Description
In this week’s guitar lesson, we’ll take a look at the bluesy rhythm playing of the great Tony Joe White. He’s the songwriter behind “Polk Salad Annie” and “Rainy Night in Georgia” and several other great songs. He also happens to be a fantastic guitar player and his blues rhythm style has always fascinated me. He makes it look so effortless. In this lesson I’ll break down a rhythm similar to what he does in “Polk Salad Annie”.
Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson
Part 2 - For Premium Members
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Slow Walk-Through
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Video Tablature Breakdown
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Tag!! I’m first again to comment!! Love anything/everything Brian does with rhythm guitar………….although he ‘really had me years ago at EP037 (I believe that’s the lesson number) Robben Ford Jazz/Blues Rhythm lesson!! Jim C.
Poke Salad Annie ? ! !
Polk.
I was in a bar in Kingsville, Texas about 50 years ago. The bar was separated from the “dancehall”. We could hear the band playing in there, and they sounded really good, so we decided to pay the cover and go in and see them. When we got inside there was Tony Joe all by himself.
Very impressive technique, to be sure.
WOW //// Now your cooking with gas/// I love what you have done in this lesson keep them coming Michael
Love it Brian.. great blues rhythm and some open strings… My style .. Thanks man .. I’ll get to work on it.. JB.
Hi Brian thanks for the new lesson . I love this sound its got the body and guts to my way of thinking solid sounding blues. Its another for the catch up list. How many more years before I can log in and learn them straight off!! Regards JohnStrat
Gator got your granny…I’ve probably got the 45 somewhere. Hey, I haven’t seen that strat in well over a hundred lessons, sounds great.
John
Great lesson Brian! I’m looking forward to getting started on this one. You have created some awesome lessons but this one is at the top of my list.
Thanks!
Jim
I like it too, Brian has I knack of making it look easy.. takes me about 15 mins of study then I’m onto the basics. Love it..
Tony Joe White reminded me of Elvis in a lot of ways, but better guitar playing. Great lesson.
Great stuff, Brian. The lesson, the composition and and your seemingly effortless playing – all first rate. Always liked Tony Joe White’s songs – never realised he was responsible for the great guitar work. Thanks again,
Rick
Awesome lesson. Got me thinking about playing Honkey Tonk Women in a standard tuning. with this groove. Thanks!
Fantastic Brian, absolutely love Tony Joe Whie you come up with the best sh.. these lessons are by far the best deal going I’ve learned so much can’t wait to do this TJW rhythm
Brian you played that really really cool! Simply awesome lesson! I’m backlogged with so many recent and old here at your Active Melody! Really having fun with all this material as always! thank you so much and Cheers!
really really good lesson to work on, this rhythm style is awesome……..thx Brian
Roberto
Good stuff Brian! It has a very unique feel to it but kind of reminds me of a JJ Cale style too. Nice work
Wow…love this lesson. Absolutely brilliant! Thanks Brian.
All these rhythm guitar lessons are going to make us better players . I like this one a lot. Thanks.
Too funny! My wife knew the Elvis version of Poke Salad Annie and we watched the Tony Joe White version and the Elvis one on youtube. Had fun dancing around the computer room! Thanks for turning me on to this. Your lesson really captures the essence of Tony Joe White’s style of playing. Cheers Dave
Too cool! Work on it this weekend as soon as I return from my fishing trip. Really liked this one.
Love the Rythm lessons Brian and this is no exception , sounds smooth and sophisticated ,it’s a belter.
Another for the favourite list.
Thanks Brian.
Great lesson. Thanks. I’ve forgotten to comment on the last several lessons because I’ve been so tied up learning them. They’re all great!
This is why I subscribe, Brian! You always come up with the coolest stuff from players like Tony Joe, and this makes it all a lot of fun to get down. I can improvise off this one all day! Great lesson.
G/day Brian,
Gettin down, and gettin with it. Great work.
M.J.
is it just me, or is there a glitch in the on screen tab playback?
I heard two “skips”. one at the 1:00 minute mark and the 2nd at the 3.24 mark. Seems like a bad edit, which is very unusual for Brian. Sorry Brian, not trying to be a troll, just used to your perfection!
Killer lesson to be sure. Now I have to go an try to learn Poke Salad Annie. Sure helps to have this technique to refer to….
I can’t replicate these skips? Are you talking about skips in the on-screen tab viewer?
Sorry, should have been clearer. Found them on the backing track EP212 minus guitar. Such a minor thing and so grateful for your lessons!
Really compelling rhythm and interesting lesson. Very nice to see and hear the old Strat with the Lace Sensors again.
Fun lesson. I dig it. and I was unfamiliar with Tony Joe White. nice introduction. A fun addition to this lesson I tried was throwing some of the Fogerty leads over the E section, and then some of the James Burton stuff over the A. lots of fun cross referencing the styles
Hi Brian this is just one of the reasons I have been on your site for many a year you just keep coming up with the goods and this is right up there with the best, cheers mate.
Great lesson as always,how about a real southern rock rhythm inspired lesson.Lynrnd Skynrnd,Black Crows and Blackberry Smoke style.
Another great lesson to practice practice practice!!! I got to see Tony Joe White at Bluesfest in Australia at Easter and he’s the coolest laid back guitarist just sitting on a chair and playing effortlessly. Your definitely right when you say it’s harder than it looks. Many thanks Brian.
Question about the harmonized thirds you’re doing. It looks like you’re playing in the key of E maj or maybe it’s E maj 7. And the harmonized thirds appear to be made up of B min, A maj, G# min. I can’t seem to wrap my mind around this. In E maj, isn’t the I, IV and V major? So, it’s that B min that’s confusing me. Seems like that’d be a maj and not a min. Or are those harmonized thirds more like inversions so I’m viewing it incorrectly?
I’m actually playing the Mixolydian scale instead of the major scale with those harmonized 3rds. It’s the same as the major scale except you flat the 7th degree in the major scale. It gives it a little more of a bluesy feel when you do that.
Oh, that explains it! It’s been puzzling me for quite a while until I saw this reply. Thanks Brian!
Outstanding Brian! I requested this last year and many thanks. Pops Staples would be fun too! A huge thank you!
Brian, I am starting up this lesson after playing some bluegrass with alternate picking, downstrokes on the downbeats and upstrokes on the upbeat. I am inclined to play this lesson the same way, but you are not doing so (at least for the first 3 measures) in the video. Is there any reason I should not play this song using strict alternate picking? Thanks in advance for your guidance.
Fun Jam… love the guys that can play simple and have that phrasing is so perfect… well if you want to continue on down this road .. how about a little J.J. Cale inspired?
Glad to be a fully paid up member, I’m like a child in a sweet shop I have started three of these lessons and finished none of them but I love it. I’ll get there in good time.
Cheers Brian it’s brilliant.
Great lesson but am I missing something? Tab says 85bpm but I’d count it as about 130 bpm?
The lesson is closer to 130 as you mention. The tab is showing the BPM that was used in the slow walk-through video.
Yes.A great lessons.Difficult to play with the dead notes!
Loved this lesson Brian, it’s a definite keeper, thanks
Never heard of Tony Joe White, but your lesson made me listen to more of him. Definitely going to download some of his music from Spotify. Checked some of him on Youtube and noticed he plays with his bare fingers and not a plectrum. I tried that and find it easier to play. With a plectrum I bumb into other strings and with my fingers I can play more accurate. I also like the sound more when played with your bare fingers. Anyway, great lesson again Brain!!
First lesson off you really love the way you break it down.Love Tony Joe
Revisited this lesson and discovered lots of old clips of TJW on YouTube. What a Star! RIP
Brian…What gauge pick do you use???
First rate, as usual.
You’re becoming the Mel Bay of this generation, Brian.
I just joined and this will be my first lesson. Prepare to be underwhelmed!
I know I’m a little late to the party here, but I just found this episode. I first heard of Tony Joe White when I heard Lucinda Williams’ “Protection” on the series Justified. That was like an awakening moment for me…made me want to pick up the guitar again, after many years. That song is masterful. Check it out if you haven’t heard it.
Have started listening to Tony Joe White now, great music, and great rhythm lesson, quite challenging but perfect for learning to keep rhythm.
Love the rhythm; just so intoxicating!! Great Fun and a bit of a challenge to keep the timing. Thanks Brian
I’m learning so much about the theory of music from your lessons, I enjoy your explanations and how your passion for teaching music comes out. Thank you CB