Crow's Country: A Lesson on Techniques and Style

"Crow's Country," another really great tune from the Rock School guys, is quite a simple piece on the surface. However, it actually contains some pretty advanced techniques. I'm surprised this is classified as a grade one piece because it has some elements that you'll end up using throughout your entire guitar-playing career.

This tune touches on really important techniques and is written in that classic country style, featuring double stops and more. "Krauss Country" likely refers to Alison Krauss, a nice little pun by the Rock School team on the title. Alison Krauss has had some great guitar players play for her, which I'll refer to later.

Amp Settings

Let's get into the nuts and bolts of the piece:

• Amp Setting:
  • Set very clean.
  • One hallmark of country music is a clean, glassy guitar tone.
  • Use a low volume, just before it begins to break up and distort.
  • Aim for a treble-heavy setting, but not excessively so.

I'm using an American Telecaster here, which is pretty standard. This pickup switch selects between:

• Neck Pickup: A warmer tone.
• Two Together: A mix of both pickups.
• Bridge Pickup: The real twang sound you want for this tune.

Techniques Involved

The piece is based around single note melody lines that look easy to play. However, the guitar is inherently very resonant, so employing a couple of techniques is essential.

Muting

• Importance of Muting:
  • To ensure that the melody line sounds clear, avoid extraneous strings ringing out.

For instance, when moving between the second fret of the G string and the first fret of the E string:

• Muting the G string with the palm of your hand after playing it creates a cleaner break than just lifting your finger.
• This technique is used throughout the tune, especially when moving from one string to the next to prevent unwanted notes from ringing out.

Making it Lyrical

• Aim to make the melody line sound as lyrical as possible, almost as if someone was singing it.
• Using Vibrato:
  • A subtle wobble of your hand on the string adds a nice touch without overdoing it on every note.
  • Particularly effective on longer notes, like the minim at the end of section A.

Heavyweight Techniques

The main technique featured in "Krauss Country" comes in at letter B with double stops, playing two notes at once. There are two ways to approach this:

1. Using the Plectrum:

   • For example, play the G and B strings together.
   • Anchor other fingers on the E string to prevent unwanted hits.

2. Using Fingers:

   • This produces a softer tone, which is stylistically different.

It's generally better to use a plectrum for this piece, as the attack suits the tone of "Crow's Country" better.

Letting Strings Ring Out

From C onwards, explore the idea of letting certain strings ring out longer. While there are no specific directions encouraging this, it can enhance the melodic quality.

Recommended Players to Explore

You likely picked "Crow's Country" because you enjoy this style. Here are some fantastic country players to check out:

• Dave Rawlins
• Buddy Miller
• Tony Rice: An acoustic guitar virtuoso known for clean execution and single-note melodies.

One standout piece by Tony Rice is "Church Street Blues," a phenomenal arrangement involving intricate single note lines within the chords.

Conclusion

There it is, my take on "Crow's Country." It's a really nice tune, and I hope you enjoy working on it. Good luck!