Country Guitar Lesson: Luther Perkins Right Hand Exercise

[@bigpapi2658]

I use this exercise as an attitude adjustment for my new guitar students. First thing I do is have them play. They usually play flashy stuff they’ve been working on. Then I’ll tell them do this exercise. They usually roll their eyes. I tell them to play four bars of E, 4 bars of A, do it for one minute. All the cocky shredders suddenly come down to earth 😂. They get frustrated that it’s so simple yet so hard to do properly.

[@TurboGibby-bh8bu]

That guitar is so beautiful.

[@dmargo1045]

I was lucky enough to hear Guthrie with the Don Kelley band in Nashville years ago. I had never heard of him, but he blew me away - the finest country picker that I've ever seen live. And he's just as amazing playing in other styles.

[@kadeberrier3799]

When he would go to a A chord, he would still play on the first 3 strings. This is still a better lesson then most I've seen

[@JamesCorbettMusic5000]

Yeah more like 2 3 1 3 but either works

[@alancassett137]

one of my new favorite players- just awesome

[@blu_is_a_name866]

A few tips for this style: Play the root note for each chord. For example, for and E chord start on the E string and play the alternating bass line like in the video. Instead of playing the A like Guthrie did in the video (moving down a string), keep playing the top 3. Luther only moved down when he played a D chord. Like Guthrie mentioned, reverb is key. Cash’s band was a big part of pioneering the rockabilly sound, along with Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis. Just a little spring reverb will make the sound pop. Flatwound strings work very well with this style. Luther actually started out as a jazz musician before he joined Cash, and a lot of jazz musicians use flatwound strings.

[@RM-eo3uu]

I don't know where you're getting your information from but Luther was never a jazz guitarist. Johnny Cash's brother Roy introduced Johnny to Luther and Marshall they were both mechanics. The three of them sat down together to try and figure out who was going to play what because they were all playing acoustic guitars the first few times together. Luther said he could get a hold of an electric guitar, and Marshall got a hold of an upright Bass and Johnny Played rhythm guitar. Luther created the sound due to the fact that he did not play the guitar very well . The sound that Luther created was by accident . That's how Johnny Cash and The Tennessee Two was born.

[@Datanditto]

You forgot the slap-back delay set to about ‘Elvis-Presley-50 miliseconds’😉

[@jaygatsby1]

Was that bassist Dave Roe?

[@petercousins1645]

Is a Gibson style guitar ok for this (Firefly 338) or would Strat be better ?

[@JordanHigginsGuitar]

Telecaster would probably be best. But your Firefly will work just fine, Guthrie plays country on a 335 sometimes so I’d say it’s doable!

[@alftupper9359]

Love the colour of that guitar. Is it stock?

[@marcoabreo6506]

Tips Fedora

[@sbteam1332]

I love Johnny and Luther, I just started playing a few weeks ago. What exactly were you doing with your fret finger? I couldn't see it.

[@guitarcat58]

Why do these youtube guys always play “boom-click-boom” instead of “boom-chikka-boom” when they are claiming to teach you? There is a missing upstroke in there and it’s the hardest part to learn!!

[@slicksnewonenow]

Nope... The 'chikka' part was actually the pick drag on the acoustic guitar, and that was helped by the "click" coming off of the slapped upright bass ... The BOOM part was the electric...

[@johncooper9912]

@@slicksnewonenow So I’ve been playing it right when I thought I was wrong 😁 Thanks!

[@Datanditto]

Most painful video ever

[@MrAppalachia]

Boom chicka boom

[@bradh6185]

Luther played the boogie woogie in the strangest kind of way.

[@aleksanderreljanovic]

brad h now didnt luther play the boogie strange?

[@fergusblackhall6541]

@@aleksanderreljanovic it’s a song Jonny cash wrote about luthers style is called Luther played the boogie

[@aleksanderreljanovic]

@@fergusblackhall6541 if you hear the song those are the last lyrics in the song

[@fergusblackhall6541]

@@aleksanderreljanovic oh right I see you mean sorry I actually thought you where asking the question, my bad

[@aleksanderreljanovic]

@@fergusblackhall6541 :)

[@adambennett805]

Which amp are you using?

[@roberthdahlquist]

PIGNOSE!

[@guitarman1477]

Your obviously not listening, he said its a fender twin

[@JOETHESHAKER]

I PLAY WITH THE BASS PLY I N MT JOETHESHAKER-RBLEGEND

[@thisisme.4555]

need way less talking and way more playng!

[@TeddyxxMexx]

you talk too much