Description
This is a Zydeco style rhythm guitar composition (with a lead part as well). I’ve got this lesson split into 3 different parts. The first part shows you how to play on the off-beat (between the beats). The second part utilizes a double stop (playing 2 strings at one) and allows you to play different chord voicings. The third part is a fun lead that is primarily played on the high E string. Lots of takeaways in this lesson!
Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson
Part 2 - For Premium Members
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Slow Walk-through Video
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Video Tablature Breakdown
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You are always surprising me with your lessons! This is very cool stuff. I first discovered this music watching a HBO series a few years back called Treme’. The show was about post Katrina New Orleans but the music just grabs you!
Mike
Now that is a surprising lesson…..didn’t even know that was called Zydeco……..very interesting style…nice departure.
Thanks Brian…..
Love Buckwheat, Been waiting all day for the new lesson. Way to go! It’s a great lesson!
Brian,
Tthis is a cool lesson. I have not heard of the style name but I have heard and liked the music.. It will certainly be a very good discipline to get under the belt however crudely imitated!
Thanks John Strat
Crawdads and corn on the cob! wow,, going to check this out!
Thanks Brian what a bewty. This must be be related to rockabilly.
Cheers Jon
Another lesson to expand our musical knowledge. Thanks Brian.
Cool lesson Brian, different for sure. Is there a style of music you can’t play?
Rob
Nice lesson Brian……Hope you and yours and friends are safe down there….
Brian Fantastic !More to this Lesson than meets the Eye!!Your Creativity
In Teaching this style of Music ,Again is Outstanding .
Barry
Not enough 000000s in COOL !!! This looks like a lot of fun and thanks.
Rip
Bozeman, MT
To add to my initial comment, there is little in the way of guitar music that I do not like and enjoy. I certainly enjoy both Cajun and Zydeco music ; in particular I like the sounds of Sonny Landreth. He plays an awesome slide guitar version of Zydeco Shuffle on KVRS Public Media (You Tube). So, thanks Brian for the variety and the challenges that musical variety presents to any musician. Since you live just outside of Nashville, I would expect to see the occasional country style of music and I am still having fun with EP173 as well as all your other lessons these past couple of years. Keep up the variety; my two cents worth…….
Hey Brian
I know it’s good to expand your playing styles, but I didn’t care for this lesson at all. I have found that whenever my wife fixes something new it’s best to give an honest report on it, because if you don’t, you are probably going to end up eating it again. Just my 2 cents worth.
I do appreciate the feedback – both good and bad. Helps me refine these lessons and provide what people want. So thanks for your honest opinion 🙂
on the other hand, the Carlos Santana lesson was great and I am still messing about with it. It’s not that the lesson was bad (zydeco) just don’t care for that style of music.
Well, hey, I liked it. Cheered up a freezing cold winter’s afternoon in the UK no end.
Quite a fun thing to try is tune to Open E and get a slide (fingers work too)and play the lead parts adding the 9th & 7th Frets with that on/off technique. Kinda fun.
Zydeco is not one of my favourite musical genres either, but I think one of the valuable features of these lessons is their variety, and it would be a pity if Brian felt inhibited from exploring new areas from time to time. Less advanced players in particular will benefit from addressing the musical issues raised here.
I agree. The great thing abut Brian’s lessons is that whether you like the tune or the style or not, there’s always a little nugget of something you can use elsewhere,
Brian thank you for the lesson. I appreciate you showing us how to play different types of music. Zydeco is a style of music I enjoy. It is the first time I have played it. Fun Stuff! Love the challenge of new types of music.
Yeah, Brian, great stuff. Keep up the variety. If someone finds it’s not their cup of tea , you’ve provided many lessons they can go back to.
Wow, I am speechless…..almost! I love the challenge of this lesson. I love the sound of it. It takes me want to go straight out and buy some crawdads and steam them up in beer. I would never have even thought of trying something like this, but I guar – on – tee I will get straight into it. I really love these off the wall lessons that take me to uncharted territory. Not that I’ll go out and join a zydeco band, but to understand the genre will make be a better musician.
Hey, this is challenging and a very good exercise.
And by the way, this is pure folk music in its best sense.
I will definitely try this during the holiday season to come.
Any and all lessons are good….always a challenge yet fun…it’s all brain exercises!
What I enjoy about lessons like this is that the tempo, the changes and the melodic style can find their way into your own musical expression. I’m not a huge fan of country music (sorry Nashville) but elements of the music is slowly finding it’s way into my playing. Same with Zydeco. I’d suggest that people dig into it a little.
I’m getting the itch to visit New Orleans.
Interesting exercise in a unique style of music. I did not see this one coming… Had the squeeze box (synth?) for the backing track! Perhaps a bit like Bluegrass style music that might not be palatable to some (me either) but definitely a learning experience; translatable to my/your style. I worked Keith Richards int the last country song and the three chord “walkup” to change keys sounds exactly like Jimi Hendrix when played by itself. Its all good!
Bonne homme Brian: Oh that Zydeco lesson was too much fun; now I am waiting for the Reggae rhythm lesson.
Hi Brian.
Just like most everybody else, I loved this lesson and am determined to give it a try. Just two questions. Was that your foot tapping like a metronome throughout? And, what are are Crawdads that you are all eating?
David ( in the UK )
I was fortunate to see Sunny Landreth on two occasions, once at the Duluth Bayfront Blues Fest and at a blues fest at Iron World Center on the Minnesota Iron Range near Chisholm. Sonny Landreth is on of my favorate guitarists. Zydeco is catchy music! I enjoyed this lesson and will undoubtedly fully enjoy playing it. And lastly, Brian has a very good learning site and I truly appreciate it . . . .
Hi Brian. great lesson. not my style of music but sure made me thing about my timing and counting when i play. do you think it would be possible to do a lesson were we use the lydian mode ? thanks
G/day Brian,
Just think it’s great to get a bit of all genres. Enlightening and informative . Thanks so much for the eclecticism. Wow! Love that word.
All the best for now.
M.J.
Too damm hard to log in as premium member !
Joseph, I’m not sure what you mean by this? You just go to the LOG IN link at the top and enter your email and password. You may have a browser cache issue if something isn’t working, so try clearing your browser cache. If that doesn’t work, send me a support email via the contact form and I”ll get you sorted.
I don’t know if this would be helpful to anyone but i recorded a 12 bar blues at about 68 beats per minute to a metranome, which is just a 1,4,5. and then I play diffrent licks over it from the 5 patterns that brian tought us. and also try to come up with my own.
Hi Brian,
Would it possible to mention the key of the piece as part of the title of every lesson, that would make it very convenient to browse/search for a certain key, especially since your lesson have a lot of cool audio tracks
Not every ones style of music but i learned to like it and had great fun playing it while learning little things, This site has opened my eyes to a lot of styles i would have normally brushed aside basically music just has to sound good and fun to play that is the rule . Nice and easy play and to remember aswell i shall file this to my grooves folder lol !
As an elderly beginner (been at it 50+ years but am stuck in the skiffle era) I found this refreshingly accessible. After about a week of fairly hard work I can nearly do about half of it ! Would welcome more like it. Thanks for giving me hope Brian !
Brian
I love this lesson. It gonna be a great challenge for me. Thanks Brian
Jeff