“John Henry” in Open-D, Part 1: Melody

This lesson is part of the course Blues Guitar with Orville Johnson.

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Become a complete blues player through these lessons in country blues fingerpicking, blues lead guitar, and bottleneck slide, with great technique lessons and blues songs from Robert Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, and more.

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Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor

In this lesson you’ll learn a fingerstyle arrangement of the folk-blues classic “Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor” inspired by the playing of Mississippi John Hurt. Orville plays the song through and then explains the guitar part phrase by phrase. He also explains how you can alter the lengths of some of the chords, depending on how you hear the song, something that John Hurt and other great blues singers and guitarists did all the time.

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John Henry

“John Henry” in Open-D, Part 1: Melody

“John Henry” in Open-D, Part 2: Variations

“John Henry” in Open-D, Part 1: Melody

In this lesson, you’ll learn to play the traditional favorite “John Henry” with a slide in open-D tuning. Orville shows you open-D tuning and then plays the tune through a few times instrumentally. There are no chord changes in this version of “John Henry.” It has an alternating bass on the sixth and fourth strings throughout the tune while you play the melody up high. Orville shows you a couple ways to vary the alternating bass, with strums and different bass notes, and then walks you through the melody.

"John Henry" (Available to subscribers)

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“John Henry” in Open-D, Part 2: Variations →

Previous Lesson

← Muddy Waters’ “I Feel Like Goin’ Home,” Part 2: Open-G Tuning

Next Lesson

“John Henry” in Open-D, Part 2: Variations →

Previous Lesson

← Muddy Waters’ “I Feel Like Goin’ Home,” Part 2: Open-G Tuning

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