Rockin' the Country with Joe Don Rooney: At the Crossroads — the Influences Behind My Playing Style

The following content is related to the July 2013 issue of Guitar World. For the full range of interviews, features, tabs and more, pick up the new issue on newsstands now, or in our online store.

Here's the inaugural Guitar World column by Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flatts!

Welcome to my new Guitar World column. This is the first opportunity I’ve had to do something like this, and I’m excited to have this forum to share my thoughts on guitar playing and music with an audience of fellow pickers.

Over the course of my career, I’ve learned a lot of valuable musical lessons through collaborating with talented colleagues in the recording studio, performing onstage alongside some mighty fine musicians and observing great guitar players doing their thing. I have some worthwhile advice to impart and would like to start things off in these first couple of columns by reflecting on how country, rock and pop music and guitar playing styles have influenced me.

In later columns, I’ll talk about how jazz and fusion music have inspired me too. Along the way, I’ll tip my hat to some of the many great players from varied genres who have shaped my musical vision over the years, and explain specifically how they’ve done so, in terms of technique, feel and overall approach and spirit.

For the rest of this column, plus tabs, pick up the July 2013 issue of Guitar World.