Country lead lives on the major pentatonic scale. In G that's G, A, B, D and E: the major scale without its two tense notes. It sounds bright and sweet, where minor pentatonic sounds bluesy.
We're in the key of G, in open position, mixing open strings with frets 2 and 3. Open strings ring into each other, which is a big part of the country sound. The third exercise leaves the open strings and climbs two notes per string, up to fret 5, to the high G.
Fingering and picking
- Use your middle finger for fret 2 and your ring finger for fret 3.
- In the second lick, slide from fret 2 to 4 with your middle finger. Your index then sits at fret 3 for the B- and e-string notes, and the middle stays at fret 4 on the G string. Shift back for bar 2.
- For the third exercise, use one finger per fret: index on fret 2, middle on 3, ring on 4, pinky on 5.
- Alternate pick strictly: down on the beat, up on the "and".
- The second lick slides from A to B on the G string. B is the major third of G: landing on it is what makes a lick sound country instead of blues.
It should sound bouncy and clean, every note separate and clear, with the open strings adding sparkle.
The most common mistake is letting notes bleed into a blur when you cross strings. If a note shouldn't ring, touch it lightly with a spare fretting finger or your picking-hand palm.
Learn each lick in two halves, then join them. Once they're at speed, try ending them on a G chord.