How to master boom-chick country guitar?

Hi Community!

So I've been learning country for a while now. I've learnt some good songs, but I really want to learn Willie Nelson's classic "On the Road Again". I am using a classical guitar with nylon strings for this and a 0.46mm pick. I can't seem to play the whole song from start to finish. The grip of the pick is not that easy, and it is hard to lay emphasis on just the right notes.

Is there any tips for me to master the song?

Thank you very much!

why are there no replies

Hey, there! I just saw this thread. Sorry no one has replied yet.

Originally Posted by: zhenga1

So I've been learning country for a while now. I've learnt some good songs, but I really want to learn Willie Nelson's classic "On the Road Again". I am using a classical guitar with nylon strings for this and a 0.46mm pick. I can't seem to play the whole song from start to finish.

Fun tune! The boom-chick rhythm technique is fundamental to so many great tunes. So it's worth it to really take the time to drill that as a technique. In the Country Style Course Anders does a great job of showing how to slowly & confidently build this technique.

I encourage you to have a look at this tutorial Anders does on just root & chord motion as a technique building exercise.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1924

Then after you've got that much really solidly under your command, start to add the root & 5th motion in the next tutorial.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1925

Now, just watching those is a great start to really understanding how it works. But most of the hard work is just you making the time to drill the exercise over & over again. Repetitious practice is the only thing that will get you there! Just focus on one chord at a time. Don't try to jump into playing the whole song with all the chord changes before you can confidently play the boom-chick on each chord by itself.

Just take the E chord for example & drill the boom-chick on that one chord over & over again until it becomes second nature. You could for example just focus on one chord per day for a week. Play that one boom-chick chord for 10-20 minutes straight! That will give your hands & mind the opportunity to really integrate & automate!

After you've got all the chords down individually, then start to work on changing between them. Gradually work toward playing all of them in the order played in the song.

Hope this helps!