i can only handle country music in short bursts

The video below is "Jerry's Breakdown" and is the first song on the 1972 album Me and Chet. And yes, that album has one of the worst album covers ever, because when you think of Chet Atkins, you don't exactly envision him rowing a boat. Chet and Jerry, who played together often, would try to do "funny" things like that, but it just didn't work. But at least the music was good.

Anyway, Jerry's Breakdown is what most guitar players find out about after they discover there's more than just metal shredding. That instrumental song is to country guitar guys what Satch Boogie from Surfing With The Alien is to metalheads.

I am very particular when it comes to country music, because I think most of it sucks. My preference for country is mainly stuff from the 1960s and 1970s. If it's something like Six Days on the Road or Christine's Tune (Devil in Disguise), yeah that's good. But if it's anything from the 1980s up to present, nope.

Do I personally know how to play Breakdown? No. There are plenty of guitar lessons on YouTube that will show you how to play it, and they all say the same thing. Once you learn how to do a fast banjo roll, the rest of the song really isn't that difficult. It sounds difficult because you're hearing a ridiculous amount of notes played, but it's the rolls that really make the song what it is. I may learn it one of these days.

Do I like Breakdown? Yes. Great song. However, I can only handle country music in short bursts.

Country is like metal in that I simply can't listen to nor play it all the time. If I did, I'd end up in a rut. You can end up in that everything-sounds-the-same trap with country just like you can with metal.

As a guitar player, I find it's best to have a good variety of styles to draw inspiration from. To play just one style is boring.

In other words, if you hear something totally outside of what you normally listen to and think it's good, it's good and you should learn it.

Published 2014 Mar 9