Description
In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn several Rockabilly style licks in the style of Bill Kirchen and Junior Brown. You’ll be able to transpose and use these licks in any key.
Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson
Part 2 - For Premium Members
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Slow Walkthrough
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Video Tablature Breakdown
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Great stuff 🎶
really like too see a lot more of this lesson
Me too!
Go to weekly lesson page. Type “rockabilly” in search box… then enjoy!
love this
Have loved Rockabilly since I first heard Carl Perkins. Can you do some lessons on playing like him? You know, simple double stops on the first 2 or 3 strings? (Chuck Berry is too hard!) Or could you point me to some lof your previous lessons on the simplest Rockabilly double stops. I admire the “old time Rockabilly” solos by JD Mcpherson. Simple but effective.
Fred
Nice one Brian! I rarely play on the strat bridge pickup but it sounds pretty good with these licks.
Fun, I like this style of music and am glad to learn this
Omg , I love every single thing about this and your website and now I’ve discovered how to loop the play along and the different speeds is priceless… Absolutely fantastic work Brien in everything you produce. 100% effort and accuracy. Thank you so much. I’m actually starting to sound pretty good, thanks to you.
Hi Janelle,
I don’t know if you have discovered the “speed training” bit of the speed selector, worth exploring.
Will
Hi Will, I have seen and use the speed selector. I usually start on 75% and work up.. is that what you mean or is there something else.. ?
If you look below the 75% bit there is a phrase “speed traing”.
Set a loop and select the speed training bit, It plays 3 times at 70/80/90/100 each.
It will make more sense if you give it a whirl.
It worked wonders for me.
Oh wow thanks Will. I hadn’t found that speed training……Its awesome… it really does help. I got up to 90% was great, but 100% was woah.. still a bit fast for me….. but I’ll keep using that and I’m sure I’ll get there.. thanks heaps for the tip. Priceless. I just love Active Melody.
Fantastic, got so much out of this great gospel sound take aways, great lesson.
Alot of good tangy licks.
Fun stuff… Thanks
Another Favourite. What a great sound. Lots of takeaways here.
I enjoy approaching similar things from different angles — in this case, EP596. 😉
Thanks again, Brian
My type of music.
Let’s have much more of this please.
Love the Country licks.
Great lesson . Great sound.
Thanks.
Just a thought. i enjoy these lessons and I guess lots of people want to be lead guitarists. At the moment though, I am more interested in structure, the use of passing chords, chord substitution, 2 for a 5 chord, 6 for a 4 etc.. How to make a 12 bar more interesting. How to make a chord change more interesting. Any chance of a few weekly lessons around these ideas?
Hi David,
You could try the following: EP529; EP383; ML138. I found these by typing ‘Chord Substitution’ into the search box. I know a number of Brian’s lessons touch on these subjects, especially the 12 bar structure.
ML125 (jazzier structure to 12 bar); EP371 (jazzy 2-5-1s); EP170 (diminished chords in 12 bar); Ep034 (jazzy chords in 12 bar); EP536 (‘jazz up your blues’); EP 483; Ep396. All found through the search function.
Hope that helps.
So country! I love it! Please, more lessons like this Brian.
Great lesson as usual Brian…even if not my favorite music style, I learn useful things from each of your lessons. Wonderful guitar sound…keep it going.
Rockabilly is so cool. Very good lesson, as always 🙂
I have always wondered how that country twang is created-you have lifted the veil Brian, thanks. Great lesson
Thanks for your time and effort Brian. It is appreciated.
And the compostion is awesome! Love getting those tips on the use of the lower strings and riffs!
Hi Brian, and every one.
I’m not very comfortable with rockabilly, because it’s a bit too fast to play, and it’s not my prefered style.
But it’s a very intesresting exercise for doing something with the lower strings.
Thanks.
Yes, more like this, please. I do like this type of lesson.
Really got alot out of this lesson. Thanks Brian
Brian
Fun lesson with country licks. Well explained. I appreciate your detailed explanations on how to play these licks and where they come from.
This was a fun lesson. Didn’t know I liked Rockabilly Twang music so much, but I do now. Lots of light bulb moments too. Please more lessons like this when you can. Thanks Brian.
Great lesson! I’m a Bill Kirchen fan, too.
I like that you repeat things (phrases, etc.) from lesson to lesson because then I get to repeat them and learn them. I dig it! They become muscle memory. 😉
I enjoyed this one! It stimulated the callus on my index finger 😉
I came to this site as a rhythm guitar player wanting to learn to play lead guitar (because a couple of us could already play rhythm to some degree; somebody needed to play lead). Early on, all the lessons were beyond my level both mentally and physically. But I learned a ton; and improved my ability to work the fret board. Now, two years plus later, every lesson continues to be a challenge–of course–but at a different level. I wouldn’t have it any other way. At 74 years old, I’m playing like never before. Thanks Brian.
At almost 73 Bob, I can totally relate! I started with Active Meoldy about a year after I retired at 64. From knowing just basic chords and the E shaped bar chord, to where I am at now, is incredible. Thanks Brian!
Thanks for the comment, Paul. Keep on keeping on.
Ive been straight acoustic – ,mostly bluegrass. now have a PRS electric and loved this lesson. lots of riffs I can use to change off my style . Keep this up
Terry
this and ones like it is the reason i joined
I really liked all the explanations. So educational!
Great stuff. More lessons on this Rockabilly would be great.
ML 121 is a great companion to this lesson. A lot of these licks are related to the pentatonic scale running horizontal across the fretboard.
Really enjoyed this lesson. Helped me understand things I’ve heard and loved for decades. Keep them coming please.
I love how you tie the ideas with the licks into their source and show how you can move the same lick up and down the strings.
Hey. I can remember Bill Kirchen (Titan of the Telecaster) working out those licks in his garage, in the early 60’s, because he grew up across the street from my Grandparents in Ann Arbor. “Hot Rod Lincoln” is part of my guitar DNA.
That’s incredible! He’s such a hero of mine. Top 5 favorite guitar player for sure.. and yes Hot Rod Lincoln is part of my guitar DNA as well!
I love this. A great new gem for my Tele.
I am not a huge fan of this kind of music, but some of those licks sound like Molly Hatchet(anyone else hear it) which I love. Maybe I do like this kind of music. Awesome stuff and a great way to practice using the bottom strings. I’ll keep working on this. Some day, I hope to be good enough to play at least something close. Thanks for the lesson.
Are there any particular amp,settings to use to get this sound?
love it !!
Awesome, one of my favorite lessons I’ve watched in your catalog. It really hit home for me I’m an old guy that plays old R&R and Country. Really turned a light on for me.
Thanks
Jim
Super! Kan je meer van deze lessen a.u.b.? Ik ben 76 jaar en het doet mij denken aan mijn tiener jaren. Ik besef dat George Harrison de mosterd bij onder andere Carl Perkins gehaald heeft bij de beginjaren van de Beatles
Great lesson, love it keep it coming.
Loved it – I fell in love with guitar listening to Duane Eddy records. I was vaguely aware of those low string boxes, but hadn’t thought about how to use them. great stuff.
Brian, How do you get the Twangy sound? Amp and amp settings. Maybe I missed that part.
Hi Brian. I have got an incredible amount out of this lesson as far as moving to different positions and playing the licks however, when I try to move it down to G and run into the open strings I’m totally lost. Can you direct me to anther lesson that might cover this?
Thanks
Cal
love this lesson , thanks for connecting the chord shapes to the scales…
I always liked this type of music but couldn’t get the feel of playing it until you explained the patterns. Very helpful.Thanks alot!
I really enjoyed this Rockabilly lesson. very well explained and it’s a catchy jam. Thank you, Brian.
You’re right Brian, it was the blasted VPN. So long as I pause while I’m trying to access your lesson all is fine. Thanks very much.
Maintenant il est grand temps de faire une leçon sur comment construire un lead, par quelles notes on passe d’un accord à l’autre.
Hi Brian. Thank you very much for your great lessons. I am Swiss, am 68 and have been following you since autumn 2024. I was a total beginner at that time.
Thanks to your excellent method, I was able to learn EP642 within 10 days. Then to make a short video for my Family and friends : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-W5-WxxVriz3HvoRnklu_VXtphmLd0wk/view?usp=sharing. I want you to know how much satisfaction we, students, get thanks to your work. Please go ahead !
My guitar is connected to my PC using a Tonex One pedal. I use Reaper with the Tonex FX plugin to practice and record my work. The speed is 90%. The clip was created with DaVinci Resolve.
Crédits : mes remerciements à Bian d’ActiveMelody.com pour ses excellents choix musicaux (EP642), à Mike Armstrong pour la scène du train, à Dimitrie Iordanesco pour son documentaire « La légende des cowboys », à RandoCheval.com pour son reportage sur un ranch dans l’Idaho et au club EdenPort à Calvi pour ses soirées « Retour au Far West ».