Table Of ContentROCKABILLY GUITAR
BY FRED SOKOLOW
GUITAR METHOD
Guitar Method
i HAL*®LEONARD
-racteoward. AOCKABILLY GUITAR
GUITAR METHOD BY FRED SOKOLOW
Supplement to Any Guitar Method
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
‘out the Au
FRELNINARES
efile eri & Whi Gite a se
Amps & Delay Pel.
Fingrpicts & lati
iat layers to Utan
ACCOMPANIMENT.
Moderate Shute
"opi te Ble
Fast Shue Beat Stu sso.
“ik Ca Bhs.
Saith ihe Stun.
“Tain kot A lin
“Amati Musi.
FisPoitin Bong ass Les.
“Boi th Bes
ney Den
“Dee othe Bop”
Dendsing Boogie Bas ie
ick This To.
tytn.
Dealt Bog Bis Lites.
"Pari Plea Go
et the By
Tho 12a ls Form
IVEY Chord Fis
Noveble Sige te tgs
“Bupha...
“Vane Doi
Noveble nule-ote Boogie ass is.
“We Pari lee w 6.
ex othe By
Fiagonicking asp
and uci Trig...
“Swiea”
Tain Kt A
ilk Cow Bl.
“Bp th Bus”
Cho Chars
ick Amd the Ck
“Daca tat Bop”
Chord Base Fils
“faze with thei?
Back his Tom.
Shun
Octave Solan
Payeholy.
Eins Casing Cord ts, ts, 8/9 Chard,
PACE TRACK
SOLON. u
Fit Poste Mir Pats Sa u
“Tm of amen to Lave
Be Bopha
The Movable as Box...
Be Bop
“Pca with te Dei?
‘hut ery Stle Double Lis
“ta Parl le 6"...
"Dane tot Bop"
"Anecan Me™
Chore-Base Slog
“ae nay
“Hane Dt
"api te Bla
Fingapcking Soo...
Sie ceeesrsssesneee
“Trin Kegt Ali
“Ti Loki te Sanat Lae
"Gon os Trg
“feck Aunt Chek
ok This To
“Tin Kept ln.
yc esa
appt th Bs”...
“ne On
“Dene tw the Ba nee
"Rook onde hk.
Be ip ela
“Back is Tow,
“Baz tthe De
WHERE TOGO FROM HERE... sseesese a)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR a
GUITAR NOTATION LEGEND. ........-cccses one
INTRODUCTION
peccomstte eon rosaiy cain h stoctechs he tetas ak chords als and stuns
‘You nea ta ply rockabilly gular. It shows you howto olay shyt (hackup) endlead forall kinds of rockabilly grooves.
Instead of learning exercises, you lear the siassi rockatilly songs and solos that made the genre come together in the firs.
place The recording that arcampanins tne hnok wil help you eat the rhythms and nuances of the racktily style.
Incase you're not clear on what rockabilly rusie is or how f started.
Inthe early 1950s, anew kind of music was evo ving inthe honky-tonks and roashouses of the South. Yeung white bands
‘wora blanding honky-tonk country music, boogie woogie, and R&B with a Kite bluegrass, western swing, dl soullwcn
(gospel mice in, Te result asa driving, ttonetic music usualy featuring an acoustic thm guitarist (uno was ofan the
Tead singe), an upright bassist, an electric cultarist sho alayed loud, crazy solos), and a crummer who pushed the 2ackbea
as hard as he could. I was a ta, srigped-dovmn-to-basics sound with no ris and a killer cance beat,
In 1954 when Sun Records bagan “eleasing singles by Elvis Prestey and histo, the genre fund its cherismatic, cone Ho
urahead. The nea sound spread like air all over the South na beyond Aft, many call it enrkahily.” hur Alan een
and the other cise jockeys who prometed the ney phenomenan knew it was really “race music" played by white kids. Many
ofthe songs mere cavers af R&B or blugs hls. and nost of ther had abeogie eat with a 12-bar bus form,
‘The cuitarst a the era—CartPerkins, Chuck Berry, Scotly Moore, James Burton, Busy lly, Edae Cochran, Paul Bulison,
Citt Galup—inverted and deinad rock rl guitar playing. Rockabl ly quar was, and stl is, a meting pot af Armican
guitar syes combines the ingerpicking acoustic styles of bluesmen ike Lightnin Hcokns, the alec, single-nte blues
solos of T-Bone Walker, the counlry-slyie fingerpicking of Merle Travis, end he electric soles of Charlie Chrstian and Bod
\Wils'westem sing quitarists. “his book sho you how these styles meld into rockabilly guitar
Inthe 198Ns, the Stray Cats spearheaded a rcckabily revival in the U.S., and many dance clubs featured ockanly rights,
vibe live bands played revrestylereok far dancers dressed in 1950s" styles. In Europe and apan,ronkatly had never
sisagpaared-—a rockabily cult has always existed tere. The 1980s craze subsided, ou in big urban centers tere ae stil
rozkabilly nds and clubs that feaurs thom, Roskabily rivets wil came cnd go, but there wil slays be an audience for
this musi, and bands wil eep playing the ole tunes and making up new anes the rockabilly styl. | hope tis beok helps
yo be a parof that soane!
Good Luck!
Fred Skew
ABOUT THE AUDIO
“The cecompany ng CD contains ausia demonstrtions af many exarples inthis book. The corresponding track number for
seach so or example i listadaelow the audia icon. All natared guitar parts are panned“ te righ sie ofthe stereo mix, so
you can isolate thom or close study or pan them out to pay along withthe kand.
Guitars: Fred Soko ow
Bass, Drums, and Sound Engineering: Michael Monayan
Recorded at Sossity Sound
PRELIMINARIES
THE ROLE OF GUITAR IN ROCKABILLY & WHICH GUITARS TO USE
Clectrie guitar wes always important in R&B bands, bt itotten took baccseat tothe piano and hors. In rocksbily, guar
has aivays been the diving fore, The thylum gular aslabished a songs rhythmic fee it as the foundation on whish
everything else was bul tas usualy acoustic inthe T9EOS" bands, but subsequent rockabilly rythm guitarists went elec-
tri, and ther medern coumerparts often play an acousnic-eecine (an acoustic gular with a bul-in pickup). Most acoustic
‘rythm cutarists favor tre stel-strng drzadncught gu tars (Ehis Presley layed a Martin Dread ough),
In most rockabily bands, th elztric gular fs the ony soloing instrument. It can be any eletric guitar. but artual vintage or
ratto-syla guitars are popular—especaly ones played bythe early raccabilly greats. Sian Satan favors th Gretsch 6120
hollonbedy because thats what Eddie Cachrar played. Others ike the Gretsch Duo Jet that Cif Gallup popularized or te
Fende* Telacaster that was James Burton's trademark. Youll ze rockabily [2ad guitarist paying 1940< and 50s hollow and
‘semi-ol owbedy Gibson gutars (ike Sco-ty Moore's Gibson CS-285} wth single-cnl P-80 pickups and a single cutaway for
not) because tats what many original rockabily cats played!
ba
arn 028 raise 3120
Tolontoos
For Teese ion 5.205
AMPS & DELAY PEDALS
Electric qutars ned amples, ard rockabilly guitarists tend to prefer tube (Ike the Tweed Fender Bassman) oversold state
amps, as tha latter werent invented when rcckabily was born. Tube amps have a warmer stund and rare natural stor
finn. Faly ander tu>e amps are popular but any vintage or modern tbe amp wl do. Many old zmps are now recreated by
comemporary manufacturers and they look and sound like the agin
Frac Hen ag oe Fevtertuaran
Scotty Moore, amas Burton, and a few ather pioneering rockabily led guitarists hed
1 taporloop device bull ito their amps. This createc a delay effet tat reseed the
tunusucl style of echo Sarr Philips produced 1 Memhis' un Studo, Today's reekstilly
uttarsts offenimitate this sound by using a ool peda, Thase pedals. or 'storp axes,
‘create single or multiple repeats ofthe notes you nly, Usually, ley lave seve Ks
that alow you to adjust t1e speed of te repected sigral (he lengtr othe dey,
volume (lative te tre not you play}, and the numberof reaeats. Fore rockabily sound,
you want 2 single regeat that comes a split second ater the note you play (known as 8
“slapback” delay), ard you want this repea:ed nate to eq alte original te In vclume,
Sess Deal Day
FINGERPICKS & FLATPICKS
Since {ngericking is an important part af rockabilly lee guitar. any players wear metal fingemicks aoe aplastic thurs
pick The chumb p cks come in various sizes, anc the rvetalingerpicks are bendable so they ca” fit ary size fingers. They are
‘worn as stow inthe phota below, and they erotuse abou an 1:8 ofan ine from you Fingertips
Fingers av Tho Pe ang
Many players, including Brin Setzer and James Burton peter cay
ng witha datoick.inteed of using their thumb for bass notes and
dex andor middle fingers on tre treble sings, the latpick acts
ike the thumb, and the midcle fingerplays the treble strings —eome ~
call this Aybrd picking. Burton wears a fingerpick on his middle =
inger in combination with te fltpick wile Setzer palms the fa
ick n order to sic to "bare trum and fingers” fingerpicking
pa
Iiera ek
GREAT PLAYERS TO LISTEN TO
any rockabily pionests have already been mentioned: Carl Perkins, Szotty Moore (on most ol the 1959s and early 16Us
his Prasiey recordings, Clift Gall (on Gene Vinzent recordings), Ede Cochran, Buddy Holly, Paul Burlison (wit the
ok and Roll Toi, and Jamas Burton far Ricky Ho'sov's early hits, as well as Elvis Presley's and Emmy Lou Harris's
1970¢ recorainas. Joe Manhis, whe also neved en sorte of Ricky Nelson's songs, was another pioneer ofthese. So was
Nashville's Gray Marin, win played an countinss enunty classes af the 19505, hu was alsa lead guitarist an any early
“ockabilly recordings. Sun Records’ compilations from the 1950s feature othe lesser-cnowi guitarists who are warthlisen=
ng to as wall
Many consider Chuck Berry a rockebily guitarist, and he was certainly a huge influence on al the rocka ly players. Link
‘Wray, Duare Excy, Luther Perkins (with Johnny Cash), and Roy Buchanan are also included in many Isls ol yrea:ruckab ly
atayets, Also, listen tothe guitarists of Dele Hawkins ily Lee ile, and Wand Jackson
The Next Generation
Bian Setzer’ readings, with and without the Stray Gat, are full af riliant guitar solos, Other -uckabily-infuenoed bands
and guitarists include John Fogerty {ith and without Creedence Clearwater Revival), ave Akin and te Blasters, Albert Lee
sith Roseanre Gash and many ter musical acs), Ray Flack wit Ricky Skaggs and othersi, Danny Gatton, Vince Gordon
‘th the Holané banc, the line) and Bie Sandy and His Fiy-Rite Boys.
Psyotobiy sa hybrid of punkand rackabily—i's nase, noisier simpler, and angrier than taditionel rockabily. Reverend
+o'ton Heat is tre most famous practioner, along with Bamboula the Raygun Cowboys, and Season of Nightmares. Some
consider the Cramps and the Meteors plonees of te genre
‘Now let's gt into the nuts and bolts of rackabi ly guitar, starting with aecomparimen:)
ACCOMPANIMENT
ackabilychytim guitarists usualy strum tll, frst-postion chords on an acoustic guitar. There a°e several possible
sth grooves.
MODERATE SHUFFLE-BEAT STRUM
Ths iste rhythmic fel of "Honey Deni,” “Bopfin’ the Elues” (the way Carl Pers’ brothe” played it on acoustic rythm
‘uiter), “Blue Suede Shoes," and “Rocs Around the Clock.” You alternate down-and upstrckes, wit eight strokes to amea-
sm of 64 time, Ifyou count, (~8," the numbers are downstrokes, and the "&s" ae upstrokes. There's an
fmphasis on beats 2 and 4 (both are downstrokes)
;
Here's the myttim guar part forte verse cf ~Boopin’ the Blues."
BOPPIN' THE BLUES—RHYTHM GUITAR
eet on ple Ya te
oor
a
envio areet HONGO
FAST SHUFFLE-BEAT STRUM
Some people call “cut time” You hear this graove in Eli's “Mystery Trin” and “Milk Gow Blues," both from the Sun
Sessions. n ordr:0 speed up te moderate shu'fl beat, rythm guitarists often leave out te first upstrcke, creating this
strunrming pattern
ae? tuys
T ret t
a
B & t
‘Une time around “Ak Cow Blues” wll give you a good sense of his mythm grcove.
MILK COW BLUES— RHYTHM GUITAR
‘a = aa
EE
Tilt) ) TT) *
SSS er
+ =
QS = SS z!
tae 00 ale aod b= a a
ape in Noman
STRAIGHT-EIGHTHS STRUM
Most early rock hts hac a shuffe beat, buttha straigt-eighths fel was also present in rack from the beginning, rotably in
songs lke Little Richards “Lull” the Rock znd Rall ro's Tian Kept Rolin,” and Chuck Berry's ‘Johnny B. Goode" and
“Wane.” Evenly, it ecame the rock beat
‘One way fos rhytim guitarist to achieve this grooves to play eght dovmstrokes toa measure, with an emphasis (ar accent}
‘on the third and seventh strokes the s2cone and fourth Deals ofthe rieasur}
Wa <i (ae
Here's what the rhythm guitar plays forthe verse of “Train Kept A-2o ln” though is barely audible inthe origina recording
TRAIN KEPT A-ROLLIN'—RHYTHM GUITAR
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