This is my version of Jimmy Buffett's classic island escapism song on acoustic guitar. This song is played in the key of D, using just three chords: D, G, and A. Check out the video below, grab your guitar and play along. Enjoy!
Showing posts with label cover song. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cover song. Show all posts
Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
How to play "Growing Older But Not Up" by Jimmy Buffett
I always loved the hook in this song: "I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead."
I'm playing it in the key of D, using the following chords: D, G, and A (simple I-IV-V chord progression). Jimmy usually plays it in E, which can be accomplished by simply capoing the guitar at the 2nd fret.
Enjoy!
I'm playing it in the key of D, using the following chords: D, G, and A (simple I-IV-V chord progression). Jimmy usually plays it in E, which can be accomplished by simply capoing the guitar at the 2nd fret.
Enjoy!
Monday, July 5, 2010
How to play "The Joker" by the Steve Miller Band
"The Joker" is the title track of the 1973 Steve Miller Band album of the same name. This is my acoustic cover, played on my Martin XC1T. This song uses a simple I-IV-V-IV-I chord progression. Steve Miller normally plays it in the key of G:
I - G
IV - C
V - D
IV - C
I - G
I'm playing it in the key of D to match my vocal range:
I - D
IV - G
V - A
IV - G
I - D
Here's what it sounds like when I play it:
Enjoy!
I - G
IV - C
V - D
IV - C
I - G
I'm playing it in the key of D to match my vocal range:
I - D
IV - G
V - A
IV - G
I - D
Here's what it sounds like when I play it:
Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
How to play "Turn the Page" from Bob Seger
This is my acoustic cover of Bob Seger's classic 1973 song about the trials and tribulations of a musician's life on the road. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed playing it. It's an easy song to play, four easy chords: Em, D, A, and C. This song has also been covered by many other artists, including Waylon Jennings, Metallica, and Kid Rock.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
How to play "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd on acoustic guitar
Today's lesson will show you how to play Lynyrd Skynyrd's classic tune Freebird on acoustic guitar. This is a great rock song, usually played with Skynyrd's three electric guitar attack, but sounds great using a solo acoustic arrangement, IMHO. Here are the chords you need: G, D, Em, F, C, and back to D. Just loop through that chord progression and you are good to go. The video below shows how it sounds when I play it. Just one note, for those of you who want to play along: I have my guitar tuned down a full step to match my vocal range (DGCFAD vs. EADGBE). Enjoy!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
How to play "Daughters" by John Mayer
For my next lesson, I wanted to do a contemporary song, so I selected "Daughters" by John Mayer. This is a great song, somewhat hard to play, but as a father with a daughter, I can definitely relate to the song's lyrics and it just feels right playing it. I didn't have the sheet music, so I played it by ear. I played this chord progression for the verses and chorus: Bm7, Em7, A7, and D. For the bridge, I played F, D#, D, Bm7, Em7, A7, then back to F, A, then repeat the Bm7-Em7-A7-D chord progression - piece of cake! You should also know that I used a non-standard tuning (DGCFAD) on my guitar to help me hit those high notes. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
How to play "A Pirate Looks at 40" by Jimmy Buffett on acoustic guitar
Today's lesson will show you how to play Jimmy Buffett's classic tune A Pirate Looks at Forty.
This is one of my favorite Jimmy Buffett songs. This song is relatively easy to play. It is played in the key of G, using the G, C, and D chords - your classic "3 chord song." This is what the song sounds like when played by me on acoustic guitar:
As an added benefit, I added a harmonica track for the intro, solo, and finale. The harmonica track was recorded separately and overdubbed into the video. I think this song sounds great with a harmonica, so I couldn't resist. The guitar I used in the video is a Taylor 114ce, and the harmonica is a Hohner Blues Harp in the key of G. Enjoy!
This is one of my favorite Jimmy Buffett songs. This song is relatively easy to play. It is played in the key of G, using the G, C, and D chords - your classic "3 chord song." This is what the song sounds like when played by me on acoustic guitar:
As an added benefit, I added a harmonica track for the intro, solo, and finale. The harmonica track was recorded separately and overdubbed into the video. I think this song sounds great with a harmonica, so I couldn't resist. The guitar I used in the video is a Taylor 114ce, and the harmonica is a Hohner Blues Harp in the key of G. Enjoy!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
How to play "Tin Cup Chalice" by Jimmy Buffett on acoustic guitar
Today's lesson will show you how to play Jimmy Buffett's classic tune Tin Cup Chalice.
This is one of my favorite Jimmy Buffett songs. It's one of his early tunes from his Key West days. This song is not as well known as some of his more popular songs, but it's a great mellow tune for listening to when you're chilling out on the beach.
This song is relatively easy to play. It is played in the key of G, using the G, C, D, and Em chords, with an A7 chord thrown in for transitioning at a few spots. When I play it, I use the same basic chord progression, but I tune the guitar down a full step to match my vocal range, thereby playing the song in the key of F. This is what the song sounds like when played by me on acoustic guitar:
Enjoy!
This is one of my favorite Jimmy Buffett songs. It's one of his early tunes from his Key West days. This song is not as well known as some of his more popular songs, but it's a great mellow tune for listening to when you're chilling out on the beach.
This song is relatively easy to play. It is played in the key of G, using the G, C, D, and Em chords, with an A7 chord thrown in for transitioning at a few spots. When I play it, I use the same basic chord progression, but I tune the guitar down a full step to match my vocal range, thereby playing the song in the key of F. This is what the song sounds like when played by me on acoustic guitar:
Enjoy!
How to play "Son of a Son of a Sailor" by Jimmy Buffett on acoustic guitar
Today's lesson will show you how to play Jimmy Buffett's classic tune Son of a Son of a Sailor.
This song uses a I-II-IV-V chord progression. Jimmy Buffett plays it in the key of C, using these chords:
I - C
II - D
IV - F
V - G
Of course, you can easily play it in a different key by transposing chords, e.g. the key of G would look like this:
I - G
II - A
IV - C
V - D
When I play it, I'm actually playing it in the key of A, fingering the key of G chords mentioned above with a capo on the second fret to raise the pitch by two half steps. This is what the song sounds like when played by me on acoustic guitar:
Enjoy!
This song uses a I-II-IV-V chord progression. Jimmy Buffett plays it in the key of C, using these chords:
I - C
II - D
IV - F
V - G
Of course, you can easily play it in a different key by transposing chords, e.g. the key of G would look like this:
I - G
II - A
IV - C
V - D
When I play it, I'm actually playing it in the key of A, fingering the key of G chords mentioned above with a capo on the second fret to raise the pitch by two half steps. This is what the song sounds like when played by me on acoustic guitar:
Enjoy!
Monday, March 2, 2009
How to play "Who'll Stop The Rain" by CCR on acoustic guitar
This article shows you how to play Who'll Stop the Rain, the classic 1970 protest song. This song was written by John Fogerty and originally recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival for their 1970 album Cosmo's Factory.
This song is relatively easy to play. It is played in the key of G, using the G, C, D, and Em chords. When I play it, I use the same chord progression, but I capo the guitar at the 5th fret to match my vocal range, thereby playing the song in the key of C. This is what the song sounds like when played by me on acoustic guitar:
Enjoy!
This song is relatively easy to play. It is played in the key of G, using the G, C, D, and Em chords. When I play it, I use the same chord progression, but I capo the guitar at the 5th fret to match my vocal range, thereby playing the song in the key of C. This is what the song sounds like when played by me on acoustic guitar:
Enjoy!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
How to play "Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffett on acoustic guitar
Today's lesson will show you how to play Jimmy Buffett's classic tune Margaritaville.
I really enjoy Jimmy Buffett's music. Jimmy's known for writing fun, catchy, crowd-pleasing songs, and most of them are relatively simple to play. In the case of Margaritaville, it's very simple to play; your classic "three chord hit."
Margaritaville is usually played in the key of D, using the D, G, and A chords. Alternatively, it can be played using the A, D, and E chords with the capo on the 5th fret. In fact, if you are ever playing this song in a band or ensemble with another guitarist, try having one guitarist play D, G, and A with no capo and the other play A, D, and E with the capo on the 5th fret. This will give the song a much fuller, richer sound.
Here's a short video of me playing Margaritaville. In this video, I'm actually playing it in the key of Eb, with the guitar capo on the 1st fret, which is a better fit for my vocal range:
Enjoy!
I really enjoy Jimmy Buffett's music. Jimmy's known for writing fun, catchy, crowd-pleasing songs, and most of them are relatively simple to play. In the case of Margaritaville, it's very simple to play; your classic "three chord hit."
Margaritaville is usually played in the key of D, using the D, G, and A chords. Alternatively, it can be played using the A, D, and E chords with the capo on the 5th fret. In fact, if you are ever playing this song in a band or ensemble with another guitarist, try having one guitarist play D, G, and A with no capo and the other play A, D, and E with the capo on the 5th fret. This will give the song a much fuller, richer sound.
Here's a short video of me playing Margaritaville. In this video, I'm actually playing it in the key of Eb, with the guitar capo on the 1st fret, which is a better fit for my vocal range:
Enjoy!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
How to play "The River" by Bruce Springsteen on acoustic guitar
For today's lession, we're going to learn how to play The River by Bruce Springsteen. This song was the title track of his fifth album, The River, and was released in 1981. This is a great song, one of the Boss's classics. It's also a nice song to play on acoustic guitar, and not as hard to play as you might think, as we'll see in a few minutes. If you are a harmonica player, it has a great harmonica introduction and solo as well, although for this lesson we'll just stick to the acoustic guitar piece.
The River is usually played in the key of G, and uses five main chords: the familiar chord progression of G, C, and D, with Em and Am thrown in for good measure. In the key of G, Em and Am are relative minor chords to G and C, respectively.
In my opinion, singing this song is much more challenging than playing it. The melody has a range of several octaves, and, since I don't have the same pipes as the Boss, I have to capo the guitar at the 6th fret to pull it off, thereby playing and singing it in the key of C#. Here is what it sounds like when I play it:
Enjoy!
The River is usually played in the key of G, and uses five main chords: the familiar chord progression of G, C, and D, with Em and Am thrown in for good measure. In the key of G, Em and Am are relative minor chords to G and C, respectively.
In my opinion, singing this song is much more challenging than playing it. The melody has a range of several octaves, and, since I don't have the same pipes as the Boss, I have to capo the guitar at the 6th fret to pull it off, thereby playing and singing it in the key of C#. Here is what it sounds like when I play it:
Enjoy!
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