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Western Swing Guitar

with Matt Munisteri

 
 

About This Course

 
Learn to play the classic western swing rhythm style pioneered by Eldon Shamblin, as well as “twin guitar” solos from Bob Wills’s guitarists and the soloing styles of greats like Junior Barnard, Jimmy Wyble, and others.
 
 
Try a Sample Lesson
 

Matt shows you a more advanced version of Eldon Shamblin–style backup in this video.

 
 
 

Meet the Instructor

Matt Munisteri
 
Matt Munisteri
 
Matt Munisteri is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter based in New York City. A freewheeling and virtuosic guitarist on both acoustic and electric guitar—in music both modern and old-fashioned—he credits the early jazz plectrists of the 1920s and ’30s with providing the foundation for his technique and musical direction. As one of a relatively small number of authoritative acoustic jazz guitarists playing swing and early jazz, Matt has recorded extensively and is a first-call guitarist when a “period” sound is sought for CDs, film scores, and commercials. He has performed on A Prairie Home Companion, Jazz Night in America: Jazz at Lincoln Center, E-Town, Mountain Stage, and Michael Feinstein’s Song Travels.
 
 
 

Peghead Play-Along Tracks

 
Peghead Nation is creating a library of accompaniment videos (and downloadable MP3s) for songs and tunes that are taught on the site, classics that you'll find at many jams and picking parties. As a subscriber, you have access to this library and can use the tracks to practice playing tunes and songs at a slow or medium tempo with guitar accompaniment. New songs will be added regularly.
 
 
Western Swing Guitar Source Material

Check out these songs featured in the Western Swing Guitar course.


The Western Swing Guitar Subscription Includes:
  • Extensive lessons on western swing rhythm guitar, with transcriptions of Eldon Shamblin’s groundbreaking chordal work
  • Transcriptions of twin guitar solos from songs like “Roly Poly,” “Bob Wills Special,” and “I Hear You Talking”
  • Western swing classics from Bob Wills, Leon McAuliffe, and more
  • Eldon Shamblin arrangements of classic songs like “Faded Love,” “Panhandle Rag,” “Right or Wrong,” and more
  • New lessons added every month
  • High-quality video with multiple camera angles so you can see close-ups of both hands in action
  • Detailed notation for each lesson
  • Play-Along Track videos and audio downloads so you can play along with Matt
 
 
$20/Month For One Course
 
Additional courses only $10/month each!   •   Save 20% with an annual subscription
 
 
Get started now!
Use promo code MattLand at checkout
and get your first month free or $20 off an annual subscription.
 
Western Swing Guitar Course Outline
 
What Is Western Swing?
 

Matt talks about the origins and main practitioners of western swing and western swing guitar.

 
Put a Little Western in Your Swing
 

Matt shows you some characteristic western swing harmonic sounds using the western swing classic “Stay All Night.” He shows you classic major sixth voicings and how these voicings can be turned into dominant seventh (or dominant ninth) chord voicings by moving them down a whole step. Then he shows you how to use these voicings to give a two-chord song like “Stay All Night” a western swing flavor. He also shows you a couple of classic western swing intros and endings.

 
Eldon Shamblin–Style Fiddle Tune Backup
 

Western swing–style fiddle tune backup was mostly invented by Bob Wills guitarist Eldon Shamblin in the 1930s. In this lesson, Matt shows you a basic and advanced example of the style using the Texas fiddle tune classic “Sally Goodin.”

 
Sally Goodin
 

Matt shows you a jazzy version of the melody of the fiddle tune “Sally Goodin” in this video. He plays “Sally Goodin” in a closed position (without open strings) up the neck at the fourth through seventh frets and adds a couple of lines that mirror the chords that Eldon Shamblin plays in his backup.

 
The Blues and Western Swing
 

The blues is a very important part of western swing. For example, “Milk Cow Blues” is one of the classic western swing songs. In this lesson, Matt shows you the kinds of chords and bass runs that Eldon Shamblin would play on a 12-bar blues progression like “Milk Cow Blues” in the key of A.

 
Bob Wills Special
 

A lot of the early Bob Wills recordings include twin guitar lines and twin fiddle lines. “Bob Wills Special” is a blues in A that Wills recorded in 1940. In this lesson, you’ll learn a chorus of the twin fiddle solo as well as a chorus of Leon McAuliffe and Eldon Shamblin’s twin guitar (steel and standard guitar) solo.

 
Eldon Shamblin’s Runs: “Take Me Back to Tulsa”
 

Eldon Shamblin credits the song “Take Me Back to Tulsa” and Bob Wills’s 1940 recording as being the origin of his extensive use of runs. In this lesson, Matt shows you a variety of the kinds of runs that Eldon played on “Take Me Back to Tulsa.”

 
I Hear You Talking
 

“I Hear You Talking” is a Cindy Walker song that Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys recorded as an instrumental on The Tiffany Transcriptions, which are recordings taken from a series of live radio shows that the Wills band played in 1946 and 1947. They are undoubtedly the loosest and hottest recordings of a super hot band. The Tiffany Transcriptions recording of “I Hear You Talking” features a twin guitar line played by Junior Barnard and steel guitarist Noel Boggs. You’ll learn the chords to the song as well as the twin guitar line.

 
Right or Wrong
 

“Right or Wrong” is a western swing classic. It was originally written in 1921 and then later picked up by Bob Wills, who recorded it in 1936. It was also recorded by Milton Brown in the same year. In this lesson, you’ll learn to play “Right Or Wrong” with both the western swing–style chords that Eldon Shamblin uses and the kind of “sock” chords that Homer Haynes (of Homer and Jethro) played.

 
“Right or Wrong” Chord Melody
 

Eldon Shamblin didn’t play a lot of solos on record, and it’s rare to hear him play chord melody solos, but he plays a great chord melody version of “Right or Wrong” in a YouTube clip. You’ll learn Matt’s chord melody version, inspired by Eldon’s, in this lesson.

 
Panhandle Rag
 

“Panhandle Rag” is one of western swing’s most well-known instrumentals. It was written by Bob Will’s steel guitar player Leon McAuliffe in the late 1940s. Matt shows you Eldon Shamblin’s chordal accompaniment of “Panhandle Rag” as well as an arrangement of the melody with some double-stop ideas borrowed from steel guitar playing.

 
The Waltz You Saved for Me
 

“The Waltz You Saved for Me” is a beautiful waltz that was written in 1930. It was recorded by Bob Wills in 1938 and became popular with other western swing bands and country artists. In this lesson, Matt shows you how to turn a twin guitar part into a triple guitar part, a technique perfected by guitarist Whit Smith.

 
Faded Love
 

“Faded Love” is probably Bob Wills’s most famous song. The melody is a version of the 19th-century ballad “Darling Nelly Gray” with lyrics written by Johnnie Lee Wills, and it was recorded by Bob Wills in 1950. But it wasn’t until Patsy Cline recorded it in 1963 that it became a big hit. In this lesson, you’ll learn Eldon Shamblin’s reharmonization of “Faded Love,” which is a great lesson in how to reharmonize a folk song.

 
Roly Poly
 

Bob Wills recorded the humorous song “Roly Poly” (written by Fred Rose) in 1941. The recording features a twin-guitar intro played by Jimmy Wyble and Cameron Hill. Matt shows you how to play both parts of the intro (as played on the original recording) as well as Jimmy Wyble’s guitar solo.

 
Twin Guitar Special
 

“Twin Guitar Special” was recorded by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys in 1941, and is the culmination of Eldon Shamblin and Leon McAuliffe’s twin guitar work with the band. In this lesson, you’ll learn the intro, an interpretation of Leon McAuliffe’s steel guitar melody, and both parts of the twin guitar solo from that recording.

 
Blues for Dixie
 

“Blues for Dixie” is a Cindy Walker song that Bob Wills recorded in 1948. You’ll learn the melody, chords, and a version of the melody in three-party harmony that the Bob Wills band played on the recording.

 
Big Beaver
 

“Big Beaver” is an instrumental that the Bob Wills band recorded in 1940. They also recorded “Big Beaver” for the Tiffany Transcriptions in the mid ‘40s. That version replaced the horn parts with guitar (Eldon Shamblin), mandolin (Tiny Moore), and steel guitar (Herb Remington). You’ll learn the three-part harmony from the Tiffany Transcriptions in this lesson.

 
Chicken in the Rough
 

In this lesson, you’ll learn jazz and swing guitarist George Barnes' version of the traditional fiddle tune “Chicken Reel,” which he recorded on the 1950s album Country Jazz and called “Chicken in the Rough.”

 
Home in San Antone
 

“Home in San Antone” Is one of the giant western swing tunes. It was written by Fred Rose and recorded by Bob Wills in 1942. In this lesson, Matt shows you how to play the melody of “Home in San Antone” in thirds. You’ll also learn a more modern bridge harmony used by Leon Rausch, Asleep at the Wheel, and others.

 
Arky Travels Again
 

“Arky Travels Again” is guitarist George Barnes’ version of the traditional fiddle tune “Arkansas Traveler.” Barnes recorded it in the key of A, but Matt shows it to you in the key of Bb, because it makes a good medley with “Chicken in the Rough,” which you learned earlier in the key of F.

 
“Bring It on Down to My House” Junior Barnard Solo
 

In this lesson, Matt talks about some of guitarist Junior Barnard’s soloing techniques, using the Bob Wills band 1946 version of the song “Bring It on Down to My House” on the Tiffany Transcriptions. He starts by singing the song and showing you the chord changes (in the key of D), and then he walks you through Junior’s solo on “Bring It On Down to My House,” analyzing Junior’s lines against the chords as he goes.

 
Twinkle Little Star - New Lesson
 

There are numerous versions of the fiddle tune “Twinkle Little Star” (also called “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” although there is, of course, another tune with that name). Matt’s version comes from the great western swing fiddler Johnny Gimble. It’s in the key of G, but Matt plays it all in closed position. You’ll learn the melody as well as the way it’s accompanied on Johnny Gimble’s recording.

 
New Lessons Added Every Month!
 
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    ● Courses
    ● Live Workshops
    ● Instructors
    ● Sample Lessons
    ● Notation Guide
    ● For Beginners
 
 
    ● Vintage Vault
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    ● Fine Lutherie
 
 
    ● Workshops
    ● Advice
    ● Repertoire
 
 
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    ● Breaking News
 
 
    ● In The Studio
    ● Live Onstage
    ● Backroom
 
 
    ● New Products
    ● Inside Look
    ● Performances
    ● Partner Pages
 
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© Copyright 2024 PegheadNation.com