Song Lesson Library

In these seven guitar lessons, Mike Olekshy will teach you "Folsom Prison Blues," by Johnny Cash. Mike will provide an overview of the song, and talk about the gear and different tones. The acoustic boom-chick part will be next, followed by the electric boom-chick part. Mike will then dish out that sweet solo for us. Next comes the play-along performance, and then we'll end with a jam along where you take over.

In this set of lessons, Caren Armstrong will teach you a beginner version of "El Paso", by Marty Robbins. Caren will start with an overview of what she'll be teaching, then show you all the chords you'll need to play the song. After the chords, you'll learn the rhythm and strumming pattern; then we're on to the song structure. Next is a slow play-through, then a play along up to speed, and you'll finish with the jam along.

In this beginner song tutorial, Caren Armstrong will teach "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness", by John Prine. Caren will introduce the song, then look at the open position chords you'll need to play this tune. After learning the chords, you'll learn the strumming rhythm; then the song structure. Caren will guide you through a slow-play, after which you'll play along up to speed. Finally, you'll play the song by yourself in the jam along.

In this set of beginner song lessons, Caren Armstrong will teach you "Wide Open Spaces", by The Dixie Chicks. We'll start with an overview of the song, then take a look at different capos and how to use them. Next up is a breakdown of the chords in the song, followed by the strumming pattern. Then we'll look at the song form and do a slow-play; we'll conclude with a play along performance then a jam along.

In this series of country song lessons, Ben Lindholm will teach you "I Walk The Line" by Johnny Cash. Ben will introduce the song to you, then talk about the tuning, tones, and time, and give you some tips on learning the song. There's a twist on a "snare" drum that Ben will show you before he launches into the intro riff. Next up are the five verses in a row, and we'll finish up with a performance play along and a jam along where you take over.

Caren will show you a made easy, beginner version of this great country classic with an acoustic guitar part that is perfectly suited to playing along with the band.

This country classic features an easy chord progression, some cool hybrid picking, as well as some modulating chords that create a nice build in the song. The two guitars playing throughout the recording can be combined into one easy part with using a capo!

In these eleven videos, Mike Olekshy will teach you "Amarillo By Morning", by George Strait. Mike will talk about the song and the gear and tones, then break down the acoustic intro chords and strumming. From there it's on to the main progression and into the key change. We'll look at the main fiddle melody next, then there's two arpeggio lessons and the lead fills that lead us to the play along performance. Finally, you'll jam along with the backing track.

In these ten videos, Tom Finch will teach you "Amie", by Pure Prairie League. After an overview of the song and and a look at gear and tones, Tom will break down the intro and verse acoustic parts. The verse electric fills are next, then it's on to the chorus acoustic part and the chorus electric fills. Tom will then teach you the acoustic solo, and the outro/ending of the tune. For the finale we'll do a play along, the you'll jam alone with the band.

In these lessons Mike Olekshy will teach "Guitars, Cadillacs", by Dwight Yoakam. After setting up the song and discussing gear and tone, Mike will break down the intro electric lick. Then it's time to learn the acoustic guitar part that occurs throughout the song; we'll follow that with the fill licks in the verse and chorus. Next up are the solos, then we'll do full and single guitar performances. To conclude, you'll take over in the jam along.

In this tutorial, Mike Olekshy will teach "Always On My Mind", as made famous by Willie Nelson. Mike will introduce the song then dig right into the intro; then into the verse chords and strumming. We'll examine the chorus chords next, then learn bridge before we take on the guitar solo. We'll do a full performance, then a single guitar performance; we'll cap it all off with a "guitar karaoke" jam along.

This tutorial breaks the classic country staple down to its basic elements: Great boom-chick strumming, hooks that sell millions of records (or downloads for you net savvy hipsters), and well-crafted harmony guitars. Let's get to it!

In this tutorial Caren Armstrong will teach you the country classic "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys" as made famous by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. Acoustic strumming and campfire story telling on tap!

In this set of five lessons, Andy Gurley will show you how to play the country standard "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", as made famous by Hank Williams. Andy will dig into the boom-chick strumming in 3/4 time, the lead fills, and as a bonus he'll teach you a solo based on the vocal melody. To close it out, we'll play along with whole song.

In this set of song lessons, Anders Mouridsen will teach you "Copperhead Road", by Steve Earle. First off will be an overview of the tune, and a look at the gear and tones. Then Anders will show you the main acoustic strumming part in the "double drop D" tuning, and follow up with the entrance of the full rockin' electric band. The lesson after that will show you the electric rhythm, and then we'll look at the clean fills. We'll then do a play along, and you'll take over for the jam along.

Any acoustic guitar is suitable to play this tune. This song uses open chords, cut time, a boom chick strumming approach, and dynamics.

Mike will show you all 3 guitar layers. Guitar 1 is an electric guitar that plays some great riffs throughout the tune. Guitar 2 is an acoustic guitar that plays a combination of open chords and power chords with steady strumming. Guitar 3 is a lead guitar that digs into some killer country licks.

in this song tutorial, Henrik Linde will teach "The Man Comes Around", by Johnny Cash. A song introduction and the gear and tone will start things off, then Henrik will dissect the two acoustic parts in the intro and verses. That leads into the "hook" guitar parts, then we're on to the chorus. Henrik will break down the C section parts before he does the song ending, then we'll do full and single guitar play alongs and a jam along.

In this set of lessons, Mike Olekshy will teach "How Forever Feels", recorded and performed by Kenny Chesney. Mike will introduce the song and talk briefly about the acoustic tone, then break down the intro and outro parts. The verse chords and strumming come next, then the chorus. There's a bridge in the song that we'll learn before we do a play along performance, then you'll take over in the jam along.

Mike will show you both iconic parts to this county classic from the clean electric guitar that chicken picks its way through some killer old school country rhythms and leads to the acoustic guitar that lays a solid foundation with open chords and boom-chick strumming.

In this set of eight videos, Anders Mouridsen will be teaching you the country/tex-mex classic, "El Paso", by Marty Robbins. Anders will talk about the gear and tone, then break down the intro lead and the intro and verse chords. Then Anders will mosey on to the chorus of the song, followed by showing you some tex-mex soloing techniques. We'll finish up with a full performance play along, and a jam along with the backing track.

In these song lessons, Douglas Showalter will teach you "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness", by John Prine. After a song overview and the gear and tones, you'll learn the song intro. Following that is the acoustic verses, then the verse electric fills; then the chorus acoustic and electric fills. Next is the electric solo, then we're on to the full performance. We'll end with a single guitar performance, then mute the guitars for a jam along.

Mike will show you all the great parts in this song: power chords, diad boogie rhythms, suspended chords, and some harmonized lead concepts.

Mike will show why this is a country classic that features textbook acoustic strumming and soloing, as well as some great parts played on electric. You can learn the solo and all the fills or just play the whole tune using only one guitar all the way through.

In this set of lessons, Mike Olekshy will teach you "All My Ex's Live in Texas", by George Strait. After a song introduction and a look at the gear and tones, Mike will break down the acoustic parts for the intro and re-intro, the chorus, the verse, and the outro. Then we'll learn the electric parts for the same sections before we do a play along performance, single guitar performance, and a jam along.

Caren will show you this classic, which is old school country music at it's best, with lots of pedal steel and back ground vocals to sweeten things up. Take that away and you have the rhythm guitar part that carries the core of the song.

In this set of lessons Mike Olekshy will teach you "I've Been Everywhere", as recorded by Johnny Cash. After introducing the song, Mike will lay out the free-time chords and strumming in the song's intro. Then we'll launch into the chorus of the tune at tempo, learning the chords and strumming rhythm. Next up is the verse, followed by the final chorus outro. We'll end with a play along performance, then you'll take over in the jam along.

In this set of lessons, Mike Olekshy will teach "Let Your Love Flow", as made famous by the Bellamy Brothers. We'll start with a song introduction and a peek at the gear and tones, then learn the acoustic strumming in the verse. We'll look at the verse fills and the electric verse rhythm before we head to the chorus for the acoustic strumming and electric fills and rhythms. We'll end with full and single guitar performances, then a jam along.

In this tutorial, Caren Armstrong will teach a campfire version of "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue", as made famous by Crystal Gayle. Caren will introduce the song then look at the acoustic tones before talking about the rhythm and strumming. The breakdowns of the intro and 1st two verses are next, then we'll learn the bridge before we go to verse 3. We'll learn the song ending, then the theme melody; we'll end with a play along.

Here in this set of song lessons, Anders Mouridsen will break down the classic country song "Tennessee Flat Top Box", written and recorded by Johnny Cash. Anders will dig into the gear and tone a bit, then teach the intro riff. Next we'll look at the acoustic rhythm guitar, then segue into the electric. You'll learn the riff that is played after every verse, then some of the variations in the song. We'll "flat-top" it off with a full performance.

"Crazy" is a great example of that wonderful mixture of the down home country vibe and the jazzier harmony and more elaborate production that was popular in Nashville at that time. But in it's essence, this song is all about the vocals and the heart breaking message the lyrics are conveying. So everything the guitar is playing is working to support that.

This tutorial was inspired by a great country classic from the legendary Merle Haggard in 1968. This song is one of the most requested, and it can still be heard several times a day on lower Broadway in Nashville. We'll learn the verse and chorus chord progressions, the signature intro lick, the solo and tone, the dobro parts, and there's an acoustic and electric play along to boot!

In this tutorial, Henrik Linde will teach "Drivin' My Life Away", as made famous by Eddie Rabbitt. We'll start with a song introduction and a look at the gear and tone, then drive right into the intro and the acoustic verses. The acoustic and electric chorus parts are next, then the interlude on both guitars. We'll learn the electric verses and variations before we do full and single guitar performances, then you'll take over in the jam along.

Mike will show you the 2 guitar layers in this song. Guitar 1 is a clean electric guitar that gives the tune its bounce. Guitar 2 is an acoustic guitar that strums to keep a steady groove. A capo is placed on the 2nd fret of the acoustic to play this song.

These lessons will walk you through the form of the song in four of the lessons, rather than a list of licks. The form is the key to learning this masterpiece! The solo will also be covered along with a few of the electric guitar fills. Mastering these lessons will guarantee your spot in the next Smokey and the Bandit sequel.

In these lessons, Mike Olekshy will teach "I Love A Rainy Night", as made famous by Eddie Rabbitt. Mike will introduce the song and talk about gear and tones, then start in on the acoustic and electric parts for the verses. It's on to the pre-chorus parts next, then into the choruses; then it's time to learn the solo. You'll do full and single guitar performances before playing the song by yourself in the jam along.

In this set of lessons, Hunter Perrin will teach "Get Rhythm", by Johnny Cash. We'll start with a song overview and the gear and tone, then get into the chorus acoustic and electric parts. Next is the verse rhythms, then the acoustic part under the solo; we'll take on the second chorus before we learn the solo. The verse and chorus parts for both guitars towards the end of the song all come next, then we'll do full and single guitar performances and a jam along to conclude.

In this set of country lessons, Mike Olekshy will teach "A Better Man", by Clint Black. Mike will introduce this #1 modern country hit, then talk about gear and tone before breaking down the acoustic parts in the intro, chorus, and verse. The electric main riff and the licks and fills for the verses and choruses follow that. Then it's time to do a play along and single guitar performance, and end with a "guitar karaoke" jam along.

In this song tutorial, Mike Olekshy is going to break down "Killin' Time", by Clint Black. After a synopsis of the lessons and a look at the gear and tones, Mike will examine the open chord acoustic strumming in the verses and choruses. Then we have something different: the baritone guitar signature lick. We'll follow with the electric licks, then do a play along performance and a jam along where you play the song by yourself.

There is one acoustic guitar layer used in this song that mixes folk, bluegrass and country style playing. This song uses a capo, open chords, 3/4 time, and a steady boom chick strum approach.

In this series of lessons, Mike Olekshy will teach you "Sometimes She Forgets", recorded by Travis Tritt. Mike will be teaching this one campfire-style on acoustic guitar. Mike will give you a synopsis of the song, then start right in with the intro; then it's on to the verse part. The chorus follows, then the outro to the tune. We'll finish up with a play along performance, then you'll jam along by yourself with the backing track.

In these lessons, Douglas Showalter will teach you "Wide Open Spaces", by The Dixie Chicks. Douglas will introduce the song and talk about the gear and tones, then break down the song intro. Verses 1 and 2 are next up, then the chorus parts; then we'll look at verse 3. Lesson seven breaks down the solo section, after which we'll examine the final verse and the outro. We'll conclude with a full performance, a single guitar performance, and a jam along.

In the list of traditional country standards, this is one of the most popular. The 1970 country music Song of the Year is a longstanding classic that features many must-know techniques: solid acoustic strumming, hybrid-picking acoustic guitar and standard electric guitar fills. Learning this song is taking Country 101. Merle Haggard helped write the textbook while the guitarists helping him on this tune were none other than session legends Jerry Reed and James Burton. Get out your solid timing and taste and let's learn Okie From Muskogee.

In this song tutorial, J.D. Jarell will lead you through the country classic "Help Me Make It Through The Night" as made famous by Johnny Cash. You'll learn the opening riff, the chord progressions of the verses and choruses, about the fills between the vocals, the boom-chick rhythms, and then have both acoustic and electric play alongs to cap it all off.

There are 2 guitars in this song. Guitar 1 is an acoustic guitar that strums the progressions throughout. Guitar 2 is a clean electric guitar that adds country-style melodic riffs to the arrangement. This song uses dropped-D tuning, open chords, a 6/8 groove, and pedal-steel style riffs and licks.

In this tutorial Mike Olekshy will teach "Good Year for the Roses", as made famous by Elvis Costello. After introducing the song, Mike will take a look at the verse chords and strumming. You'll learn the song's chorus chords and strumming next, then there's a bonus lesson if you want to learn the pedal steel licks on electric guitar. We'll do a play along performance, then you take over in the jam along.

In this tutorial we are going to learn how to play "Funny How Time Slips Away" as performed by Willie Nelson. This classic song features a simple chord progression. using two guitars, that has stood the test of time as a songwriting staple.

Douglas will show you how to play this country song with some easy open chords with a single acoustic guitar, and how to play the main melody of the song on a second acoustic guitar.

There are 2 guitars in this song. Guitar 1 is an acoustic guitar that strums the progressions throughout. Guitar 2 is a light crunch electric guitar that adds additional rhythm guitar and slide embellishments. This song uses a 6/8 feel, steady acoustic strumming, slide guitar, dynamics, and pedal steel inspired licks.

Caren will show you how to get the signature country sound with a strumming pattern. You'll also learn to use a capo and an option to add bass notes for a solo performance.