101 Honky-tonk licks..

[Mojohand40]

I recently recieved from Amazon.Com a book and CD package called:

"101 Dog-Gone Good Country Guitar Licks in the Honky-Tonk Style" by Larry McCabe.

I thought I'd give a quick review. First: I am no way affiliated with the author etc.
This is a really good Meat and Potatos kind of collection of licks. Good beginner and intermediant level stuff. Too many of these type collections contain licks that are just flashy for the sake of flash and really aren't useful. These are just simple licks that fit well as back up between verses or strung together as solos.

The licks are ALL in the key of C and are presented in groups like "I Chord", "I to IV chord", "IV to V" chord, etc. etc. Having them all in C is brilliant. Most of the licks are easily transposed up or down a few frets to get other keys.
(Not a lot of open string stuff). There is a short explanation of the Nashville Numbering System in the beginning of the books that explains all of this.

The book itself is spiral bound, which is always a plus to me. It lays flat on the music stand. Why can't other publishers get this?

The CD contains all the licks in numbered tracks that match the numbered licks in the book. One of my few complaints is that all of the licks are played on the right channel while a Piano is on the left (you can pan your stereo to isolate the guitar) while the piano keeps the time and counts off to the lick, I find the piano a little annoying and loud in the mix. It gets in the way a bit. Plus I personally don't like the split stereo idea that a lot of book/cd's like this use anyway.
My other complaint is that there are no examples given showing the licks strung together to form complete solos or used in context with songs. BUT if you are a fan of this type of classic country (Honky-Tonk, and Bakersfield type stuff) you will find most of the licks are instantly recognizable.

I give it two thumbs up. Often people post "How do I get out of my rut?" or "What's some good way's to learn country?" on the forum, and in my mind this might be the answer for some.

[Tdot]

That nice to hear. I saw it on Amazon, and have it on my wish list.