20 Country Licks You Can't Live Without - Volume One
Course Content Overview
Erik Holmbom—a highly respected session guitarist, Licklibrary tutor, and country music specialist—will guide you through these essential country guitar frameworks with clarity, efficiency, and real-world application. You will learn the secrets behind building a consistent country guitar vocabulary, developing clean hybrid picking, and executing fluid hammer-ons and pull-offs. Each lesson is a step-by-step journey into fretboard mastery, focusing on the core techniques that drive confident improvisation and memorable, twangy lead lines.
Course contents:
- Licks 1–4: C7 — Master the essential sounds of soloing over a static C7 chord. You will work through licks that blend major and minor tonalities using the Mixolydian mode and the Blues scale, developing a complete understanding of how to incorporate double-stops, slides, and expressive string bending to break free from standard box playing.
- Licks 5–8: A7 — Explore the brighter, more rhythmic sounds essential for authentic chicken picking. This section gives you a balanced view of hybrid picking and hammer-ons, enhancing your melodic phrasing and helping you target chord tones effectively with colourful chromatic passing notes.
- Licks 9–12: G7 — Focus on classic trills, pull-offs, and alternate picking designed to improve precision and rhythmic control. These exercises encourage accuracy in both fretting and picking while reinforcing syncopation and dynamic awareness for clean execution across the beat.
- Licks 13–16: E7 — Build on the blues-infused side of country guitar with a more emotive tonal palette. These shapes are perfect for developing expressive lead playing, strengthening your ability to execute unison bends and pinched harmonics smoothly while maintaining impeccable pitch control.
- Licks 17–20: D7 — Bring all the concepts together with performance-driven licks over a D7 chord. This section introduces vibrato techniques and rapid flourishes like tapped harmonics, teaching you how to stitch together techniques fluidly within a musical context for live and studio situations.
Technical skills you will develop:
- Mastery of essential country guitar phrasing over dominant 7th chords
- Proficiency in hybrid picking and chicken picking for fast, articulate, and clean runs
- Execution of fluid legato phrasing, including precise hammer-ons, pull-offs, and trills
- Enhanced fretboard awareness and the ability to connect double stops seamlessly
- Improved rhythmic precision, syncopation, and overall picking hand control
- A deep understanding of how to apply string bending, unison bends, and vibrato musically
- Development of a consistent, authentic country guitar tone and style
This Course is Ideal for Players Who...
Our 20 Country Licks You Can't Live Without - Volume One guitar course is essential for any guitarist who wants to deepen their understanding of the country genre and master the art of fluid, twangy improvisation. Whether you are an intermediate player looking to sharpen your lead technique, or a dedicated student who wants to build a rock-solid vocabulary of country licks, this course is built for you.
This course is perfect for guitarists who are looking to improve their fretboard fluency and break out of repetitive blues boxes; who want to master essential techniques like hybrid picking and double stops; who are looking to develop a powerful, tight sound with consistent timing; who admire the technical excellence and musical sensitivity of Erik Holmbom; and who believe that a structured, style-specific vocabulary is the key to unlocking true creative freedom on the guitar.
What will I achieve from completing this course?
This course goes beyond simply memorising lick patterns—it is an education in the mechanics of confident, musical country guitar playing. It is about understanding how a structured approach to phrasing can transform your technique and open up the entire fretboard. You will gain unparalleled insight into the teaching methods of Erik Holmbom and learn how his efficient, practical approach to the guitar creates a foundation for limitless improvisation. By focusing on accuracy, timing, and the specific techniques that define modern country lead playing—from chicken picking to expressive string bending—this course ensures that you do not just learn the licks, but truly integrate them into your musical vocabulary. For those ready to take their playing to the next level, your journey into country guitar starts here.
WE CAN HELP...
1-ON-1 COACHING
Access to thousands of lessons is great, but without a plan you can feel like you’re practicing in circles. Book your FREE 1-on-1 video call with a Licklibrary pro to fix your technique, build a practice plan, get motivated, or overcome any challenge. It's all included in your membership!
20 Country Licks You Can’t Live Without - Volume One by Erik Holmbom
Licklibrary’s 20 Country Licks You Can’t Live Without - Volume One is a deep dive into the essential sounds and flavours of country guitar playing. Taught by the exceptional Erik Holmbom, this course delivers note-for-note breakdowns of 20 iconic country-style licks, designed to elevate your phrasing, timing, and technique. Whether you're a budding Telecaster twanger or a seasoned six-stringer looking to sharpen your chops, this course is a goldmine of style-specific ideas, each rooted in classic country tonality and technique.
This lesson series focuses on soloing over static dominant seventh chords—a key feature in country guitar—and showcases how to create expressive, melodic solos using a variety of techniques and approaches. From chicken pickin’ to hybrid picking, and from subtle bends to flashy harmonic flourishes, Erik guides you through every move with crystal-clear instruction and performance context.
Licks 1–4: C7
The first set of licks focuses on soloing over a C7 chord. These licks are designed to highlight how dominant 7th chords in country music allow for blending major and minor tonalities—specifically through the use of the Mixolydian mode and the Blues scale. Expect tasteful use of double-stops, slides, and plenty of string bending.
Benefit: You’ll learn how to balance melodic clarity with country grit, building foundational control in your phrasing and timing.
Licks 5–8: A7
Licks 5–8 shift to the A7 chord, dialling up the twang with hybrid picking and hammer-ons. These licks explore targeting chord tones with chromatic passing notes—adding a colourful, "chicken pickin'" character.
Benefit: These licks enhance your right-hand precision and allow you to inject bounce and swing into your lines, a hallmark of authentic country phrasing.
Licks 9–12: G7
For G7, Erik brings in classic trills, pull-offs, and alternate picking. There’s also a focus on syncopation, helping you develop solos that breathe and dance across the beat, with careful use of space and dynamics.
Benefit: Develops rhythmic awareness and hand coordination while showcasing how a simple chord can be turned into a narrative solo landscape.
Licks 13–16: E7
These licks revolve around E7 and lean more blues-infused, borrowing expressive phrasing such as unison bends and pinched harmonics. This section explores the gritty side of country—blending soulful bend work with punchy melodic motifs.
Benefit: Great for improving pitch control, emotional expression, and expanding your dynamic range on the fretboard.
Licks 17–20: D7
Closing out with the D7 chord, this set brings together all previously used concepts while introducing vibrato techniques and quicker flourishes like tapped harmonics. This is where the licks become more performance-driven, offering real-world applicability in live and studio situations.
Benefit: Builds confidence and finesse, teaching how to stitch together techniques fluidly within a musical context.
Performance
At the end of the course, Erik performs over an A7 backing track, showing how the licks can be seamlessly linked and adapted for your own soloing. This full-speed demonstration ties all concepts together, making it easier to visualise and hear how country licks function musically.
About Erik Holmbom
Erik Holmbom is a highly skilled country guitarist known for his precision, musicality, and deep respect for traditional country techniques. His teaching style is clear, engaging, and packed with detail, making him the perfect guide for dissecting the building blocks of this distinct genre. Drawing influence from greats like Brent Mason, Albert Lee, and Johnny Hiland, Erik’s phrasing is tasteful, articulate, and brimming with authenticity.
By studying Erik’s approach, you'll not only learn what to play—but why it works, giving you a deeper musical insight that can be applied beyond just country.
Techniques Used in This Course
- Vibrato
- Alternate Picking
- Pull-offs
- Hammer-ons
- Double-Stops
- Slides
- String Bending
- Hybrid Picking
- Trills
- Tapped Harmonics
- Pinched Harmonics
- Unison Bends
If you're serious about mastering the language of country guitar, 20 Country Licks You Can’t Live Without - Volume One is an essential addition to your library. Add fire to your solos, unlock new phrasing ideas, and gain the technical skills to bring your country playing to life.
About The Tutor
Tutor Profile
Erik Holmbom
Born in Skelleftea in Sweden and an alumn of the session musician programme at the Pitea College of Music in Sweden, Erik is a sought after guitarist who splits his time on the road with artists and bands, in the studio recording for clients and as a guitar teacher to...