Long Story, Played with Billy and Dusty in a Club in Houston. I was BIG in Radio and opened for Jay Leno, when he came to Houston, and knock on the Door, Billy and Dusty wanted to meet Jay, first time I met them......8 months latter I was in a Club because a great blues band came in from Chicago (ha jesus done left Chicago), and someone recognized me and wanted me to sing, so I did and they liked it and I DID NOT WANT to but did another Otis Redding-Dock of the Bay, when in the middle of the song, Billy and Dusty walked in and watched me (crazy) (they live in Sugar Land Tx. - down the road) So billy comes up to me after I left stage and said, "hey Larry, nice vocals" - I said, "you remember me? man you must meet 1000 people a week". He said he knew me, really because the of morning show. - anyway we had a few drinks then the Chicago Band asked ZZ to come play, and Billy said, Come on Larry lets jam. GREAT memory, very nice guys and AWESOME ROCK!
Wow! Great story! Yeahbive heard over and over again how great of a guy BFG is. He lives at least part time here in Nashville now and is great friends with Guthrie Trapp, one of the incredible guitar players here and he always says what a great human being Billy is. Haven't had the opportunity to meet him yet, but hope to somehow.
I have a similar story except with mine none of that cool shit happened and none of those cool people were there and I wasn’t at a cool place. It was just me at home and nobody else was there and nothing cool was happening. But i mean it was alot like your story kind of….a little bit.
I love that freaking Album, it's hard to argue whether it's the best and what not, but ita just sooo iconic and it gets me going everytime, I can listen to it over and over again, that's truly remarkable, simple but genius, Billy gibbons is a freaking bad ass to this day!!! Such a character, funny and cold to the bone
Like all things Billy, he makes it sound simple. He’s always economical - the tune gets no more than it needs but there’s actually always a lot more going on. Genius. Nice lesson thanks. I like the way you just show us what to do without too many baby steps.
Ah, you cracked the code! Finally a UA-camr that got the tuning right (A to G). Tons of lessons on UA-cam for this tune but not one of them teaches it the way it should be done. Took me a long time to figure it out myself. Nicely done and thanks!!!
I resisted alternate tunings for a long time, but finally Drop D songs won me over. (Embryonic Journey; World Turning; Midnight Rider, etc.) I've been playing this ZZ song with the alternate tuning for some time. It's a similar tuning as the Pink Floyd song, "Fearless" from the album "Meddle" except Gilmour may have also retuned both E strings, perhaps GGDGBD, but I leave it in Billy's tuning, and fret the other strings. It's also a convenient tuning to play "Everyday People" by Sly and the Family Stone.
Top shelf 12 Ft, saw ZZ Top in the 80's. Colin James opened up for them at Maple Leaf Gardens Toronto When Colin was on as the opening act, they pranked him and tossed a lot of rubber fish on stage. Great stuff ♪♫♪♫♪ On another note they had the moving side walks on stage. Moving across the stage with them on them. That was Billy Gibbons earlier band
Awesome! Two others that would be great to show are “Brown Sugar” from their first album and also “My Head’s in Mississippi”. I’d love some help with those. You have a great teaching style!!
I went to the crossroads festival in Chicago and not only was ZZ Top one of the loudest best sounding bands of the day, when they played the first chord of this song the crowd reaction gave me goosebumps. It was amazing. Thanks for the great lesson!
It's amazing how far ZZ Top has come back live. They hadn't toured in 10 years till they opened for Lynard Skynard. They were very Rusty. Saw them a few years later and they were headlining and kicking ass. They've never looked back. Awsome shows.
Hell yes!!! One of my favorite songs, looking forward to sitting down tonight and trying to learn it! (please keep the early ZZ Top content coming, there are very few good lessons for their first couple albums)
Awesome detail on that lick at 10:00, thanks for the thorough analysis. And yeah, that de-tuned A string is key, I think. I've never snapped to it. Going to get back to this one to practice this weekend.
Most people cannot fathom the economy of lowering the A to a G and how he plays so efficiently . One of the songs I ever had the most pleasure and fun was dissecting “Manic Mechanic” and his right hand pick efficiency really shows through… this is that kind of fun….
I’m inspired again, been on a 4 month self-imposed sabbatical after playing in two bands and writing and recording with a singer, but I think this got my juices flowing! ✌️😎🎸🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶
This is fantastic. Great tip on the detuned 5th string! I’ve never read that anywhere before. To my ear one of the rhythm parts is a strat, probably in position 2, direct into the desk with some comp and wobble added.
Billy does a double pleck on the walk down. Everything else was spot on. I never nailed this song until I learned the retune on the fifth, makes it so much easier. Good lesson!
One of my favorite zz tunes. More proof that the Tele is one of the most underrated guitars out there... in the 80's I never saw them in the guitar stores....
Great lesson! Thanks. I believe the riff (at 14:12) that Billy uses a lot is done with the pick on the 5 and the fingernail on the flat 7… repeat, repeat, repeat.
Hi Doug. Love ZZ Top and I appreciate your lesson here. I'm going to go to Patreon and join your page as I see many great songs/lessons that I'd love to learn with your help. See you there!
love the Vox, fender marshall in the backround,,,, need a Peavey Hybrid and a Dean Markley CD series in there too.. Your are a great teacher with a great attitude. TNX
Gibbons may play in open G tuning on the record, but he uses standard tuning in concert. Man, that tone on the record is clean, clean, clean. The G is sparkling...
I did onbthe frontvend of this but got copyright dinged, but I have a short playing thru the solo here ua-cam.com/users/shortsqYTKJHV4-ao?feature=share
Billy plays it a little different here in standard tuning, he starts with a variation like power chords, then the C with the pinky stretch, he slides the ending of the turn around, and back to the main riff with open G and C. Starts 7:14 ua-cam.com/video/JNJ8xB0CTJg/v-deo.htmlsi=3USIUL5X29LDl9RZ
The first mod on all my telecasters is putting in a no load tone pot so when on 10… the tone cap is shunted and you get straight loud bridge pickup… Broadcaster style without the three way switch having to be wired that way…
I play the double stop at the beginning of the solo with eleventh fret of the B string and tenth fret of the E string. That's the way I hear it anyway.
9:11 Had trouble figuring out your finger placement for this double stop. I think it’s: b string 11th fret and g string 8th fret(bend)?? I probably wouldn’t have figured out the detuned A string down to G. It makes the turn around much easier. Great lesson. Thanx
You are right, I meant to put a chart up at that part, doh! Yes 1st string on 8, 2nd string on 11. I think of it as 2 notes from a C7 chord played over the G.
Doug, the dropped tuning on the 5th string pushed me over the edge of joining your Patreon. That was the detail I needed and was missing in my previous attempts to nail the rhythm section of Jesus Just Left Chicago. Billy Gibbons' parts sound so deceptively simple! Anyway, thanks for that.
This is interesting - I actually Prefer this Sound over The Les Paul, which often gets Very MUDDY, Particularly, LIVE. I saw them TWICE and was really Disappointed - He really should have had a 2nd Guitarist, because it was just all this Marshall-MID-MUD, and then the Bass, and perhaps they were having an Off-night, but Both times.?? Tres Hombres is definitely my Favorite of Theirs, and they're Talented, I just Feel an additional Back-up Guitarist was Warranted. Thank You very much, though. ZZ TOP are an Awesome Band.
I really love what you do here,but as you mention the G tuning is hopelessly impractical playing it on stage with waiting for the bus...try this..on the Elmore turn..low E slide 3 to 6 open G string heavy low E3..high ,E 3 D-3 ,D-2,D1 low G slide open G string Etc... also try A chord A2slide to A4 G2..C Bar chord on 3...G slide open G......he definitely is playing a A muted G cowboy chords adding the Keith Richards C then slides this configuration too 8th fret C to F inversion with a slash C root...But it I hear the open G tuning like you hear it...but you can hear the slide G in last verse plain as day as well
So,like you authenticity is king. Variant #2. Obviously he is hitting the Bb then Low G note..it has never occurred to me the possibility of sliding on to a note off the guitar nut...And it works beautifully in this case( tough on index finger skin) but very fast open A slide up to 1 fret Bb then heavy G note on E string Elmore run...this is the most common run through out the song but he certainly didn't let that stop his improvising..it is highly effective and practical... Happy New year..keep on keeping on what your sharp ear can't get enough of
Lesson suggestions: Black Magic Woman by Fleetwood/Mac with Peter Green ( he actually wrote the song, not Santana.) Revolution by the Beatles, but present it in A, not the recorded pitch, they played it in A, they did something post production to change the pitch I think. Also you have the a perfect guitar collection, it's what I would have...I would add a real Gretsch if I could afford one! Cheers, Dale
up front, i'm no guitarist but we're doing even this first lick totally different. i have deleted the low e for this. first stroke everything open then d and g at the fifth, sounds bad as hell. i can't get a good sound your way, but then i can't play worth shit. and a is tuned to g. i don't have a good guitar hand and low e is always in my way so i prefer to do the 5 string richards thing, it just works for me. i love open g and this tune is a good compromise. i just cannot find where to go next and i can't catch it by watching somebody. HELP!
Excellent tone; you can't beat the telecaster sound for this tune. Thanks so much for the lesson; well done.
Agree. I have a LP and a Tele and this one is tele all the way.
Long Story, Played with Billy and Dusty in a Club in Houston. I was BIG in Radio and opened for Jay Leno, when he came to Houston, and knock on the Door, Billy and Dusty wanted to meet Jay, first time I met them......8 months latter I was in a Club because a great blues band came in from Chicago (ha jesus done left Chicago), and someone recognized me and wanted me to sing, so I did and they liked it and I DID NOT WANT to but did another Otis Redding-Dock of the Bay, when in the middle of the song, Billy and Dusty walked in and watched me (crazy) (they live in Sugar Land Tx. - down the road) So billy comes up to me after I left stage and said, "hey Larry, nice vocals" - I said, "you remember me? man you must meet 1000 people a week". He said he knew me, really because the of morning show. - anyway we had a few drinks then the Chicago Band asked ZZ to come play, and Billy said, Come on Larry lets jam. GREAT memory, very nice guys and AWESOME ROCK!
Wow! Great story! Yeahbive heard over and over again how great of a guy BFG is. He lives at least part time here in Nashville now and is great friends with Guthrie Trapp, one of the incredible guitar players here and he always says what a great human being Billy is. Haven't had the opportunity to meet him yet, but hope to somehow.
Great story
My uncle used to live in Sugar Land. Canaveral Creek Ln.
Tell me I DIDNT miss an opportunity to run into him!!!😢
Cool story bro
I have a similar story except with mine none of that cool shit happened and none of those cool people were there and I wasn’t at a cool place. It was just me at home and nobody else was there and nothing cool was happening. But i mean it was alot like your story kind of….a little bit.
Thanks Man! I feel like I grew 3 sizes in my guitar playing after spending some time playing along with you.
Dropping the A string to G is fantastic. Very simple, and it instantly sounds right. Thanks so much. You've got 'big ears"
cooll.... big ears is hard to find on youtoob
i guess i meant are
Tres Hombres. The greatest guitar tone in the history of rock and roll.
A true classic
Man . I’m in heaven right now. So wonderful to find you ❤.
I love that freaking Album, it's hard to argue whether it's the best and what not, but ita just sooo iconic and it gets me going everytime, I can listen to it over and over again, that's truly remarkable, simple but genius, Billy gibbons is a freaking bad ass to this day!!! Such a character, funny and cold to the bone
Hard to disagree
Super good lesson Guitar Dude, Thank YOU ! Best tuning ever
Tuning down the A string in G is THE big spot !!!!! Thx from France. It's awesome ;)
Thank you for this. It was so hard in standard tuning. I appreciate your time.
Nailed it !!!! You are the first person I have ever heard that flat nailed the sound !!!! Incredible!!!!!
Really great explanation. So appreciate it.
Like all things Billy, he makes it sound simple. He’s always economical - the tune gets no more than it needs but there’s actually always a lot more going on. Genius. Nice lesson thanks. I like the way you just show us what to do without too many baby steps.
Thanks! One of my all time favorites from them. Once the A string gets dropped, the magic happens. Excellent lesson.
How COOL is this???? Early ZZ!! Can't wait to check out...early material is excellent. 🎶🎵🎶🎵🎼🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
Rio Grande Mud is the one for me
The first 3 albums are amazing
Ah, you cracked the code! Finally a UA-camr that got the tuning right (A to G). Tons of lessons on UA-cam for this tune but not one of them teaches it the way it should be done. Took me a long time to figure it out myself. Nicely done and thanks!!!
I resisted alternate tunings for a long time, but finally Drop D songs won me over. (Embryonic Journey; World Turning; Midnight Rider, etc.)
I've been playing this ZZ song with the alternate tuning for some time.
It's a similar tuning as the Pink Floyd song, "Fearless" from the album "Meddle"
except Gilmour may have also retuned both E strings, perhaps GGDGBD, but I leave it in Billy's tuning, and fret the other strings.
It's also a convenient tuning to play "Everyday People" by Sly and the Family Stone.
Robert Baker did a video dropping the A down a year or so ago and my mind was blown. It’s so much easier and sounds so much better
Thank you for this video. I had most of it down, but couldn’t figure out that crazy. chord that he announces the solo with. Awesome blues tune.
Top shelf 12 Ft, saw ZZ Top in the 80's. Colin James opened up for them at Maple Leaf Gardens Toronto When Colin was on as the opening act, they pranked him and tossed a lot of rubber fish on stage. Great stuff ♪♫♪♫♪ On another note they had the moving side walks on stage. Moving across the stage with them on them. That was Billy Gibbons earlier band
Awesome! Two others that would be great to show are “Brown Sugar” from their first album and also “My Head’s in Mississippi”. I’d love some help with those. You have a great teaching style!!
Thank you very much!
I went to the crossroads festival in Chicago and not only was ZZ Top one of the loudest best sounding bands of the day, when they played the first chord of this song the crowd reaction gave me goosebumps. It was amazing. Thanks for the great lesson!
It's amazing how far ZZ Top has come back live. They hadn't toured in 10 years till they opened for Lynard Skynard. They were very Rusty. Saw them a few years later and they were headlining and kicking ass. They've never looked back. Awsome shows.
THIS IS SUPER AWESOME. I just caught ZZ TOP in Calgary early this month, 3rd time. I just love them.
no you dint, Dusty is passed away.
Hell yes!!! One of my favorite songs, looking forward to sitting down tonight and trying to learn it! (please keep the early ZZ Top content coming, there are very few good lessons for their first couple albums)
Billy is a master at economy of movement. One of my favorite players
Thanks! I’ve been looking for this specific pattern of instruction. I’m going straight to Patreon . You have a new student .❤
Thank you! And welcome!
Billy is such an enigma..We really have no idea what his setup was on any of the records..its a shame..Thanks for the video.
Great lesson on a classic song. Thanks 🙏
Thanks!
Thank you!
Ohhhh yeah. Some bluesy deliciousness from The Rev. Watching now...
Awesome detail on that lick at 10:00, thanks for the thorough analysis. And yeah, that de-tuned A string is key, I think. I've never snapped to it. Going to get back to this one to practice this weekend.
I knew it was trick tuned! Great lesson!
Most people cannot fathom the economy of lowering the A to a G and how he plays so efficiently . One of the songs I ever had the most pleasure and fun was dissecting “Manic Mechanic” and his right hand pick efficiency really shows through… this is that kind of fun….
That track will teach you a new way to play rhythm.
Always loved this song. Great lesson!
Damn dude that sounds pretty freaking amazing! Nice job
Thanks for the extra content on Patreon as well.
Never be afraid to mess with your tuning, even on my Floyd Rose it’s worth the endeavour. 👍🏻
Great idea 💡
I don’t have a Tele, another “must have”
I’m inspired again, been on a 4 month self-imposed sabbatical after playing in two bands and writing and recording with a singer, but I think this got my juices flowing!
✌️😎🎸🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶
This is fantastic. Great tip on the detuned 5th string! I’ve never read that anywhere before. To my ear one of the rhythm parts is a strat, probably in position 2, direct into the desk with some comp and wobble added.
Billy does a double pleck on the walk down. Everything else was spot on. I never nailed this song until I learned the retune on the fifth, makes it so much easier. Good lesson!
You the expert now? Where’s your video?
@@alaskaaksala123 keyboard warrior. Do some research to educate yourself and you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
@@alaskaaksala123 loser troll🤡
One of my favorite zz tunes. More proof that the Tele is one of the most underrated guitars out there... in the 80's I never saw them in the guitar stores....
Great lesson! Thanks. I believe the riff (at 14:12) that Billy uses a lot is done with the pick on the 5 and the fingernail on the flat 7… repeat, repeat, repeat.
It reminds me so much of AC/DC Ride ON
As always, an excellent break down!! Thanks 👍🦃
Dude!! I dig your channel! Please keep going!
Great lesson! Thank you!!!
Hey man, I can always count on you to get it right! Thanks for the help. Honestly, I do appreciate your efforts.
Thanks for watching!
Really great lesson
Gerat lesson. Thank you very much!
You are the man, love it all!!!🎸
Hi Doug. Love ZZ Top and I appreciate your lesson here. I'm going to go to Patreon and join your page as I see many great songs/lessons that I'd love to learn with your help. See you there!
Great Song and Tutor!! ( I Wish I had Billy's chops!!)
Very Good Work ...! 🤙
Definitely deserves a like ...! 😉👍👌
Very Well Done !👊
Thanks for another great lesson. Being Canadian I would like to see a lesson on one of our best guitar players cool tune, Go For Soda.
The one & only Kim Mitchell.
Saw Max Webster in 79 & reunion tour in around 1990. Then solo with Wilcox at the Jube more then a few times
How many last concert I seen was universal juveniles
It's a miracle that he made it out alive...
Well done. Much appreciated
Amazing
Great lesson love it!
Awesome! Great tone
love the Vox, fender marshall in the backround,,,, need a Peavey Hybrid and a Dean Markley CD series in there too.. Your are a great teacher with a great attitude. TNX
Classic! Thanks brother.
Stellar! Learned some key information. New sub.
Great lesson. Thanks!
Such a cool song, nice job!
Beautiful. 💙🐾
Creat lesson again ,the reverend Billy G is the goat…if ever you get around to it a lesson on blue jeans blues would be nice 🤘🏻
The Rev rules !
Exactly like Billy Gibbons - ✨🎸✨🇺🇸
Gibbons may play in open G tuning on the record, but he uses standard tuning in concert. Man, that tone on the record is clean, clean, clean. The G is sparkling...
Interesting, never heard that stuff about the down tuned A. I have to give it a try.
Nice stuff, thanks man
Thank You for this. You should do another where you play the song through.
I did onbthe frontvend of this but got copyright dinged, but I have a short playing thru the solo here ua-cam.com/users/shortsqYTKJHV4-ao?feature=share
Yea This is pretty cool Thank you so much
What a fantastic video have a good weekend also do you have regrets looking back in life ❤😊
I guess we all have a few but none that I dwell on or that haunt me
Billy plays it a little different here in standard tuning, he starts with a variation like power chords, then the C with the pinky stretch, he slides the ending of the turn around, and back to the main riff with open G and C.
Starts 7:14
ua-cam.com/video/JNJ8xB0CTJg/v-deo.htmlsi=3USIUL5X29LDl9RZ
Thank You !!
It’s cool. 👍
Thanks great 🎸👌
could you do breakaway ! please !
I'm trying to learn ,
Have you heard.
Any tips on that ?
Thanks for posting this vid !
Yep good one , yeah for sure
The first mod on all my telecasters is putting in a no load tone pot so when on 10… the tone cap is shunted and you get straight loud bridge pickup… Broadcaster style without the three way switch having to be wired that way…
Can you expound on this a bit please?
What does that mean??
Thanks
nice tones pleasant no minor chords?
I play the double stop at the beginning of the solo with eleventh fret of the B string and tenth fret of the E string. That's the way I hear it anyway.
have you done a video on Mountain - Roll Over Beethoven?
Is there any way you could cover any Lonnie Mack (e.g, Riding The Blinds/Farther On Up the Road)? You hardly see ANY of his material on this site.
i love to detune but i only got one guitar so it varies by my mood i will check it out when i practice
Cover that transition move at the end of waiting on the bus to JJLChicago.
Dam bro nice nice nice great playing awesome tone great lesson
9:11 Had trouble figuring out your finger placement for this double stop. I think it’s: b string 11th fret and g string 8th fret(bend)??
I probably wouldn’t have figured out the detuned A string down to G. It makes the turn around much easier. Great lesson. Thanx
You are right, I meant to put a chart up at that part, doh! Yes 1st string on 8, 2nd string on 11. I think of it as 2 notes from a C7 chord played over the G.
@@12footchain C7 dominant not major 7th since the 7th-B is flattened. Makes sense. Big up, mon!!
Doug, the dropped tuning on the 5th string pushed me over the edge of joining your Patreon. That was the detail I needed and was missing in my previous attempts to nail the rhythm section of Jesus Just Left Chicago. Billy Gibbons' parts sound so deceptively simple! Anyway, thanks for that.
Awesome!
ZZ is always a quartet on record!
How about a lesson of “With a little help from my friends” by Joe Cocker?
ooh - good one.
This is interesting - I actually Prefer this Sound over The Les Paul, which often gets Very MUDDY, Particularly, LIVE. I saw them TWICE and was really Disappointed - He really should have had a 2nd Guitarist, because it was just all this Marshall-MID-MUD, and then the Bass, and perhaps they were having an Off-night, but Both times.??
Tres Hombres is definitely my Favorite of Theirs, and they're Talented, I just Feel an additional Back-up Guitarist was Warranted. Thank You very much, though. ZZ TOP are an Awesome Band.
At 9:45 Jimi taught me that lick !"
hey....just what the doctor ordered tonight....cheers.....
I really love what you do here,but as you mention the G tuning is hopelessly impractical playing it on stage with waiting for the bus...try this..on the Elmore turn..low E slide 3 to 6 open G string heavy low E3..high ,E 3 D-3 ,D-2,D1 low G slide open G string Etc... also try A chord A2slide to A4 G2..C Bar chord on 3...G slide open G......he definitely is playing a A muted G cowboy chords adding the Keith Richards C then slides this configuration too 8th fret C to F inversion with a slash C root...But it I hear the open G tuning like you hear it...but you can hear the slide G in last verse plain as day as well
So,like you authenticity is king. Variant #2. Obviously he is hitting the Bb then Low G note..it has never occurred to me the possibility of sliding on to a note off the guitar nut...And it works beautifully in this case( tough on index finger skin) but very fast open A slide up to 1 fret Bb then heavy G note on E string Elmore run...this is the most common run through out the song but he certainly didn't let that stop his improvising..it is highly effective and practical... Happy New year..keep on keeping on what your sharp ear can't get enough of
G,C.....C,F.....G,C......A,C,G,C...Four chords?
Really like the way you teach man I really can't stand that let me slow it down for you BS
Does he actually play the song in this video or is there a second part
Lesson suggestions: Black Magic Woman by Fleetwood/Mac with Peter Green ( he actually wrote the song, not Santana.) Revolution by the Beatles, but present it in A, not the recorded pitch, they played it in A, they did something post production to change the pitch I think. Also you have the a perfect guitar collection, it's what I would have...I would add a real Gretsch if I could afford one! Cheers, Dale
I've always thought the rhythm guitar on this song and AC/DC's song "Ride On" sound the same.
Me too
up front, i'm no guitarist but we're doing even this first lick totally different. i have deleted the low e for this. first stroke everything open then d and g at the fifth, sounds bad as hell. i can't get a good sound your way, but then i can't play worth shit. and a is tuned to g. i don't have a good guitar hand and low e is always in my way so i prefer to do the 5 string richards thing, it just works for me. i love open g and this tune is a good compromise. i just cannot find where to go next and i can't catch it by watching somebody. HELP!
i’m gonna ride on … ride on …
❤