country/americana songbooks for beginning guitarist (but not beginning musician)?
 

We had a party at our country/line dance club yesterday where part of the music was played (more or less) life by a couple of musicians (impression from another event below). My wife liked this (I might have appreciated it more if the average sound level had been kept a lot lower). I pointed out this was more or less a karaoke act where the guitarist didn't really add anything (just strumming chords already played on the soundtrack).

But as she observed correctly, it's not something I'd know how to do myself ... and we should be doing "something like this" together because she'd like to learn the lyrics to the songs we dance to. Sadly this was while driving back, otherwise I'd have asked the performers where they get their music.

I had a quick look on amazon for songbooks or something of the sort but realised I didn't really know what to search for.
What I'm looking for is a book with transcriptions of known/classic country/americana songs of the sort used in country/line dancing, for just guitar + voice. Coming from classical music I'm at a "low intermediate" level for playing written-out scores; I've never yet figured out how to play from pure tabs let alone from just a chord sequence. I think there's a book just like that with songs from Clapton's Unplugged album that should do (for a different style :)).

Any suggestions?


An idea of the grandiose show we had :)

Sorry, I don't have anything to offer in good advice for songbooks off the top of my head...

But, that's a karaoke act...and not a particularly good one, IMO....

Like Bob Seger, in 10 minutes, I'd be late for the door...

I don't get the Seger quote, but yeah, it wasn't a particularly good act. Then again we don't really have a reference and high standards here for cover bands in the genre, and in particular for those who play sufficiently recognisable interpretations that the choreography "fits" and the average dancer will be able to dance them. At least it gave a bit more atmosphere than a playlist from a thumb drive or even with a DJ.

At the least there were no real intonation problems in the singing (and I won't mention the accents ;)) and the woman actually sang pretty good, did a good a-cappella song or two.

Anyway, not the subject here :)

Harvey Reid has some offerings:

http://www.songtrain.net/
http://www.woodpecker.com/modernfolk.html
http://www.partialcapo.com/store.htm...tegory=8371037

I would just get on YouTube and look for every duet tune Emmylou Harris appears on. (she did release an album of duets but it just scratches the surface).

Also Sheryl Crow if you want more possibilities.

Just remembered that I already have a few methods from the Hal Leonard series, and sure enough they seem to have a number of potential choices:

https://www.amazon.fr/Country-Classi.../dp/1423436520
https://www.amazon.fr/Great-American.../dp/0634022334
https://www.amazon.fr/Guitar-Play-Al.../dp/1617807281

Not sure exactly what you mean with duet tune? If I knew how to play along with a recording I could also use any singer/songwriting song that would normally be played by a single person.

I'll have a look at the Harvey Reid suggestions too, thanks.