Product Description
Tablature, standard notation, CD
Classic country fill-in licks book by Larry McCabe
If you love the sound of a twangy, chicken-picked vintage Telecaster or Stratocaster guitar and want to learn the exciting country lead guitar fill-in style associated with classic truck driving songs, drinking songs, and cheating songs, this book is for you.
This fine book features 101 country guitar licks (phrases) that can be applied to standard chord progressions in thousands of country songs. The licks are primarily for the electric guitar and were recorded with a vintage Fender Telecaster playing over honky-tonk piano accompaniment. Useful introductions and endings are included along with instructions for how to apply the licks to songs.
This is not a method book per se, but a collection of 101 guitar licks for learning, application, and modification according to the discretion and requirements of the user. Most of the licks are accessible and fairly easy to play.
The licks can be applied to country songs from all eras including acoustic, honkytonk, and contemporary Nashville. In addition, the licks are a perfect match for the country-flavored pop stylings of artists like the Eagles, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, and similar musicians.
This is a book for early intermediate and intermediate guitarists who are enthusiasts and players of classic country music.
For Cajun music and rockabilly fans too.
This book is a new 2007 reissue of Larry McCabe’s 101 Nashville Guitar Licks, formerly published by Mel Bay.
Prerequisite Ability
- Ambitious early intermediate guitarist who wants to learn to play country lead guitar licks.
- Intermediate guitarist who is just starting to learn country music.
User Profiles
- Serious hobbyist guitarist.
- Flatpicking guitar players wanting to learn the electric country style.
- A gigging rock guitarist, blues guitarist, or jazz guitarist who wants to study electric country guitar.
- Guitar teachers who teach electric lead guitar.
Goals and Purposes
- Learn how to play Bakersfield Sound guitar, classic country lead guitar, Nashville guitar, honky-tonk guitar, chicken picking, etc.
- Explore the major pentatonic scale and the major scale on the guitar fingerboard.
- Practice country guitar fill-ins with piano accompaniment.
- Study familiar country chord progressions.
- Greater familiarity with guitar fingerboard.
Author-Recommended Supplemental Listening for Country Guitar Players
Listening to the following vintage guitar players and musicians will provide unlimited enjoyment, inspiration, and ideas.
Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens,Johnny Bond, Bobby Bare, Roy Acuff, Johnny Cash, Billy Byrd, James Burton, Jim Ed Brown, Alan Jackson, Ferlin Husky, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Emmylou Harris, Vern Gosdin, Don Gibson, Little Jimmy Dickens, Moon Mullican, Hank Locklin, Waylon Jennings, Sonny James, Stonewall Jackson, Hank Snow, Carl Smith, Connie Smith, Rose Maddox, Jean Shepard, Marty Robbins, Mel Tillis, Hank Thompson, Marty Stuart, Mel Street, George Strait, Wynn Stewart, Gary Stewart, Red Steagall, Red Sovine, Moe Bandy, Leroy Van Dyke, Porter Wagoner, Ian Tyson, T. Tex Tyler, Conway Twitty, Ernest Tubb, Floyd Tillman, Randy Travis, Vince Gill, Mel McDaniel, Faron Young, Dwight Yoakam, Tammy Wynette, Bob Wills, Asleep at the Wheel, Hank Williams Jr., Don Williams, Jimmy Bryant, Gene Watson, Susan Raye, Johnny Horton, Billy Grammar, classic Dolly Parton, Lloyd Green, Jim Reeves, Gram Parsons, the Desert Rose Band, Skeeter Davis, Cowboy Copas, John Conlee, Tommy Collins, David Allan Coe, Hank Cochran, Chris Hillman, Loretta Lynn, Lynn Anderson, John Anderson.
101 Doggone Good Country Guitar Licks in the Honky Tonk Style
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Popularity: 9%
December 4th, 2009 at 10:22 am
101 Doggone Good Country Licks is an excellent collection of a variety of licks that can enhance one’s country-style playing. All examples are in the key of C but can be easily transposed to other areas of the guitar. With patience and persistence one can add many licks to their country-style playing. Another book and CD by the same company “Country Lead Guitar: 25 Electric Honky-Tonk Solos” has fewer examples but longer full verse ones in various keys that gave me an opportunity to play entire verse solos.
I have been playing blues and swing based guitar for about 30 years and have always been an admirer of classic country music. Some of the examples that I have absorbed in these books allow me to play in the Don Rich/Buck Owens-style of pure Bakersfield country. Like anything worth while, time and effort is needed. Some of the examples are easily accessible while others are challenging enough for seasoned players; but the patience and persistence reaps great rewards. These books will get you playing some cool country flavored guitar.
Rating: 5 / 5
December 4th, 2009 at 11:41 am
I’ve had this book for over a month now and it is by far one of the best lick books I’ve ever owned. I’m an intermediate guitar player but pretty new to the country music sound and this collection of licks is just amazing, and exactly what I needed. Out of the 101 licks there was only 4 or 5 that didn’t do much for me but the rest were pure gold! The CD was extremely helpful in hearing exactly how the licks should sound before I started hacking away at them. The section on intro’s and endings was a nice addition to the book too. I liked this book so much, I just ordered his Country Lead Guitar book. In my opinion: if you’re looking to expand your country lick vocabulary this is a must have. Many thanks to the Author!
Rating: 5 / 5
December 4th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I just finished playing every lick in this book over the course of several days. Why so long? I found that with about every other lick new ideas would be sparked or they would tie into licks I already play and I’d create new licks! This is exactly the type of instructional book I really love – one that is a spark that starts a raging fire of creativity.
The notation in the book is very well explained and there are great suggestions for students in the intro section. The intro section also includes an example of how various licks in the book can be used in a standard country song. The final section of the book would be an excellent resource for someone looking for suggested listening in the country genre, from the 1920’s to the present and all styles. I do agree with the reviewer who said the piano was a little high in the mix on the CD, however it is only in one channel and a quick adjustment of the balance knob on the stereo was all it took to make the mix perfect.
The licks are arranged in sections for playing over standard country chord changes and transitions. There are also some great into and outro licks. Even if the user of this book has been playing coutry for years they will likely get something out of it. This book was recommended to me and I’m so glad I got it. Now I will recommend it to you.
Rating: 5 / 5
December 4th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
I own a copy of the original edition, and I guard it well. I use it to get students into Nashville electric guitar type music. I don’t move on to something more difficult until (a) they have them all down cold, and (b)They start altering them. These are starting points, not the final destination. I agree with another reviewer who said that these licks are hard enough to be interesting and simple enough not to discourage the person learning. I once picked up a book of Albert Lee licks, and I couldn’t believe that Albert could play them. (of course he can, but he’s not human) If you are looking for help on your way to being scary, this is the right book. Learn the licks dead cold, and then make them yours.
Rating: 5 / 5
December 4th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
This is a collection of really standard “Honky Tonk”, Bakersfield telecaster style licks. If you allready play guitar and want to play/explore this style or classic country in general, this book will get you there.
What i liked: 1) the tracks on the cd match numerically the licks in the book i.e. “lick 34″ is “track 34″ sounds simple but a lot of books screw this up. 2) spiral bound!! Yay! Lays flat. 3) Everything is in one key. (C)Licks are presented as going from the I chord to the IV, V to IV etc. And 90% of the licks are easily moved around the neck for other keys. (If this makes sense to you, you’ll like this book)
4) The material is intermediate, meaning not too simple and not too difficult. Too many of these type collections are simply too flashy. This one is useful and playable.
What I don’t like..1) Piano is used to keep time with the guitar on the cd. Piano is mixed too loud. 2) A few examples of the lcks used in a complete solo would be helpful.
Really, overall, this is a good deal. The licks fall inot three catagories for me. Ones that I allready know, others that are variations of things I play, and finally ones that make me say “Wow. That’s simple, but sounds sooooo good! Why Didn’t I think of that?”
Rating: 4 / 5