Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

  • Log In
  • Weekly Lessons
  • Take The Tour
  • Forum
  • Hear From Our Members
  • Membership Sign Up

Country Lead Guitar Lesson – Learn how to play the chord changes – EP278

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a fun, country lead by playing the chord changes. That means you switch scales every time the chord changes. This is a different way of thinking about playing lead in which you connect licks to chord shapes as opposed to focusing on scales. The MP3 jam track for this lesson is available in 2 tempos (normal speed and slow).

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

Only available to premium members.
Register for premium access

Slow Walk-Through

Only available to premium members.
Register for premium access

Video Tablature Breakdown

Only available to premium members.
Register for premium access
Curious about the benefits of
Premium Membership?
Try it for FREE!
arrow_downYou need to be logged in as a premium member to access the tab, MP3 jam tracks, and other assets. Learn More

Add to "My Favorites"

You need to login or register to bookmark/favorite this content.

Comments

  1. Michael Allen says

    October 12, 2018 at 9:02 pm

    Wow, can’t wait to learn this one! Thanks Brian

    Log in to Reply
    • Brian P says

      October 16, 2018 at 3:40 pm

      Yeah, these country oriented lessons with steel guitar licks and chicken picking are some of my favorites!

      Log in to Reply
      • Stuart P says

        October 21, 2018 at 9:24 pm

        Brian, you said in the lesson that you had considered making it longer. This one is just so much fun, I really wish it was a full length song. When I play these for friends and family they always want me to keep going. I’m getting better at improvising, through these lessons, but it would be really cool if you taught an occasional full-length song, either country or up-tempo blues. Just a thought 😉
        Love your lessons, keep up the good work!

        Log in to Reply
        • Robert G says

          May 12, 2022 at 1:10 am

          Longer might be good for you but for us beginners I like it the way it is. Brian has it right. You could always repeat it all over again.

          Log in to Reply
  2. dmundy says

    October 12, 2018 at 9:05 pm

    Love these twangy bendy country lessons, Brian! Thank you!

    Log in to Reply
  3. Ian M says

    October 12, 2018 at 10:46 pm

    Congrats on scoring that cool Tele, Brian. Great sound!

    Log in to Reply
  4. Jeem says

    October 12, 2018 at 11:46 pm

    Just all kinds of goo fun with this one.

    TY

    Log in to Reply
    • Jeem says

      October 12, 2018 at 11:46 pm

      gooD

      Log in to Reply
  5. Tim Lee says

    October 13, 2018 at 1:14 am

    Never heard or seen a B Bender guitar. Man, that is really cool. Whoever thought about making this ? I’ll keep a lookout for any I may see on TV or anyplace else for that matter.
    Great lesson by the way!

    Log in to Reply
    • Robotman says

      October 24, 2018 at 2:43 am

      Watch its origins here: https://youtu.be/zxQhbvke44I

      Log in to Reply
  6. Michael J says

    October 13, 2018 at 5:13 am

    G/day Brian,
    What an absolute ripper!
    M.J.

    Log in to Reply
  7. Jim M says

    October 13, 2018 at 8:38 am

    Nice ideas for developing my major pentatonic licks……

    Log in to Reply
  8. Raymond P says

    October 13, 2018 at 9:12 am

    Thanks Brian
    Another great lesson. I like the way you always break down your lessons in simple terms, how you build the music off of the chords and Blues Scales, how they’re interconnected. Keep up the great work.

    Ray P

    Log in to Reply
  9. Jimmy James says

    October 13, 2018 at 11:42 am

    love the B Bender and Lesson!! what if you did a full bend on the string while using b bender? is that a 4 fret bend?

    Log in to Reply
    • Brian says

      October 13, 2018 at 11:54 am

      yep 🙂 and probably a broken string 🙂

      Log in to Reply
  10. Chris J says

    October 13, 2018 at 5:51 pm

    Am Having Trouble following the ‘chord’ changes. Any reason why the CHORDS were left out of the tablature. I realize it is a simple 1 4 5 but the exact changes are a bit tricky to figure out. Please help …

    Log in to Reply
    • Brian says

      October 14, 2018 at 3:31 pm

      Good catch Chris – I’ve added them to the tab. I originally had them but made some changes and forgot to save apparently.

      Log in to Reply
      • Chris J says

        October 14, 2018 at 7:28 pm

        Thanks Brian that helps. I am counting first 8 bars are A , then 4 bars on D and 4 bars on A, then 6 bars on E ( where i’m Hearin g a bar of D in there and you close with 2 bars of A ……..does that sound right? ….

        Btw … absolute great lesson …. thanks … you’ve made me a much better player .

        Log in to Reply
  11. James B says

    October 13, 2018 at 11:31 pm

    Are you soloing in the relative minor of the key of the song?

    Log in to Reply
    • Bob Z says

      July 6, 2022 at 4:30 pm

      No. This entire solo is from the major pentatonic and diatonic scales, although Brian talks about them in the context of chord shapes.

      Log in to Reply
    • Bob Z says

      July 6, 2022 at 4:31 pm

      No. This entire solo is from the major pentatonic and diatonic scales, even though Brian talks about them in the context of chord shapes.

      Log in to Reply
      • Bob Z says

        July 6, 2022 at 5:21 pm

        Sorry! Didn’t mean to reply to this comment. I thought this was a different solo.

        Log in to Reply
  12. Hilsanders says

    October 14, 2018 at 1:31 pm

    I love all your lessons but the country ones are my favorites!

    Log in to Reply
  13. Blaine L says

    October 14, 2018 at 6:45 pm

    Hey Brian, great work as always. Didn’t Clarence White use a B bender back when he was with the Byrds? Seem to recall that….

    Log in to Reply
  14. Oliver Z says

    October 15, 2018 at 12:17 pm

    This reminds me of Clarence White! Thanks for the lesson, Brian.

    Log in to Reply
  15. pete says

    October 15, 2018 at 1:43 pm

    keep up the country stuff brian love it, having a job to learn all this stuff
    thanks
    pete uk

    Log in to Reply
  16. sunburst says

    October 15, 2018 at 5:55 pm

    B bender! Why I never! lol,, going to try 9s on the tele, sounds and looks like a very fun lesson!

    Log in to Reply
  17. cw_cycles@yahoo.com says

    October 15, 2018 at 8:03 pm

    Excellent !!! Please keep more country solo stuff coming !!! Amen. 🙂

    Log in to Reply
  18. Buster89 says

    October 16, 2018 at 3:27 am

    So fast ! Nice challenge. A real stretch ! Thanks Brian.

    Log in to Reply
  19. Franz S says

    October 16, 2018 at 3:13 pm

    Wow, this sounds like coming home! I love it!

    Log in to Reply
  20. Bob L says

    October 16, 2018 at 4:26 pm

    Brian. Great lesson.thanks. This is off topic, but when you have a chance could you explain what Vince Gill is doing on the break in One More Last Chance? Thanks. Bob

    Log in to Reply
  21. Royce S says

    October 16, 2018 at 5:00 pm

    Brian great lesson,hope everyone can pick up on it. That’s just good country. Like the new guitar, B bender is a plus.
    Thanks, Royce

    Log in to Reply
  22. Stephen R says

    October 16, 2018 at 5:43 pm

    Brian – this lesson alone was worth my annual membership fee. Great lesson, great tips. How I wish I could have had this thirty years ago!!

    Log in to Reply
  23. woodoc7 says

    October 16, 2018 at 7:16 pm

    Wow Brian…..I am totally…and I mean totally impressed…..;-) Seriously! I do love this one. Never thought I would like playing “country” on my guitar. But I’m really liking it. EP-144 got me started.

    Log in to Reply
  24. Kevin James says

    October 17, 2018 at 2:46 pm

    Hey Brian, I’m always impressed with your amp tones with your lessons. Would you be able to quickly mention the amp, pedals, and amp settings with each lesson, you have done this periodically in the past and it’s very much appreciated. Thanks for the inspiration!
    .

    Log in to Reply
  25. JimD says

    October 18, 2018 at 1:04 pm

    Really enjoying this one (I think I say that every week). I’d love to see you expand on this style. Perhaps multiple solos over the same backing track so we could practice extended soloing while introducing additional instruction and ideas. Maybe not on consecutive weeks, but circling back around to them eventually with enough info to where we could chain them together.

    Log in to Reply
    • Stuart P says

      October 21, 2018 at 9:40 pm

      I second that idea wholeheartedly! 👍

      Log in to Reply
  26. Terry H says

    October 21, 2018 at 6:20 pm

    Very Nice Brian…Thank You!

    Log in to Reply
  27. Stuart P says

    October 21, 2018 at 9:36 pm

    Brian, you said in the lesson that you had considered making it longer. This one is just so much fun, I really wish it was a full length song. When I play these for friends and family they often want me to keep going. I’m getting better at improvising, through these lessons, but it would be really cool if you taught an occasional full-length song, either country or up-tempo blues. Just a thought 😉 Love your lessons, keep up the great work!

    Log in to Reply
    • Richard F says

      November 18, 2020 at 11:56 am

      I agree, up to a point. Brian’s point that this is a launch pad for improvisation, modulation to other keys, etc. is well taken. I’ve messed around with Bob Weir’s riffs on Sugar Magnolia & this “etude” opened doors for me & expanded my horizon. OMG.

      Log in to Reply
  28. Tony L says

    October 30, 2018 at 5:56 pm

    An excellent follow up to ep274, I really enjoyed learning to play this country style.
    Interesting guitar too, the b- bender. Did not know they exist, wish I could find a used one in the future.

    Log in to Reply
    • sunburst says

      November 1, 2018 at 8:13 pm

      I been playing both,, will do these two fun country lessons for next entry!

      Log in to Reply
  29. Geeetar crazy says

    November 8, 2018 at 8:26 pm

    Great tele!

    Log in to Reply
  30. Boyd N says

    November 16, 2018 at 5:36 pm

    I’m 61 and finally have someone that explains lead in terms I get! Thanks so much!

    Log in to Reply
  31. Bill G says

    November 18, 2018 at 7:17 am

    I used to loathe hybrid picking until this lesson. Something clicked and it makes things sooo much easier now to use it.

    Log in to Reply
  32. craig e says

    January 17, 2019 at 12:57 pm

    Took me about a month to get it down, really starting to see how it all works now with these lessons post caged system lessons

    Log in to Reply
  33. Vernon says

    July 26, 2020 at 11:42 am

    This lesson is so much fun. I never thought I would love the country lessons but man I was wrong.

    Log in to Reply
  34. Richard F says

    November 18, 2020 at 11:51 am

    Shades of Sugar Magnolia. Thanks, Brian!

    Log in to Reply
  35. Kevin D says

    April 16, 2021 at 2:16 pm

    Loved this lesson! So many tasty licks!

    Log in to Reply
  36. Mark says

    April 3, 2022 at 1:10 pm

    This lesson was one of the first ones I did two years ago and the reason I subscribed to the site. Then I went back to #1 and worked my way through and am back at it again, 2 years later – and I’m a much better player now!

    Log in to Reply
  37. Max C says

    April 23, 2023 at 2:40 pm

    You’ve crafted this very well, thank you

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Don’t have an ActiveMelody account? Sign Up.

Links

  • Blog
  • Resources
  • About
  • Contact
  • FAQ
  • Refunds & Cancellations
  • Sitemap

Recent Lessons

Part 2 (of 2) How one note can help build an entire solo. Guitar Lesson – EP610

Country Blues by yourself! (seeing the chord shapes makes this easier) – Guitar Lesson – EP609

Is ONE position of the Minor Pentatonic scale enough? Use notes sparingly – Guitar Lesson – EP608

Contact

For all support questions email: support@activemelody.com
For all other inquires email: brian@activemelody.com
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

© 2025 · Active Melody. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

Free Weekly Guitar Lessons

Enter your email address below to have the weekly guitar lesson delivered to your email address. I take privacy very seriously and will not share your email address.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Active MelodyLogo Header Menu
  • Weekly Lessons
  • Take The Tour
  • Forum
  • Hear From Our Members
  • Membership Sign Up
  • Log In

Insert/edit link

Enter the destination URL

Or link to existing content

    No search term specified. Showing recent items. Search or use up and down arrow keys to select an item.