Did you know September 17th is International Country Music Day? Well, now you do!

Country music, as a genre, is the metaphorical progeny of blues, jazz, and Appalachian Folk music. Supposedly, this southern style started gaining more national attention in the 1920s, but was still considered “hillbilly” music. But, by the 1940s, Country music was all the rage, as it began to appear in Hollywood feature films. And the rest is history! Since then, many sub-genres of Country have emerged, including Rockabilly, Western Swing, the “Nashville Sound,” Honky Tonk, and most recently, Country Pop (and many, many more)! JamPlay is celebrating the whole Country music family tree this weekend. Here are 3 free Country guitar lessons so you can celebrate with us!

BEGINNER – Country Solo Guitar Lesson with Lance Ruby

In this lesson, JamPlay educator, Lancy Ruby demonstrates how to play a relatively simple Country guitar solo. The solo is roughly in the style of Johnny Cash‘s guitarist, Luther Perkins, who is a founding father of Country music sub-genre, Rockabilly. Some skills you’ll get to practice while learning this solo are string bending, playing chromatic melodies, and playing double stops.

For the full lesson, check out Lance Ruby’s beginner Country guitar course on JamPlay!

INTERMEDIATE – Merle Travis Style Picking (“Travis Picking”) Guitar Lesson with Jim Deeming

In this lesson with Jim Deeming, you’ll get familiar with one of Western Country music’s most prominent styles: “Travis Picking“. This fingerstyle technique was made famous by Merle Travis during the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s. Because the technique itself requires a bit more dexterity in your right hand, this lesson is great for any player looking to expand their intermediate guitar skills!

For the full lesson, check out Jim Deeming’s full course on JamPlay!

ADVANCED – Country Arpeggio Study Guitar Lesson with Andy Wood

For those of you who consider yourselves an “advanced” guitar player, this lesson is for you. Here, Andy Wood shows you some of his approaches to soloing over a standard blues form (which is common in Country music). The focus of the lesson is arpeggiating chords, which means playing melodies that outline the notes comprising each chord. Remember to start slow, and reduce the playback speed of the video if you need to.

For the full lesson with guitar tab, check out Andy Wood’s full JamPlay guitar course!

Excited to look learn how to play Country guitar? Check out JamPlay.com! JamPlay has over 450 guitar courses from 120+ instructors, and online guitar lessons tailored to every skill level, music genre, and playing style. Click here to learn more.

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