations. These could be an entire song, or just a verse, bridge, or chorus. One of the beauties of country music is that the writers can be really creative with a pretty limited amount of material. Hook 1 1 1 4 4 5 5 1 1 You’ll find this one all over the place. In my quick research I pulled it from “Falling for You” by Buck Owens and “Lord Loves a Drinking Man” by Kevin Fowler (played by Mark Chesnutt). You could easily find it a number of times in a Hank Williams or Merle Haggard compilation.
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Hook 2 A short variation of the first hook is from “Hey Good Lookin’” by Hank Williams 1 1 1 1 5 4 1 1 Hook 3 “Hey Good Lookin’” has a bridge that uses a very common progression: 4 1 4 1 4 1 2 5 Notice that the 2 chord is major. This is called the ‘secondary dominant’ in classical and jazz theory. Basically you are playing a dominant chord (the V chord of) the V chord. If you’re in the key of G, the D chord is the V. The V of D is A, so the V of V (another way of saying secondary dominant) is A. A is also the second note of the scale, so you could also call it the major 2 chord. So… major 2 and the secondary dominant chord called V/V (five of five) are the same thing. Hook 4 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 1 This chord progression is found throughout country music. You can find this hook in “Cold Cold Heart” by Hank Williams and the verse for “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffett. Hook 5 1 1 4 1 1 5 1 1 This one is from Merle Haggard’s classic “Mama Tried.”
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Hook 6 4 4 1 1 4 4 5 5 This progression is a great bridge selection pulled from “You Can’t Do Me That Way” by Mark Chesnutt. A variation on this would be to replace the 7th chord with a 2 chord.
Expansion
These hooks do not have to happen in songs verbatim. They can also be expanded and slightly altered. For example, you might find a song that is similar to hook 2, but the 1 chord is doubled in length. These hooks are not only a way to approach the songs.. They are also a great way to train your ear to hear the way chords move typically in country music.
Find More
This chapter is just the beginning. With the way that country chord progressions work, you can find a handful of these hooks to learn. Then as you listen to more recordings you’ll find that they are being repeated constantly. Again, this isn’t to say the music isn’t good. It’s great music! It just uses a lot of material over and over again, which makes the musicians’ job to find new and creative ways to get around these common chord progressions. If you’re looking for more check out: Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Waylon Jennings, Jimmy Buffett, Hank Williams II, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, and Mark Chesnutt.
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IV Techniques Chicken pickin’ has a distinct sound, some of which comes from the technique. The techniques have to be considered part of the overall vocabulary, just like the phrases and notes. Here is a look at several of the techniques that give chicken pickin’ its sound.
Cluck-‐a-‐Cluck
One of the most important techniques is the muting of notes, which provides the ‘cluck-‐a-‐cluck’ sound that chicken pickin’ gets its name. This technique is pretty simple, but takes a bit of practice to really implement. The idea is that you are muting notes on purpose to get the percussive sound. Start by aiming for some specific notes on specific beats. Here are some exercises to get you started. These are all in the key of G.
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Chicken Pickin’ These examples are all rhythmically on the beat. Many of the chicken pickin’ licks we’ll look at later use dotted quarter note rhythms – or rhythms that alternate, on the beat, off the beat. These are made up of three eighth notes. These are not typical rhythms, especially for rock and blues players, so practice them often to get the feel. Also try these at different tempos, fast, medium, slow, etc. They sound and feel very different depending on your tempo.
Finally, the triplet rhythm plays a huge role in chicken pickin’. Since the tempos in country can get pretty quick these triplet figures can end up sounding very fast. Like the other licks in this section, this is a different feel so make sure to practice the exercises in order to really get it.
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Oblique Bends
The compositional technique known as counterpoint laid the groundwork for many of the music theory terms we use now. One of these is ‘oblique motion,’ where one note stays the same while another changes. Country guitarists (and blues and rock players) use these all the time. They likely don’t call these ‘oblique bends’ but that would be the term. There are two main types of oblique bends to check out. They each have a few different contexts so bear with me on this theory topic. Example 1 shows a hold on a G (8th fret B string) while the 7th fret G string is bent from a D to E.
This can happen in the key of C by holding the 5th of the chord while bending the 2nd up to the 3rd of the chord. Another way to look at this is to hold the flat 7th of the chord, which would put this lick in the key of A. This time the 4th of the chord is bent up to the 5th (D up to E). Example 2 shows the same type of bend but on the E and B strings.
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Chicken Pickin’ If we think of this in the key of F, the G note is bent from the 2nd up to the 3rd of the chord, A. The 5th is held. If we put this in the key of D, we bend the 4th up to the 5th while holding the flat 7th. When you practice these different contexts, make sure to have the chord playing in the background, or at least play the root so you are able to hear the differences. Otherwise these will all sound the same. There are many other types of oblique bends included in the licks and in country music in general. Remember that whenever you bend a note you are bending to a note most of the time.
Pedal Steel-‐Type Bends
Country players love to imitate the sound of other instruments. One of the most common to imitate is the pedal steel. The steel guitar has a high, whiny sound most of the time that is characterized by the bending of notes that create chords. One way we can imitate this sound as guitarists is to use oblique bends. Here is another method. We are going to bend the higher note instead of the lower one. This creates a sound that is different than the more typical lower note bends.
Here we see the basic idea of bending a higher note. Hold the note on the D string while pulling the G string down towards the ground. In this example the G is pulled up to an A while the C is held. This can be heard in the key of F by bending the 2nd of the chord up to the 3rd while holding the 5th. Make sure to play the root as you do this.
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In this second example the previous bend is the resolution. The other bends follow the F major pentatonic scale moving up (starting on C and ending on A). The lower notes give the example a grounding in the key of F. Bending by pulling down is a technique that you may not be used to. Just make sure to practice this like you would any other bend. Check your tuning, continue to work at it so you can build up calluses -‐ these are different from regular bends.
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Hybrid Picking
Hybrid picking is using both pick and fingers at the same time. This technique probably received most of its early fans because of the intro to Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” Country music though uses it in order to skip across strings and do much quicker picking in wider intervals. Most country players have their own picking style, so develop something that works for you. Hybrid picking is just a technique, not the only way to play. Brent Mason uses a thumb pick almost exclusively. Other players use fingers only, and others use a regular pick. It’s very much a personal choice that you should let develop along with your own style. In order to get started with hybrid picking, take a simple figure that moves across strings. This example will use a simple sixths figure in the key of C. Try simply playing the lower note (on the G string) with your pick in your thumb and first finger. Then pick the higher note (on the E string) using your middle finger. You might find it helpful to grow nails on your middle and ring fingers of your picking hand.
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Arpeggio figures also make great exercises. Try this simple arpeggio figure.
Banjo Rolls
The last technique we will look at in detail is the banjo roll. The banjo has been a part of country music since it started. Banjo players often play fast arpeggiated figures called ‘rolls,’ especially in bluegrass music. The banjo is tuned to an open tuning (usually a G, but there are many different tunings). Hybrid picking is almost a must when it comes to recreating banjo rolls. The forward roll is simply playing through the arpeggio from lowest note to highest note. These are typically played over 3 strings on a banjo, so the rhythm will end up being the ‘on-‐off-‐on’ rhythm of the dotted quarter note.
The next example we will put a hammer on into the roll. In order to make this sound really effective, change the B on the G string to an open G. That gives the figure two G’s in a row, but that is a way to really bring out the hammer on. The hammer on here is a grace note – one that should move very quickly to the next note and does not really have a rhythmic value.
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The biggest challenge for creating banjo rolls is the speed. Bluegrass banjo players can play at an extremely quick tempo.
Speed Speed is a technique? Well, yes and no. Country music, especially when you are talking about players like Brad Paisley and Albert Lee, can be really fast. There is a big myth among guitarists that speed is developed gradually. Many teachers will tell you to just ‘inch up the metronome.’ That can get you from one tempo to another, sure. But we are talking about pretty extreme speed here. It is unlikely that you can get from eighth notes at 120 bpm to sixteenth notes at 150 bpm by moving the metronome up a few clicks each time. There needs to be a time of ‘going for it’ – just making a leap to another speed plateau. It isn’t easy, but it can be done. Sometimes when you make the jump you find that you will have to gradually practice at the new tempo in order to really get comfortable with it. Gradual tempo increases are fine. It just is not a good way (or even possible) to get to different speed plateaus by gradually increasing. In order to not fall on your face while doing this, you need to have a couple things in order. First, you need a really solid fingering for your fretting hand. If this is in question you will not be able to make these jumps. Secondly, you will need to have a plan with your picking hand. Many players use alternate picking – which is just what it sounds like, alternating down and up strokes. Players who only use fingers will have to come up with another way of doing it, but whichever way you choose, just make sure you have a plan for picking.
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There is another speed myth to dispel. Most people will tell you that you need to make smaller and smaller movements in order to get fast. Some movements DO need to get smaller. For example, you don’t want your pointer finger to hover two inches above the fretboard when you are using your pinky. You don’t want your pinky to go behind the neck when you are not using it. Some movements though, need to be exaggerated. Take the banjo rolls. Your ring finger on the fretting hand is probably not used to being part of a picking pattern unless you have played classical guitar. Try exaggerating the movement with that finger. You will probably find that it is easier to move that finger fast than when you make a small movement. To test this idea, try tapping your first and middle fingers on a table (or any surface) as fast as you can. Then try to keep them from coming up very far. You probably slowed down considerably! The body needs an opposite motion – a reset, in order to move again. Ultra-‐small movements are much more demanding on the muscles and nerves than making larger movements that have opposite motions. Watch some of the players that are covered in the book – many of them have relatively exaggerated movements that you would not expect from such fast players.
Your Own Technique
All of these techniques come down to the player. Brent Mason probably never worked on ‘techniques.’ He worked on music. The techniques were all developed as a way to play the music that he was trying to get out. Approach these in the same way – create/work on techniques that can help you get the music out that you want to create. No one listening will hear alternate picking, or bends and think, “oh that sounds like an oblique bend.” It’s all about the music – so approach these licks and techniques keeping that in mind.
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Chicken Pickin’
V. The Players James Burton
James Burton is one of the fathers of chicken pickin’. His first recording was “Susie Q” which he made when he was still a teenager. He has since recorded as a session player with many of the biggest names in country and rockabilly, including Elvis Presley and Merle Haggard.
Danny Gatton
Danny Gatton is one of the truly tragic masters of the guitar. He mastered just about every electric guitar style – from blues to jazz to country to rock. It all invaded his playing. He won several ‘Best Country Player’ awards from magazines (no websites at the time!) but constantly said that he was much more than just a country player. He refused to be boxed into a style. He took his own life in the 1990s.
Albert Lee Albert Lee is a session guitarist from the UK. He first gained notoriety with Emmylou Harris’ hot band and then with Eric Clapton in the mid to late 1970s. Lee is an ultra-‐fast player who uses a unique sound that is closer to a Stratocaster than the traditional Telecaster.
Brent Mason Brent Mason is heard on hundreds of recordings. He is probably the most commonly heard country guitarist in the past 25 years. He is also a noted jazz guitarist as well and cites Pat Martino and Larry Carlton as big influences. His playing has defined chicken pickin’ in the 1990s.
Roy Nichols Roy Nichols was the guitarist for Merle Haggard from the early 1960s through 1987. Nichols helped to define the Bakersfield sound which became the backbone of chicken pickin’. He is best known for his pedal steel-‐like bends. He also played with Lefty Frizzell and Wynn Stewart before becoming Haggard’s full-‐time guitarist.
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Brad Paisley Brad Paisley is a singer/songwriter/guitarist who has brought chicken pickin’ and country guitar to an entirely new generation. His tone has been one of the most influential country tones in the 21st century. Paisley is another ultra-‐fast guitarist. His style is quirky as well, using seemingly thrown in open strings. This all reflects his personality and fits his music very well.
Don Rich
Don Rich was Buck Owens’ lead guitarist from the beginning of the Buckaroos up through Rich’s death in 1974. He was one of the defining players of the Bakersfield sound, which was hugely influential in Chicken Pickin’ guitar. Rich was known for playing the slappy, low string solos.
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VI. Gear The gear is one of the most important parts of getting any particular sound. That being said, you can usually get the sound from most setups. First, we need to define the sound. In keeping with my website’s “taking you to the source” theme, first it is important to define the players and albums that are most indicative of the country guitar sound. The chicken pickin’ style started with James Burton, Roy Nichols, and Don Rich (of the Everly Bros/Elvis Presley, Merle Haggard, and Buck Owens respectively). These players created what we now consider chicken pickin’ in the mid 1960s. This style is hotter than the earlier styles, with more attitude and more of the ‘cluck-‐ a cluck-‐a’ sound than was heard in the early days of country. They almost always used telecasters. Country guitar didn’t start with chicken pickin’ though. Some other early contributors to the country sound include Hank Garland, Billy Byrd, and Jimmy Bryant. There were also steel guitarists who added a lot of vocabulary to the style. These players used hollow body guitars to get a more mellow, sometimes jazzier sound. They did not use the string bends and other string effects that the chicken pickers used. More modern players tend to combine these two sounds with rock guitar sounds. Players like Brent Mason, Brad Paisley, and Keith Urban keep one foot in the traditional, chicken pickin’ world, but you will also hear them use rock distortion at times. Check out the “Essential Listening” chapter for more albums. Guitars The Telecaster is always associated with country guitar. The Tele has an attitude and simplicity that really seems to match country players well. Single coil pickups generally cut a little better in the bridge position and can achieve the twangy sound where humbucker guitars tend to be a little to thick and heavy to get the twang. Players in the 1980s would sometimes use sounds more associated with the Stratocaster (Albert Lee comes to mind), but the strat generally doesn’t
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cut like a Telecaster can. Modern players are not glued to the Telecaster, though. The 1970s saw an increase in semi-‐hollowbody guitars. Check out any of the Grand Ole Opry recordings during the seventies and you will see mostly Gibson 335s and similar guitars. These were used to get closer to the hollowbody guitars used before the mid-‐1960s. In modern country concerts you are just as likely to see Les Pauls, PRS’s, and SGs. These guitars are used more for the rock sound than the country sound. If you are looking to get a classic chicken pickin’ style sound, make sure to use a single coil style guitar. All of that said, use the guitar you feel most comfortable playing. If you have a clear sound mapped out in your head, you will be able to get pretty close to it using most guitar/amp combinations. Chicken pickin’ on a Jackson and Mesa Boogie… sure! Amps In order to get traditional sound, aim for a Fender style amp that can get a pretty loud clean tone (the Twin Reverb is a really good option). There have been times in country music where solid-‐state amps were fine to use. The goal was clean volume. Right now, there seems to be a preference for boutique amps (exclusive production) and other extremely high quality amps. Most country players use a clean sound, though sometimes a little overdrive is added to bring out the solos. This can be done by overdriving the actual amp, using an overdrive channel, or with pedals. Classic chicken pickin’ certainly does not use a lot of gain though, so go for high character overdrive sounds. The key to picking a good amp for chicken pickin’ is finding one that has a fair amount of headroom and has a natural character. Compressors The modern players will tend to use compressors to their signal chain. Currently (2014) the Wampler Ego compressor has been seen on the boards of Brent Mason, Brad Paisley, and many others. The Keeley Compressor was the compressor de jour before the Ego took over.
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Chicken Pickin’ Before that it was always an MXR Dyna-‐Comp, so find one that you like. Tune the compressor so that it brings out the details and adds some sparkle to the tone. Try to avoid the ‘squish’ that can easily happen by over-‐compressing the signal. Overdrive Overdrive is another major part of the modern sound (not so much with the traditional sound). Most guitarists are familiar with the Ibanez Tube Screamer. This versatile pedal is still a mainstay on most pedal boards. In fact, if you don’t see the Tube Screamer, you will likely see a TS style pedal somewhere in the chain. Again, find the overdrive that matches what sound you are looking for, and try not to be too swayed by celebrity pedal boards. In general, the overdrive you are looking for is similar to overdriven amps, not a pedal sound. So sometimes it is just as effective to use your amp’s overdrive channel or a pedal that emulates an amp sound. Other Effects Other effects are not as common, especially in traditional country, but it does depend on the player. Many players in the 1970s used a phaser set at a slow rate to add some movement to an otherwise plain sound. This now has sort of a dated sound, but if you are going for an outlaw country sound, by all means use it! Chorus was a major part of the 1980s and early 1990s sound, but again it has somewhat fallen out of favor in the 2000s. Wah is rarely used, unless it’s used in a more modern sounding song. Brad Paisley has been heard using other filter effects, but it is more of a unique sound that stands out because of the effects instead of an homage to the past. The bottom line with other effects is that country players tend to keep the traditional sound intact while using some of the trendy sounds of the day.
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VII. The Licks So far we have talked about the importance of vocabulary and context. This chapter will focus on the actual licks and phrases influenced by the chicken pickin’ and country masters. Country music has two general situations for solos: static chords (one chord for several bars) or movement. Remember, one of the differences between country solos and rock solos is that country solos tend to resolve to each chord. In other words, country players ‘play the changes’ similar to how jazz players approach the music. The licks shown here are divided into these two sections. The static chord section is hopefully very simple – even if some of the licks may be difficult to play! These can be moved (unless they have open strings) to any area of the neck. I encourage you to try moving these to all areas of the neck. This chapter contains licks on only one chord, which is mentioned as the ‘key.’ The next chapter will focus on chord movements. Let’s get onto the licks!
Albert Lee Lick 1 -‐ Key: A
Albert Lee starts the section off with a lick out of the common minor pentatonic scale. This lick ends with a pull back to the major pentatonic scale at the end. One of the great things about this lick is the slide down
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Chicken Pickin’ through the lower position. Also, the use of the open string is a really great way to add a different sound to the lick. Lick 2 – Key: A
Here Albert Lee uses the 6th of the A chord (F#) in a nice bend up to the
flatted 7th. Much of the chicken pickin’ sound comes in using the 6th and flatted 7th simultaneously. Lick 3 – Key: A
This lick starts out in the typical minor pentatonic scale position, but quickly moves out of it. The move down in the third bar is where the chicken pickin’ gets its name – from the cluck-‐a-‐cluck with the muted notes. The end of this lick really works as well. This is a lick you can easily take apart and use smaller pieces to create your own licks. Try just memorizing and using the second to last measure.
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Lick 4 – Key: E
Lick 4 uses the major pentatonic scale verbatim. This is a great example of using a very simple idea and moulding it into a sound that you are looking for. Lick 5 – Key: B
Lick 6 – Key: Eb
This is a classic country position – first inversion of the major scale. Albert Lee resolves the lick with by ending on the root.
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Brent Mason Lick 7 – Key: F
This is a very typical Brent Mason lick in the open position. Take advantage of the snappiness when pulling off to an open string. Bend the note in the last bar by pulling down towards the floor.
Lick 8 – Key: F
Lick 9 – Key: F
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Lick 10 – Key: F
This lick is an example of the use of 6ths . The 6th interval is a very useful device in chicken pickin’. Here Brent Mason plays the diatonic 6ths in the F mixolydian scale (major scale with flatted 7th). Lick 11 – Key: F
This lick is very similar to lick 10, only the lower note of the 6th is replaced with a muted or deadened note. This is the cluck-‐a-‐cluck of chicken pickin’. Lick 12 – Key: G
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Lick 13 – Key: C
Chicken Pickin’
This lick has a really cool chicken pickin’ device – a bend from the second note of the scale up to the third of the chord and then a jump to the flatted 7th of the chord. In this example, that is D up to E (to the 3rd) and then a jump up to the Bb (flatted 7th).
Lick 14 – Key: G
Lick 15 – Key: G
Licks 14 and 15 are variations of a classic country lick. This one can and should be moved around the neck.
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Lick 16 – Key: A
Lick 17 – Key: A
Here is another great example of using the major pentatonic with the flatted 7th. In this case, the flat 7th is a G.
Lick 18 – Key: A
Triplets are a great way to add some chicken pickin’ vibe to an otherwise ‘regular’ scale lick. The hammer-‐on’s also give this one that chicken pickin’ sound.
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Lick 19 – Key A
Chicken Pickin’
Here is another one of the chicken pickin’ hallmarks – triplets with muted notes. Mason puts the dead notes in between diatonic thirds. The thirds are played on every other triplet, which gives this lick a sort of on/off feel. Again, this one uses the mixolydian scale.
Lick 20 – Key: A
This lick is very reminiscent of one of Mason’s biggest influences: Jerry Reed. It uses the triplet with deadened note idea, similar to Lick 19. The bend in the last bar is another throwback to the early days of electric country music, and Johnny Cash in particular.
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Lick 21 – Key: E
This lick covers a ton of ground. The second half of the first measure has the same fingering pattern twice. Play the G# (D string 6th fret) with your ring finger, which leaves your first finger free to play the B. Then jump up to the 11th fret using the same fingering. Play the C# (D string 11th fret) with the ring finger, leaving your first finger free for the E note. Lick 22 – Key: A
Lick 23 – Key: E
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Lick 24 – Key: E
Chicken Pickin’
This lick is a pedal steel – sounding lick. The descending thirds is a very common device used with pedal steel players. This lick is somewhat complicated, but you can take each part of the lick by itself. Lick 25 – Key: A
This very simple lick is a great small fill. This one does not have to be in 3/4, just make sure to resolve the lick on the 1 of a bar. Lick 26 – Key: A
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Lick 27 – Key: B
Here is another classic country device. The third with the B and D# (root and 3rd) descends chromatically two half steps. The final third is A and C# -‐ the flat 7th and 9th (or 2nd). Lick 28 – Key: E
This one covers a lot of ground as well. Take advantage of the open E string in the first bar to jump from the 9th position all the way down to the open position. Break this one into smaller chunks as well in order to use it more. Lick 29 – Key: E
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Lick 30 – Key: D
Chicken Pickin’
Here is another example of using the major pentatonic with the flatted 7th note. This one also features a nice bend up to the third and back down.
Lick 31 – Key: G
Brad Paisley Lick 32 – Key G
Brad Paisley is an avid triplet player. He uses them all over the place and that rhythm is very indicative of his style. This one would be a pretty typical lick if it just used one note. But he adds the third to many of them giving it a very impressive, quick sound.
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Lick 33 – Key: D Drop D
Using drop D tuning in country music can give the key of D a dark, ‘banjo-‐in-‐the-‐mountain’ feel especially with a bend on the third fret that leads back to the root. This is another classic lick in the D position, one to try to internalize into your playing.
Lick 34 – Key: A
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Lick 35 – Key: A
At first glance this lick looks intimidating. This one uses pull offs and hammer ons with open strings. This is one of the trademarks of Brad’s style. This lick is pretty ‘inside’ the chord – using mostly chord and scale notes. He typically uses ‘outside’ the chord notes as well to give his solos and fills a quirky sound. It’s a glimpse into his goofy personality, but on the guitar. Lick 36 – Key: A
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Lick 37 – Key: A
This is the prototypical chicken pickin’ lick – using deadened triplets and a low string bend. It’s all right here!
Danny Gatton Lick 38 – Key: G
Danny Gatton takes this pretty typical country lick and gives it a slight turn at the end by jumping up to the root instead of playing it on the low E string.
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Lick 39 – Key: G
This one is a perpetual repeating figure. This one can also be moved down to the third position is you’re on an acoustic or want to mellow things out a bit. He’s basically moving from a G chord to a C chord, but the offset triplets make this one a fun one to play.
James Burton Lick 40 – Key: D
James Burton was one of the fathers of chicken pickin’. This lick takes advantage of the open position and the tri-‐tone between the third and flatted 7th of the D chord (F# and C). The pull-‐offs to open string is a really great way to change up the sound of the D chord.
Lick 41 – Key: A
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Lick 42 – Key: F#mi
Lick 43 – Key: A
This lick uses the flatted 5th of the chord and ends on the flat 3rd of the chord. These two note choices give the lick a blues-‐y feel. Lick 44 – Key: A
Here is another one that covers a lot of the fretboard. Luckily these are both very similar fingering patterns. You can split this one into two licks again to have something a little more manageable to use.
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Lick 45 – Key: A
Chicken Pickin’
Ricky Skaggs Lick 46 – Key: G
This lick is one of the essential ones to get down. We’ve already seen a few variations of this idea.
Lick 47 – Key: G
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Lick 48 – Key: G
Here is another variation of the classic open G lick. This one incorporates the flat 3rd pulling off towards the root. Then the lick ends on the flat 3rd. This is a really effective way to end a lick. Lick 49 – Key: G
Lick 50 – Key: G
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Roy Nichols Lick 51 – Key: G
This lick is a very simple one, but effective. The idea is a bend up to the 3rd of the chord and then jumping down to the flat 7th. This can be used as a building block to create a longer lick.
Lick 52 – Key: G
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Lick 53 – Key: F
A great way to highlight certain pitches is to surround them using chromatic or scale notes. In this lick Roy Nichols highlights the root (F) by playing the natural 7th (pretty uncommon in country music) and the 2nd of the scale. This lick has found its way into the vocabulary of country music and is now heard often (in fact, we will see a similar lick in the Redd Volkaert section).
Lick 54 – Key: D
Endings are very important in music. You need to have clear endings of phrases, licks, and sections so that listeners can grab onto what you’re doing. This lick has a classic ending – a slide up to the 3rd and then jump up to the root. This comes out of the F barre chord shape.
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Lick 55 – Key: G
Here is yet another variation of the classic country lick. This one uses syncopated muted notes.
Redd Volkaert Lick 56 – Key: A
Bend open strings?? Bend behind the nut to get the open string bends! This is really only an option for Tele and Strat players. Angled headstocks (like Les Paul, SG, 335, etc) do not have the room under the string to push down enough. When you bend behind the nut, think momentum not force. If you push the string with enough momentum you will be able to get it to the right pitch.
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Lick 57 – Key: A
This lick is almost the same as number 56, just a different rhythm and resolution.
Lick 58 – Key: D
Lick 59 – Key: D
Redd Volkaert uses everything here: muted notes, low bends, and open strings. One of the great things about this one is the ending on a slide to match an open string.
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Lick 60 – Key: G
This lick uses a nice open string pedal tone. The other notes in the lick just move down the G major scale towards the root.
Lick 61 – Key: G
Lick 62 – Key: Bb
Redd plays this lick over the Bb7 chord. It is actually really simple just following the chord tones from the flatted 7th (Ab) to 5th, and then a bend from the second degree up to the 3rd to complete the top part of a Bb7 chord.
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Lick 63 – Key: F
Lick 64 – Key: F
This is the variation of the Roy Nichols lick shown earlier.
Lick 65 – Key: F
Here is a great lick that can be easily moved around the neck. It is in the first position, but basically using an F chord. It starts with a bend up to the 5th of the chord while keeping the flat 7th on top. The second measure uses the flat 3rd as a chromatic tone resolving to the 3rd (A).
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Lick 66 – Key: A
Chicken Pickin’
This lick started out as an intro. The middle of this one features a hemiola – implying one rhythm over another. Here we get a dotted quarter rhythm, which consists of 3 eighth notes.
Lick 67 – Key: A
Lick 68 – Key: D
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Lick 69 – Key: D
This lick uses a ‘cascading’ open string idea. These licks seem to be popular in country guitar books, but you rarely hear them in country music. This one works really well, blending the flat 7th (C) with the 6th – the open B string.
Lick 70 – Key: A
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VIII. The Licks – Chord Movements The chord movements are an extremely important concept to understand in order to sound ‘authentic’. Remember that country is sometimes called “three chords and the truth” (Chapter 3). Those three chords are the I, IV, and V chords. We will then look at movements between those three chords. I to IV, IV to V, V to I, and I to V. The key to these movements is the voice leading.
Voice Leading Voice leading in improvisation or soloing is resolving the line that you are playing to each chord. This is commonly heard in jazz, country, and bluegrass, and is not heard very often in rock. Rock soloists play one scale for the entire progression typically. In order to resolve a line, you need a target to resolve to. Target the chord tones, or the root, 3rd, or 5th of the chord you are going to. Quick Theory Lesson: Chords are created from the Root, 3rd, or 5th of the scale. So if we return to the C major scale, C D E F G A B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Our C major scale will be C E G (R 3 5).
How to Voice Lead and Resolve
The best way to resolve to certain chord tones is to chromatically move to a chord tone. If we are going to C major, you might want to resolve from Ab to G. You can resolve B up to C. The sound of the resolution will lead your ear to the next chord even if the note is not part of the current chord. In other words, if you’re playing from G to C, Ab is not part of either chord. But it will sound right at home if you use it to resolve to the C chord. Check out the licks that follow to see some of these half step resolutions.
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I to IV The first move we will look at is a move from the I chord to the IV chord (C to F in the key of C). Lick 1 – G to C -‐ Brent Mason
This lick has a bit of a strange resolution. It resolves to the flat 7th of the
C chord – Bb. The previous two measures feature almost all chord tones. Lick 2 – A to D -‐ Brent Mason
When moving from one chord to another, moving a similar finger shape works really well. In this lick, the end of the first measure uses a double stop (two notes played simultaneously) between the E and B. The B is first bent up to the C#, which is the third of the A chord. Then that exact shape moves down two frets and becomes the root and 5th of the D chord (D and A).
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Lick 3 – E to A – Brent Mason
Chicken Pickin’
Sometimes simplicity works the best. This lick uses a simple bend before moving to the root of the next chord.
Lick 4 – E to A – Brent Mason
Lick 5 – A to D – Brent Mason
The lick has an interesting bend, bending the 3rd of the chord up to the 4th. In order to do this, hold the 7th fret note on the D string and pull the 6th fret down toward the floor to bend the pitch up to a D.
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Lick 6 – F# to B – Brad Paisley
I to V Our next move is to go from I to V – or C to G in the key of C. These two chords have definite differences and can be relatively easy to hear a difference when each is prepared well. You’ll notice that many of these are very simple licks – but remember that voice leading really only works when things are very clear, so don’t muddy things up when you are voice leading from one chord to another. Lick 7 – A to E – Brent Mason
Harmonic clarity helps make resolutions happen. Here, Brent Mason clearly outlines an A triad in the first two beats. Then he simply moves down the scale before jumping to the next root. This isn’t the smoothest voice leading, but it works really well.
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Lick 8 – A to E – Brent Mason
Chicken Pickin’
Lick 9 – E to B – Brent Mason
Lick 10 – E to B – Brent Mason
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Lick 11 – G to D – Roy Nichols
IV to I – Back to Tonic Next we will start moving back to the tonic, the I chord in the key. Going from IV to I is moving from an F to a C chord. These licks are very similar to I to V. If you think about the F to C movement, you can hear that as IV to I, but you can also hear it as a I to V in the key of C. If you know your music theory, you might remember that a fourth is inverted to a fifth. We’ll run into the same concept once we get to V to I. These licks can be interchangeable in most cases. Lick 12 – A to E – Brent Mason
Here we find another simple lick from Mason. He is returning to the tonic, E. Many of these licks use low string bends. These work really well to resolve a lick. They are also a throwback to the early electric country guitar.
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Lick 13 – B to F# -‐ Brad Paisley
Chicken Pickin’
Paisley goes for the unorthodox again in this lick. The beginning of it is typical, but he makes a huge jump down to a G# (6th fret on the D string) and bends that up to an A#.
V to I
There are many more licks that move from V to I. This is the fundamental move in most music – the resolution from V to I, or G to a C chord. Lick 14 – D to G – Brent Mason
Brent Mason uses very clear voice leading again here. He simply moves down the scale towards the next root. This one uses muted notes to give it a chicken pickin’ vibe.
Lick 15 -‐ B to E – Brent Mason
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Lick 16 – B to E – Brent Mason
Lick 17 – B to E – Brent Mason
This lick moves around quite a bit. The biggest challenge here are the chords in the second bar. The final bar has a hammer-‐on to a first inversion E chord.
Lick 18 – D to G – Brad Paisley
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Chicken Pickin’
Lick 19 – D to G – Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley uses triplets frequently (as found in the previous chapter). He uses a lot of chromatic movements here. Chromatically moving to the G and B (the 3rd and root of the G chord) is a very strong resolution because it is both chromatic and a strong resolution double stop.
Lick 20 – E to A – Brad Paisley
Lick 21 – E to A – Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley takes a very simple idea – hammer-‐ons from 2nd fret to 4th fret and makes it really work in this lick. The lick resolves at the end with a bend up to the 3rd of the chord.
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Lick 22 – A to D – Brad Paisley
Lick 23 – E to A – Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley again brings pull-‐offs and triplets together to create another classic chicken pickin’ lick.
Lick 24 – A to D – Redd Volkaert
Redd Volkaert starts with the 3rd and 5th of the A chord (C# and E). Then using chromatic movements and muted notes he moves down and resolves to the double stop between the root and 3rd of the D chord.
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Lick 25 – A to D – Redd Volkaert
Chicken Pickin’
Lick 26 – C to F – Redd Volkaert
Lick 27 – C to F – Redd Volkaert
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IV to V
Moving from a IV chord to V chord is an interesting move. Most of the time chords do not move by whole step, but in this move they do. It’s important to make clear distinctions from the IV to V. This is like going from an F to a G chord in the key of C. Lick 28 – Bb to C – Brent Mason
Lick 29 -‐ Bb to C – Brent Mason
Lick 30 – A to B – Brent Mason
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Lick 31 – B to C# -‐ Brad Paisley
Chicken Pickin’
Paisley uses chromatic triplets to the third of the B chord. He then moves the figure up one half step, and ends this lick with a 6th double stop between the 3rd and root of the C# chord (E# and C#).
Lick 32 – G to A – Brent Mason
V to IV
Finally, we are going to move backward, from V to IV. This move is much more rare, but does happen in country music from time to time. Again, it is important to make clear distinctions by resolving to a strong chord tone (root, 5th, and sometimes 3rd). Lick 33 – D to C – Brent Mason
This Brent Mason lick starts with a pre-‐bend that leads us straight down the scale. The end of this lick uses the F shape that leads back to Bb which then resolves down to G.
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Lick 34 – D to C – Danny Gatton
This one takes us from a D chord to a C chord (V to IV in the key of G). The first measure of the lick is pretty typical D mixolydian stuff. Many jazz guitarists will play different phrases for different chords -‐ this is sometimes referred to as ‘playing the changes. Country guitar players also tend to ‘play the changes’ and here Gatton does just that by simply moving the fingering down a whole step (2 frets).
Lick 35 – E to D – James Burton
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Chicken Pickin’
IX Etudes One of the best ways to get these licks into your playing is to write your own etudes. This section will present two different etudes over two fo the ‘hooks’ in the Chord Progressions chapter. These etudes only use licks found in the book.
Etude 1
The first etude we are looking at is over hook 1. 1 1 4 4 5 5 1 1 This etude starts with a triplet pull-‐off lick that has a nice jump from the 5th down to the root. The transition in bar four moves the line to the 4 chord. This one is Lick 28 in the 4 to 5 section, transposed up a whole step. The etude ends with one of Brad Paisley’s triplet double stop licks.
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Etude 2
This etude is over Hook 4. 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 1 This etude makes some minor changes to the licks. Bar three has Lick 20 from Brent Mason. The end of this lick has been changed in order to resolve to the E chord in the next bar. When creating your own etudes, edit the licks to fit what you are trying to accomplish. Remember, go for the music first, not techniques, licks, etc. This etude ends with a James Burton lick. Again, it has been edited by putting an open E note in the first beat to resolve the previous lick.
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Chicken Pickin’
X. Essential Listening As someone who loves to study music, I am obsessed with ‘going to the source,’ meaning I always want to refer to the actual music that has been recorded and played instead of theory, scales, rules, and other details that guitarists seem to get far too into. It’s important then to go to the best sources out there. Here’s a look at 25 of the best country guitar albums of all time. There are many that should be on this list that didn’t make it, but remember this is just a starting point. If you find other recordings that are inspiring to you, by all means learn as much of that as possible! Compilations or “Best of” style albums have been included only where using full-‐length albums is impossible or impractical. Albums are mentioned with the guitarist as well as the artist. Some of these albums are more country oriented than chicken pickin’, but it is important to understand the entire history of country guitar styles when learning chicken pickin’. These are presented in the format: Artist Title (guitarist) Chet Atkins The Early Years (box) (Chet Atkins) Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West Frettin’ Fingers (Jimmy Bryant) The Byrds Live at the Filmore (Clarence White) The Carter Family Can the Circle Be Unbroken (Maybelle Carter) Johnny Cash The Essential Johnny Cash (Luther Perkins) Danny Gatton 88 Elmira St (Danny Gatton) Danny Gatton Redneck Jazz Explosion (Danny Gatton) Merle Haggard I’m a Lonesome Fugitive (Roy Nichols/James Burton) Merle Haggard Live at Billy Bob’s Texas: Motorcycle Cowboy (Redd Volkaert) Emmylou Harris Luxury Liner (Albert Lee)
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Alan Jackson Don’t Rock the Jukebox (Brent Mason) Alan Jackson Lot About Livin’ (Brent Mason) Albert Lee and Hogan’s Heroes Like This (Albert Lee) Albert Lee Road Runner (Albert Lee) Brent Mason Hot Wired (Brent Mason) Buck Owens The Ultimate Hit Collection (Don Rich) Brad Paisley Fifth Gear (Brad Paisley) Brad Paisley Mud on the Tires (Brad Paisley) Brad Paisley Time Well Wasted (Brad Paisley) Matt Rae Tele-‐Pathic (Matt Rae) Jerry Reed The Essential Jerry Reed (Jerry Reed) Ricky Skaggs Live in London Keith Urban Get Closer (Keith Urban) Dwight Yoakam Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc Etc (Pete Anderson)
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Chicken Pickin’
XI. Where to Go Next First, I want to thank you first for purchasing this book. I hope you’ve found it helpful in learning how to play modern chicken pickin’ guitar. As you know, there are quite a few bonuses that go along with this book located on my website. When you purchased the book, you received an email that details access to the bonus materials. Follow the directions included in that email to receive access to the bonuses page. On that page you will find special YouTube videos explaining some of the techniques, licks, and other parts of the book that may not be explained with written words as easily. I also encourage you to check out the “Further Reading” section of this book and on my website. Those two places have many other resources that will help you continue to make chicken pickin’ a part of your style.
Further Reading Other Chicken Pickin’ Books/Videos (all are available on Amazon at the date of publication) James Burton The Legendary Guitar of James Burton (DVD) Burton takes you through some of his best solos, licks, and ideas. He does a really great job of teaching the sounds of chicken pickin’ as well here. Get it from the source! Danny Gatton – Telemaster (DVD) Danny Gatton can be a bit rough in this DVD, but it is nonetheless one of the best videos to learn country guitar from. Erik Halbig Chicken Pickin’ (book) This book is a good introduction to many of the typical techniques and licks that chicken pick-‐ers use. Johnny Hiland Chicken Pickin’ (DVD) Johnny Hiland is a more recent chicken pickin’ master and breaks his style down in this DVD. Albert Lee Instructional DVD (uh…DVD!)
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This is a video from the 1980s. Albert is always very willing to teach his style. He is also a great teacher and very humble about his style. This one is worth getting for intro song alone! Brent Mason Hot Wired Transcription Folio (book) Note for note – one of the greatest chicken pickin’ albums of all time. Brent Mason Nashville Chops and Western Swing Guitar (DVD) Mason teaches licks and tricks to getting the chicken pickin’ style down. He goes way beyond chicken pickin’ in this DVD. While it may be incredibly hard to keep up (it took me several years to digest some of this stuff) he does a great job of teaching the style. Arlen Roth Masters of the Telecaster (book) Arlen Roth is one of the original guitar lesson authors. He looks at the entire history of the telecaster in this book. His section on re-‐ creating Clarence White style licks is worth the price of the book alone. Redd Volkaert: Tele Twang (DVD) Redd is a very humorous guitarist. He also has a very clear style. This DVD shows off his personality and some of the licks that has made him one of the great chicken-‐pickers these days.
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About the Author
Chicken Pickin’
Sam Smiley is a guitarist based in the Midwest US. He has written two books, Blues Language, and I’m All Smiles – the Guitar Style of Luther Perkins. He also writes actively for his website, www.samsmileymusic.com where there are many free lessons on country, blues, jazz, and Americana guitar. Sam has toured around the US and in Europe playing different types of music. He is currently on faculty at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Sam attended Northern Illinois University where he earned a Master’s degree studying with Fareed Haque, and Western Michigan University where he earned a Bachelor’s degree.
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