Behold…

A fascinating song, born out of a love triangle in one of Eric Clapton’s darkest periods.

You see, he was in love with George Harrison’s wife (Pattie Boyd), and even confessed it to her. Later, after she divorced George, she married Clapton. 

But then divorced him too, just the same.

Below, I’m going to share some insider tips on the guitar style behind it.

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this “Bell Bottom Blues” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Bell Bottom Blues?

“Bell Bottom Blues” was co-written by Eric Clapton and Bobby Whitlock and performed with Derek and the Dominos. Clapton famously wrote it about his then-love, Pattie Boyd. She was married to George Harrison at this time. She had asked him to bring back a pair of bell‑bottom jeans from the U.S., and that became the genesis for the song. 

Bobby Whitlock also contributed, particularly to the song’s latter verse, and was later added as co‑writer. “Bell Bottom Blues” was recorded on September 2, 1970, a...

Here’s a song about the baddest man in the whole damn town…

His name is Leroy Brown. 

Below, I’m going to share some insider tips on the boogie-woogie guitar style behind it.

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Bad, Bad Leroy Brown?

“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” was written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jim Croce. It was released in March 1973 as the lead single from his album Life and Times.

From there, it went on to become his biggest hit. 

“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1973 and remained there for two weeks. It became his only chart-topping hit during his lifetime and was later ranked the #2 song of the entire year by Billboard.

Croce wrote the song based on a real-life tough guy he met during his time in the Army. This bloke was over 6 feet tall. He was from Chicago, carried a gun, and was known as a dangerous man. Leroy sang he’s "meaner than a junkyard dog." How...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

One of my all-time favorite blues musicians is Muddy Waters.

This guy could sing, play, and lead a band like a boss. A great example of this is his tune “Mannish Boy”.

Ever heard it?

It starts off with this incredible call & response between Muddy’s voice and his guitar. 

He sings:

===

Oh, yeah

(epic blues lick)

Oh, yeah

(epic blues lick)

Everything gonna be alright this mornin'

===

And so on and so forth.

The licks he plays are tasty, soulful, and the epitome of blues guitar. In the video above, I take a quick look at them. This song is a blues standard originally done by Muddy Waters but many other great artists have covered it as well. 

Jon MacLennan

Years ago I was sitting in a music class with blues guitar grand puba Kenny Burrell…

He didn’t have his guitar with him that day. But he did have a grand piano in the room.

So he walked over to it and played the notes:

E

G

A

Bb

B

D

E

In that order, slowly, he hunted and pecked at the keys. (Kenny isn’t a piano player. But, he would often use the piano to demonstrate certain sounds he was talking about.)

He then looked up at the class and said, “Do you know what that is?”

The room was silent.

He said, 

“That’s the blues scale.”

Then he paused and said,

“Do you have that worked out? All over your instrument?... 

…because if not you’re going to want to do that.”

Decades later, I still remember this lesson. And as I became a more proficient musician. I’ve only seen MORE value in it. 

You see, when I play lead guitar, in pretty much ANY style, I rely on knowing the blues scale on my instrument. The blues seems to always sneak its way into my soloing somewhere.

But whe...

If you want to play incredible lead and rhythm guitar… then you’re going to need to know chords.

Below I’m going to share 10 Epic (Minor) Blues Guitar Chords Every Guitarist Should Know.
So grab your 6-stringer and let’s dive in, starting with…

1. Open Em

In my humble (but accurate) opinion, this is one of the greatest guitar chords of all time.

For many players, it may have even been the first chord you ever learned. Yet it sounds so good – especially if you drag your pick from the treble to the bass strings like this:

A great bluesy song that uses this Em is “I Put A Spell On You” as recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival. The original was done by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, but it’s an AWESOME 16-bar blues:

2. Moveable Minor

This chord is the same basic idea as the open Em chord but it makes it moveable. This can be tough if players have not learned to play bar chords effortlessly yet. But once you get it down, it can open up a lot of doors.

You see this can now be played ...