Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

Tony Joe White Style Rhythm Guitar Lesson – EP212

Description

In this week’s guitar lesson, we’ll take a look at the bluesy rhythm playing of the great Tony Joe White. He’s the songwriter behind “Polk Salad Annie” and “Rainy Night in Georgia” and several other great songs. He also happens to be a fantastic guitar player and his blues rhythm style has always fascinated me. He makes it look so effortless. In this lesson I’ll break down a rhythm similar to what he does in “Polk Salad Annie”.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Slow Walk-Through

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Video Tablature Breakdown

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Comments

  1. Tag!! I’m first again to comment!! Love anything/everything Brian does with rhythm guitar………….although he ‘really had me years ago at EP037 (I believe that’s the lesson number) Robben Ford Jazz/Blues Rhythm lesson!! Jim C.

  2. I was in a bar in Kingsville, Texas about 50 years ago. The bar was separated from the “dancehall”. We could hear the band playing in there, and they sounded really good, so we decided to pay the cover and go in and see them. When we got inside there was Tony Joe all by himself.
    Very impressive technique, to be sure.

  5. Hi Brian thanks for the new lesson . I love this sound its got the body and guts to my way of thinking solid sounding blues. Its another for the catch up list. How many more years before I can log in and learn them straight off!! Regards JohnStrat

  7. Great lesson Brian! I’m looking forward to getting started on this one. You have created some awesome lessons but this one is at the top of my list.

    Thanks!

    Jim

  9. Great stuff, Brian. The lesson, the composition and and your seemingly effortless playing – all first rate. Always liked Tony Joe White’s songs – never realised he was responsible for the great guitar work. Thanks again,
    Rick

  10. Fantastic Brian, absolutely love Tony Joe Whie you come up with the best sh.. these lessons are by far the best deal going I’ve learned so much can’t wait to do this TJW rhythm

  11. Brian you played that really really cool! Simply awesome lesson! I’m backlogged with so many recent and old here at your Active Melody! Really having fun with all this material as always! thank you so much and Cheers!

  16. Too funny! My wife knew the Elvis version of Poke Salad Annie and we watched the Tony Joe White version and the Elvis one on youtube. Had fun dancing around the computer room! Thanks for turning me on to this. Your lesson really captures the essence of Tony Joe White’s style of playing. Cheers Dave

  20. This is why I subscribe, Brian! You always come up with the coolest stuff from players like Tony Joe, and this makes it all a lot of fun to get down. I can improvise off this one all day! Great lesson.

    • I heard two “skips”. one at the 1:00 minute mark and the 2nd at the 3.24 mark. Seems like a bad edit, which is very unusual for Brian. Sorry Brian, not trying to be a troll, just used to your perfection!

      Killer lesson to be sure. Now I have to go an try to learn Poke Salad Annie. Sure helps to have this technique to refer to….

  24. Fun lesson. I dig it. and I was unfamiliar with Tony Joe White. nice introduction. A fun addition to this lesson I tried was throwing some of the Fogerty leads over the E section, and then some of the James Burton stuff over the A. lots of fun cross referencing the styles

  25. Hi Brian this is just one of the reasons I have been on your site for many a year you just keep coming up with the goods and this is right up there with the best, cheers mate.

  27. Another great lesson to practice practice practice!!! I got to see Tony Joe White at Bluesfest in Australia at Easter and he’s the coolest laid back guitarist just sitting on a chair and playing effortlessly. Your definitely right when you say it’s harder than it looks. Many thanks Brian.

  28. Question about the harmonized thirds you’re doing. It looks like you’re playing in the key of E maj or maybe it’s E maj 7. And the harmonized thirds appear to be made up of B min, A maj, G# min. I can’t seem to wrap my mind around this. In E maj, isn’t the I, IV and V major? So, it’s that B min that’s confusing me. Seems like that’d be a maj and not a min. Or are those harmonized thirds more like inversions so I’m viewing it incorrectly?

    • I’m actually playing the Mixolydian scale instead of the major scale with those harmonized 3rds. It’s the same as the major scale except you flat the 7th degree in the major scale. It gives it a little more of a bluesy feel when you do that.

  30. Brian, I am starting up this lesson after playing some bluegrass with alternate picking, downstrokes on the downbeats and upstrokes on the upbeat. I am inclined to play this lesson the same way, but you are not doing so (at least for the first 3 measures) in the video. Is there any reason I should not play this song using strict alternate picking? Thanks in advance for your guidance.

  32. Glad to be a fully paid up member, I’m like a child in a sweet shop I have started three of these lessons and finished none of them but I love it. I’ll get there in good time.
    Cheers Brian it’s brilliant.

  36. Never heard of Tony Joe White, but your lesson made me listen to more of him. Definitely going to download some of his music from Spotify. Checked some of him on Youtube and noticed he plays with his bare fingers and not a plectrum. I tried that and find it easier to play. With a plectrum I bumb into other strings and with my fingers I can play more accurate. I also like the sound more when played with your bare fingers. Anyway, great lesson again Brain!!

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