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Step 1
Use the C open chord. Guitar players like to use a strolling lower string rhythm (alternating third fret of E and A strings) or a walking scale that uses the open strings and fingering of the C major chord.
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Step 2
Showcase major and pentatonic scales. These movable key scales are great patterns for a solo or riff, or lick, as they apply to any key by their placement on the fret board. Experiment with the scales, and you'll know which notes to use when you break into a melodic lick.
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Step 3
Utilize hammer-on and slide techniques to accentuate your lick. Country guitar in particular is based on these string techniques, whether it's a hammer-on twang or a slide note that mimics the popular lap steel instrument.
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Step 4
Play along to the rhythm. Always pay attention to the pace of the country song you're playing along to. A key part of the lick is making sure it follows the melody, vocals, or chords, resolving to a C or a C-friendly note on the end of a measure. In between the critical landmarks of measures and chord changes, you can add notes pretty much as you like, but to be successful, the lick has to go along with the key of C sound.
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Step 5
Get progressively more complex. Start out with short, small combinations of notes, like those in the C major chord, and progress to longer variations, like a series of half steps that end on a key of C note. Half step patterns have a lounge music or country sound that you'll recognize, but as with all melodic riffs, they have to be done in the right rhythm.
