Using Melodic Double-Stops to build a Country Solo

Lesson #453 • Sep 17, 2022

In this week’s lesson, I’ll show you the step-by-step process of creating a country-inspired solo over G-Bm-C-G with a focus on using melodic double-stops. This helps “fill out” the sound of the solo (since we’re often playing two strings at a time), but also leaves room for melodic phrases that give things a nice character. The inspiration here is “Girl from the North Country” and “The Weight”, both of which use a I-iii-IV-I chord progression.

  • 0:00 Lesson Summary
  • 2:01 Starting with Open Chords
  • 3:35 Focus on Thinnest 3 Strings
  • 7:42 Hunting for Melody Ideas
  • 11:39 More Triad & Double Stop Ideas
  • 14:08 Arriving at a “Finished” Solo

Part 2 - Teaching the Main Riff

Members only. Carefully breaks down the main riff I lead up to in the lesson above. Also includes tips on improvising over the jam track using the G major scale.

Only available to Premium members

Upgrade to Premium

Part 3 - Main Riff Playthrough, with Tabs

Members only. A playthrough of the main riff (looped a few times) with tabs on the screen, for reference.

Only available to Premium members

Upgrade to Premium

Instructional PDF 3 pages

Follow along with the print-friendly PDF! It includes all of my notes for this lesson, allowing you to follow along at your own pace. You're free to download, print, and share the PDF across your devices.

Thanks for being a Premium member of Song Notes! Your support makes these lessons possible.

Download PDF

Follow along with the print-friendly PDF!

It includes all of my notes for this lesson, allowing you to follow along at your own pace. You're free to download, print, and share the PDF across your devices.

To download the PDF, upgrade to premium or log in.

Lesson Discussion

Jump in the conversation with other members of the Song Notes community! Post a comment about this lesson, ask a question, or even upload a video of your progress. All skill levels welcome!

View Comments

Jump in the conversation with other members of the Song Notes community! Post a comment about this lesson, ask a question, or even upload a video of your progress. All skill levels welcome!

To access the community forum, upgrade to premium or log in.

Jam Track

Here’s the jam track you can use to follow along with this lesson. It repeats the G-Bm-C-G progression for ~5 minutes, using drums/bass/guitar to help provide the tonality and groove. After pressing play, you can jump in anytime — and if you mess up and need a break, you’ll never have to wait long for the next cycle through the progression. Stream below or download mp3 for offline use.

The Inspiration For This Lesson

Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash’s version of Girl from the North Country was my original inspiration, having just created a lesson teaching that song. That song likewise uses a G-Bm-C-G chord progression, which is what I’m using in the lesson above.

I should also note that The Weight (by The Band) is another inspiration here – as that song uses the exact same chord progression of I-iii-IV-I. Even though it’s in a different key, you can still hum the verse melody to The Weight using the G-Bm-C-G backing track I use in this lesson. If you want to learn The Weight, watch my video lesson.

Finally, I want to give a shout-out to this cover of Girl from the North Country. Watching the various guitar fills used here help ignite my original inspiration for creating this solo.

Unlock My Secret Stash!

Gain instant access to my library of 222 print-friendly cheat sheets! Also includes my extended video lessons, jam tracks, courses, and more.

Join Song Notes Premium

Have questions? Watch video tour »

Browse Related Lessons

Click any tag below to view other lessons I've made in that category:

Enjoy my lessons? Buy me a beer!

If this and my other lessons have proven helpful to you, please consider making a one-time donation to my tip jar. Contributions of any amount help make this project possible (including the many, many hours I put into it).

Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

Fret Monster

Interactive fretboard map! See the patterns behind every scale in any key.

View

Capo Captain

An easy way to calculate key & chord combinations, for any capo location!

View

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Be sure to never miss a lesson by subscribing on YouTube. I put out 2-3 new videos every week. These include full song lessons, as well as covers, practice tips, behind-the-scenes updates. Thanks!


Recent Lessons

  • April 24, 2024

    13 Must-Know Riffs with Droning Strings

    A handy roundup of all the songs I've taught that use droning strings... with a quick breakdown of each riff!

  • April 18, 2024

    "Moonshadow" by Cat Stevens

    Learn how to play Cat Stevens' 1971 classic! I include campfire-friendly chords and strumming, and a step-by-step breakdown of the intro fingerstyle riff.

  • April 9, 2024

    Chords & Music Theory... 9 New Lessons!

    A roundup of a batch of new chord-related video lessons & PDF cheat sheets I just added to my library! Lots of good stuff here, be sure not to miss 'em.

  • March 30, 2024

    Gordon Lightfoot's "Carefree Highway"

    Learn how to play Lightfoot's 1975 classic, with plenty of tips to help simplify some of the quicker chord changes.

  • March 22, 2024

    Lead Guitar & the F1 Theme Song

    Let's look at the catchy Formula 1 theme song and learn how to play it on lead guitar...including handy trick for dealing with the key change.

  • March 15, 2023

    Pink Floyd's "Breathe" - with Simpler Chords Included

    Learn to play through Pink Floyd's 1973 classic! I'll teach the chords they use, while also showing a handful of useful simplifications and riffs to make this work on a single acoustic guitar.

  • March 6, 2024

    Q&A: 8 Tips to Avoid Muting Strings

    If you're frustrated by muffled, muted, or buzzing strings when playing chords, you're not alone! Here's 8 tips to avoid this common issue.

  • March 1, 2024

    Blues Shuffle Riffs - Using Just 2 Strings!

    A step-by-step introduction to blues shuffle riffs in open position, which are an amazingly fun-to-play way to get that blues sound with just a few fingers.

  • February 16, 2024

    Soulful Lead Guitar with "America the Beautiful"

    Here's a few ways to approach playing melodic lead guitar over America is Beautiful - shown both on an acoustic and electric guitar. Lots of fun!

  • February 8, 2024

    Country Honk by The Rolling Stones

    Let's learn how to play The Stones' acoustic & countrified version of Honky Tonk Women — with all the riffs included!

Browse All Recent Lessons →

Browse All My Lessons

By lesson type

By technique

By musical genre

By decade

By musical key

By popular artist


← back to homepage