J.J. Cale sang:

===

After midnight… We're gonna let it all hang out.

===

It’s true. 

Below, I’m going to break down the guitar style behind this classic song. It’s also been covered by a ton of legendary guitarists as well, like Eric Clapton and Chet Atkins. 

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this “After Midnight” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote After Midnight?

“After Midnight” was written by American singer-songwriter J.J. Cale. The song’s laid-back groove helped form the foundation for what would later become known as the “Tulsa Sound." 

J.J. Cale originally recorded “After Midnight” in 1966, releasing it as the B-side to his single “Slow Motion.” At the time, Cale was working as a studio engineer in Los Angeles, having moved from Tulsa, Oklahoma. But the track never took off. 

It wasn’t until 1970 when Eric Clapton covered it on his self-titled debut solo album that the track and J.J. Cale’s writing were brought to a broader audience.

Clapton was introduced ...

Here’s an incredible tune that walks the line of deep personal reflection and folklore.

Dylan, in interviews, has remained a mystery about this tune’s origins. But nonetheless, the song and vibe have struck a chord with listeners around the world. 

Below, I’m going to break down the guitar style behind it.

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this “Girl From The North Country” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Girl From The North Country?

"Girl from the North Country" was written by legendary American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It’s a haunting song that originally appeared on his second album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, released in 1963.

It’s a bit of a poetic mystery. There has been much speculation about who the "girl" is in the song. Two common thoughts are:

1) Echo Helstrom – Dylan’s high school sweetheart from Hibbing, Minnesota.  Or, 2) Suze Rotolo – Dylan's girlfriend in New York in the early 1960s. (Suze is the one who appears walking with Dylan on the front cov...

Here’s a raw acoustic song with a disturbing back story…

It was written from the perspective of a protagonist in a real life crime story.

Below I’m going to break down the guitar style behind it. So grab your axe and let’s dive into this “Polly” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Polly?

"Polly" was written by Kurt Cobain, the lead singer/guitarist of the American rock band Nirvana. It first appeared on their iconic album Nevermind, which was released in 1991. The tune stands out with a stark acoustic arrangement, as opposed to the heavier grunge sound heard on the rest of the album.

The inspiration came from a crime where a 14-year-old girl was kidnapped. She got into a completely random man’s car hitchhiking home after a concert. That ride did not end well. Thankfully, she managed to escape after being enslaved in his motor home for 2 days.

The lesson: teach your children to never get into cars with random strangers. But "Polly" was recorded in 1990 at Sound City Studios in Van...

Let's talk about one of the most important techniques to master as a guitarist.

In fact, this one thing can make a huge difference in whether your playing sounds like an amateur or a pro. And, this applies to everything you play. Whether that’s strumming along to a song, or ripping a solo.

What’s the technique?

Well, it’s something every player should know and that’s how to mute strings on guitar. 

So, let’s get into the first point and that’s understanding:

1) Strum hand muting

(Demonstrate a G major scale) 

When a player plays without proper strum hand muting, they will get all kinds of unwanted noise. In my years of teaching, I’ve noticed many students aren’t even aware this is happening.  

So first start by taking stock and listening to your sound. 

On acoustic this can be tougher to hear. Sometimes players won’t realize it’s happening. Their playing sounds unclean. If they switch to electric guitar, and crank up the volume, that’s often when things sticks out. The unwa...

Here’s a tune that was almost shelved by Columbia Records.

They weren’t going to release it because 1) it clocked in at over 6 minutes long, which defied the rules of modern radio during the time. And 2) the executives thought it was too long, too loud, and too weird.

Add to this the fact that guitarist Al Kooper wasn’t even supposed to be on the session. You see, he snuck in, jumped on the organ, and improvised these little off-the-beat melodies. Bob Dylan loved the sound he added, and the rest is history.

Below, I’m going to break down the guitar style behind it.

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this “Like A Rolling Stone” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Like A Rolling Stone?

“Like a Rolling Stone” was written by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. He wrote it during a period of personal and artistic transformation in 1965. The track marked a significant change in his music. 

He was pivoting from folk to electric rock, and this move gained a lot of controversy – ...

Behold… an epic track featuring LA funk royalty!

Below, I want to share some insider tips on how to play guitar in the style used on one of Bill Withers’ most iconic hits. 

This tune only uses 2 chords…

But it’s deep… 

And “in the pocket”... 

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this “Use Me” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Use Me?

“Use Me” was written by the legendary American singer-songwriter Bill Withers in 1972. It was released as the second single from his album Still Bill and became one of his biggest hits, reaching No. 2 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B charts.

The first single from this album was “Lean On Me”. 

“Use Me” lyrics are interesting. The song sings about complexities in a relationship where the narrator is aware he’s being taken advantage of. However, he chooses to stay because of the pleasure he’s getting from it.

The song was recorded at The Record Plant in Los Angeles and produced by Withers along with members of the Watts 103rd Street R...

If you trace back the roots of rock and roll… you’ll wind up at the blues.

Below, I want to share with you a perfect example of this. Here’s a tune that became a huge hit for 2 different artists. 

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this “Hound Dog” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Hound Dog?

“Hound Dog” was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller – a legendary songwriting duo from New York. They were known for writing dozens of rock and R&B hits during the 1950s and 1960s.

They wrote “Hound Dog” in 1952 when they were still teenagers. At its core, it’s really a blues tune. The first person to record “Hound Dog” was Big Mama Thornton in August 1952. Her version is raw and more down-home. 

Then, later in 1956, Elvis recorded it at RCA Studios in New York City.

Elvis’s version hit #1 on the Billboard pop chart, R&B chart, and country chart all at once. It stayed there for 11 weeks, which was a record at the time. 

When Elvis’s version came out, Jerry Leiber reporte...

Have you ever wondered what the easiest way to play the C chord on guitar is?

Perhaps you’ve looked at a few chord dictionaries or songbooks and you’ve seen a bunch of different variations. And, you aren’t sure which one to use.

Well, below I’m going to share 5 easy ways for how to play the C chord on guitar.

Starting with…

1) The One Finger C Chord

In my humble (but accurate) opinion, this is the easiest C chord to play on guitar. It only requires your index finger on your fretting hand. To play it, place your: 

• Index finger on the 1st fret of the 2nd string
• Keep it on it’s tip
• Strum from the 3rd string down

This C chord can be learned by total beginners in an instant. However, you want to try to only strum 3 strings. If a player strums other adjacent strings open, this is not going to lead to an ideal sound for a C major chord.

From there we have…

2) Two Finger C Chord

This chord shape adds an additional string, in comparison to example #1. To play it, place your...

True story:

Years ago, I used to teach one-to-one guitar lessons. I had this great student who came excited to play each week, and he put in the work. One day, he missed his lesson, and I didn’t hear from him.

I left him a few messages but I never heard anything back…

Until one day, he sent me a text and said, “Hey, can I come back in for lessons?” I said, “Sure” and set up a time.

When he came back in, he told me the reason he was gone was because he was driving down the highway, fell asleep at the wheel, and toppled off the freeway into a ditch. He ended up in the hospital but thankfully lived.

When we opened up his lesson book the last song we were playing was, “Highway to Hell”. And he said, “Yeah man, it was like I was on a highway to hell.”

Anyway, this kind of spooked me out a bit. So I haven’t taught how to play the song since.

But below, I’m going to give it another try. So grab your axe and let’s dive into this “Highway To Hell” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote ...

I’m a sucker for 3 things in a song:

1) Lyrics about trains

2) Swampy guitar parts

3) THE BLUES

Below I want to share with you some insider guitar tips on a classic song that’s got all 3.

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this “Midnight Special” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Midnight Special?

“Midnight Special” is a traditional American folk song that goes back for generations. 

Its origins are deeply rooted in the oral traditions. However, the song's earliest documented lyrics appeared in 1905 as noted by sociologist Howard Odum. 

But, these lines were common in many other African-American songs of that era and didn't specifically reference a train or light. The first printed reference to "Midnight Special" as a song was in a 1923 issue of Adventure magazine. 

The "Midnight Special" refers to a passenger train, and in the song, its light symbolizes hope and freedom. Prisoners believed that if the train's light shone on them, it was a sign of impending release or...