CAPO GUITAR
IS IT TIME TO GO COUNTRY ? | Mitch Bohannon
I ’ ll admit that I was country when country wasn ’ t cool . My folks were not necessarily music enthusiasts , but I am told that as early as age 4 , I was tuning the radio to the country station . I was a fan of George , Loretta , Tammy , Merle , and Johnny . Thankfully , I had no idea what they were singing about , but I loved the sound .
I know that I am biased as over the years , I have not lost my affinity for the country sound . I have met plenty of people who claim to dislike country music . Nonetheless , I ’ ve been in worship events from Washington State to Florida , from New York to California and lots of places in the middle and I can say that there are few “ styles ” that we play in worship that can electrify a crowd like a country tune can .
Let ’ s reflect on the last couple of decades . Remember the interlude break in the 2003 Casting Crowns , “ Praise You With the Dance ?” How about 2013 Vertical Worship , “ Jailbreak ( I ’ m Going Free )?” 2019 Bethel Worship , “ Ain ’ t No Grave ?” 2019 We The Kingdom , “ Holy Water ?” These are to just name a few possibly unexpected country tunes .
I remember being at the Kingdom Bound Festival in Buffalo , New York and my buddy , Benji Cowart was leading worship . It was in the middle of the day and the sun was beating down on the stage and the crowd . Benji called out , “ We ’ re gonna do a little bluegrass for you ,” and then the band took off into “ Jailbreak ( I ’ m going free ).” There were plenty of instrumental breakouts and the crowd was fully engaged and shouting right along .
I ’ m certainly not suggesting that we have a quota of country tunes to be included in worship every month , but my suggestion is to not be afraid to go there . However , you definitely need to understand how to do it .
Check out the video and I ’ ll show you a few simple ideas as well as a few licks that work with the Short-Cut Capo and help create that country feel . Your drummer for certain needs to be on board and needs to master the “ train ” beat with a straight 4 on the kick , hi-hat , and snare accents on the “ and ” of each beat with a snare shuffle thru the “ e-and-a .” The bass player needs be in the pocket with the kick drum at least and the keys should not over play .
When you strum big 6-string chords with the Short-Cut capo , it creates lots of droning , big sus- and 2-chords , but it also works really well with a “ country ” strumming pattern . The basic “ country strum ” is a “ bass-strum-bass-strum .” That alone will sound very elementary and boring after a while . As you get comfortable , then change the second “ bass-strum ” to a syncopated “ up-down-up ” only on the higher ( 1 , 2 , & 3 ) strings . How do you syncopate it ? Just skip the second “ bass ” on beat 3 . So that would look like this … “( 1 ) bass- ( 2 ) strum- ( 3 ) -up-( 4 ) down-up .” It plays a lot easier than it reads !
There are plenty of three- or four-note movements which can signal the audience that the song is going country . With your Short-Cut Capo on the 2 nd fret , try playing 5 th string , 5 th fret ( 3 above capo ) and then pull off to the 5 th string open at the capo , play 6 th string 5 th fret and pull off to the 6 th string open . Once that
open “ E-note ” lands , strum your “ E ” chord ( hold down 3 rd string , 2 frets above the capo ).
Country music is generally very simple , so I recommend keeping it that way . Stay in your major 1-4-5 progression for the most part . If you have some creative musicians , then don ’ t be afraid to play an instrumental chorus and allow them to riff back and forth . What songs work ? When I sit with my guitar and start playing a country rhythm , old hymns are so easy to sing over that . Again , that ’ s my background . But artists like Crowder , We the Kingdom , and David Leonard have been giving us hints of country in the last few years , so look there .
When done well , it can generate much excitement in the room . If it ’ s foreign to you … start small and don ’ t try to overdo it . If you ’ re already comfortable with it , then I challenge you to take a current popular song that you already lead and create a new country arrangement of it . What about “ Goodness of God ?”
Now grab your Short-Cut Capo and get your boots to tappin ’.
Mitch Bohannon Mitch developed the Short-Cut Capo for Kyser and is the Director of Live Production at Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles , Louisiana .
58 August 2024 Subscribe for Free ...