How To Play "I Walk The Line" The Right Way - Johnny Cash Lesson

This is an excerpt from my new Udemy Course: The Sun Records Rockabilly Guitar Solos Part 1. You can get the whole course now for just 14,99 USD by following the link below:
bit.ly/sun-guitar-1
In this lesson I show you how to play I Walk The Line By Johnny Cash. You can skip to the:
Rhythm Guitar Part: 1:40
Lead Guitar Intro: 5:20
Check Out:
/ ducktailcat
www.rockabilly-guitar-lessons.de
johannes-keller.org/
This is an excerpt of an upcoming Udemy Course called "The Guitars Of Sun Records"

[@MAMRetro]

This was terrific. Randy kinda' looks like a Tennessee rockabilly musician from those days himself.

[@stevengorum5486]

As a professional guitarist 30 years playing in Pubs seven nights a week I love this German dude I immediately subscribed and gave him a thumbs up..........rock on my brother!!!!!

[@aldenunion]

Class tutorial here...

[@harpindawg7456]

5:35. "Keep your eyes open for that one." I keep my eyes wide open all the time.

[@Wyllfredd]

Dear Harpin, you're a legend.

[@xarve9486]

good 1

[@johnw4659]

What a great lesson and I love the background story on how he got that sound. Thanks again for yet another awesome video, Randy.

[@muddymike10]

Very good lesson - thank you. I always wondered about that scratchy strum sound on the recording 😊

[@davidrappaport457]

Great lesson of this Cash legendary song. By closely following your detailed video, I’m playing this song the right way. In fact, I can’t stop playing it. So enjoyable. Many thanks!!

[@madcowusa4277]

Before my time, but I love rockabilly guitar. Totally hooked. Learning all I can from people like you. Thank you.

[@lynnesmith1959]

Wow I need to learn this and play it for my dad. He really liked Johnny Cash music

[@FernandesEfrahim]

Did you play the music?

[@t4texastom587]

WoW.... simply fantastic. Howdy 👋🤠 from Tom in 🇨🇱 Texas 🇨🇱 R. I. P. JOHNNY CASH Luther 🎸 Perkins Marshall Grant

[@klaasklapsigaar1081]

This is the real deal, so smooth and effortless. Great lesson, thank you!

[@45zapatero]

Nice video ! Looking forward to the entire course!!

[@h2er80]

Awesome detailed lesson! Thanks

[@stringbender57]

Great lesson! So many players sluff through this and other Johnny Cash songs as being SO easy. However, there are so many subtle techniques that are overlooked that are necessary to capture the authentic 'Luther Perkins' guitar.

[@ducktailcat]

Thank you very much for your comment. I really appreciate it!

[@dextermorgan1757]

@@ducktailcat how do you get that tone for I Walk The Line

[@FSAUDIOGUY]

Make that choo choo train sound! I'm still playing it at 60 years old! Cheers!

[@Vic_Crowe]

Thank you. I really love all your lessons and can't wait to get started on your online course tomorrow when I get paid.

[@kenzieallan5504]

Thanks this video has helped me a lot I just started playing guitar 4 weeks ago I couldn’t play a single thing now this is all I’m playing thanks for teaching us the right way to play the Classic Song 👍🏻👌🏻

[@ducktailcat]

Wow, that's so great to hear and definintely inspiring for me. Keep it up!

[@thescarlettspeedster399]

Man I really love your content man, Im gonna start playing guitar and you have just about everything I would like to learn on your channel.

[@bernardkenny2639]

Excellent explanations for your lessons 👍

[@simonoxley3711]

Excellent video. Thank you.

[@scottrobertson9788]

Sounds so awesome! Great work!

[@InsideTheStadium]

Your a Legend, I'm a begginer and always loved this riff, and now I'm playing it. Your a Rockstar, thanks for helping make a part of my dreams come true. 🍻

[@ducktailcat]

Wow, that's so great to hear! thanks a lot for your feedback

[@c5back9]

Classic sound. Thanks!

[@johnduckworth474]

This is a good lesson. Thank you.

[@petbytes7167]

I worked at Folsom Prison for 25 years and often hummed that song while I walked 'the line' though the buildings.

[@flashpointgodlevelbatman0688]

That’s awesome

[@mondocain]

Thank you so much for this lesson. I grew up on Johnny Cash. This is the most precise lesson, I’ve come across. Thank you.

[@mossygiant]

Incredible

[@lukasdefranco3452]

Love this video and it’s been very helpful to me. I’m brand new to playing guitar and started learning this song while in rehab. Im making learning guitar part of my recovery so I really appreciate your videos and this will be the first song I master. Already making a lot of progress thanks to you breaking it down like you have.

[@ducktailcat]

Thank you so much for your feedback! This is so great to hear and very inspiring. Keep picking!

[@markagreen2393]

It's all there....great presentation,tone and techniques with a little history.

[@Baci302]

Excellent lesson

[@tamarac7587]

Thank you sir. Blessings 🙏

[@jeffharrison1277]

Man,there ain't nothing better than good ole southern style nanner puddin!!!

[@charlesschmitz8498]

Great lesson

[@kingsofrocknroll]

Excellent!!

[@janseendiguiseppiThomasMC]

love your attention for detail OF KEEPING ROCKABILLY ALIVE!!! Subscribed!!!

[@ducktailcat]

Thanks a lot! I will put out as many lessons as possible

[@ducktailcat]

@Ben Miller Wow! That's pretty amazing. I'd love to see those pictures

[@maxhorrorhouse]

Awesome lesson!

[@MrDoneboy]

Thanks for mentioning Gladewater, Texas. I only have to travel there from Houston, but I truly enjoy your guitar mastery!

[@Alex16993]

Yeah, Johnny Cash is always appreciated! :)

[@tbobmann229]

Excellent!

[@JohnSmith-oj6ir]

gut gemacht, herr richter. i played hillbilly and rockabilly music in Germany when I was a soldier in the early 70's. i love what you do. i understand that the humming johnny did everytime he changed keys was to help him find the note. sam phillips was supposed to turn the volume down for the humming and turn it up when he sang.

[@ulrich7390]

Sehr anschaulich gemacht. Sehr sympathisch!

[@nakedcityfilms]

excellent !

[@RackwitzG]

I've seen Cash play with a playing card woven into the strings as well.

[@heartbeatsongs4749]

Excellent explanation. Very much appreciated

[@r22jeff]

What a great video!

[@madbarr]

I live just north of Gladewater, TX. I didn't know about the museum. I will be visiting it now. I love the video. great job

[@hankbob9347]

I live in gladewater too

[@JimBeane]

One of the first songs I ever learned starting in about 1957

[@snitra.]

cool , thanks for sharing

[@tolvajakos]

such a catchy tune.

[@Walks-With-Pride]

Very cool 🎸😎

[@Geno5]

Awesome

[@imannonymous7707]

I heard he ran wax paper thru the strings and scratched the rythym.....but i love this ...long live sun records ....lightning in a bottle....great job It really dont matter what paper he used its the same result after all

[@derrincalk9579]

Finally a professional

[@fenderbender8534]

Who would've guessed the way that sound was obtained was with a dollar bill? Fascinating.

[@Splatterfest95]

thank you, i couldnt find a video showing for way to long

[@lylewilliams1371]

Thank you!

[@n.rcashofficial]

This is pretty much how we play it but we play in E and raise the tempo slightly and as for the acoustic guitar, I just capo the second fret, and play up the neck, but I don't put the paper in.

[@The-Hectic]

brilliant

[@johnnyhawkins43]

You ought to be a GUITAR LEGEND!!!!!!!!

[@truthiz7873]

His set at the Holiday Inn on Thursday's during happy hour is good if you take advantage of the half price shots...

[@alexanderhammer688]

Sehr gut!

[@elfhermie]

Randy, could you add "Papa Gene's Blues" by The Monkees to your request list for me? It's got some fantastic lead guitar by James Burton on it. I think you'll really like that song if you've never heard it or haven't listened to it in a while. Mike Nesmith wrote and produced it. He also shouts, "Yee haw! Oh, pick it, Luther" during the solo as a nod to Luther Perkins. Super twangy fun song! Thanks, Randy!

[@ronclifford3336]

Johnny uses three sets of chords in his version. He does the first verse in E chord group (E-A-B)(or F the way you have your capo), then he will walk up into the A chord group (A-D-E) for the second verse, then he will walk up to the D chord group (D-G-A) and do the third verse, then he will walk back down to the A chord group to do the next verse, then will walk back down to the E (F) chord group to finish it. He changes the pitch (different key) on each verse. Thats why he does that little hum between the verses. He has used just a piece of notebook paper on his Acoustic to get the snare drum effect. If you'll get the Johnny Cash Live from Montreaux DVD, you'll see what I mean on the notebook paper. Hes got Bob Wooten with him in that concert. Hes super good but I learned Luther's style and kinda like it.

[@wbsmallville]

5.8 thousand likes and no dislikes says a lot. Thanks for the lesson.

[@TheCALFORD]

You nailed that and I know exactly what you mean about Luther and subtlties ;)

[@attiylanen]

I wish I had youtube in the year 1982 or something. I would have been a king!

[@kimberlyblood46]

I love your little country accent and the lesson was good too!🎸

[@doriscampbell9775]

Never heard a country accent from Germany.????

[@keithcarpentersr.4353]

Yah?

[@kimberlyblood46]

Oh my goodness people I live in the U.S. we joke around alot. It was a joke. If you ever lived in Texas you'd have gotten it. Have a great day!

[@JimVincitore]

Great video! Very cool! Thank you!

[@melysjoyscaptain3320]

Thank you very mach from Italy!!!!!

[@ducktailcat]

You're very welcome!

[@glassslide]

Awesome lesson---btw, LOVE the Udemy Courses they are really fantastic!!

[@ducktailcat]

Thank you very much for your kind words

[@c.hundley9714]

That secret sound ! Now we know. Rock on!.

[@danielbrowning6647]

Your a good teacher... stop talking and teach!!!

[@danielbrowning6647]

Have the video is you talking not teaching

[@Mandrake591]

Excellent lesson! Great tip to strum the chords between the lead lines, it really fills out the sound that way, and sounds accurate to the recording. I read in a guitar magazine once (sorry, I don’t recall which one) that Johnny used aluminum foil to mute the strings, but the dollar bill method sounds every bit, if not more, plausible. When I first learned the leads to this song (I was about 15) I didn’t realize Luther used a capo, so I played it without. I could have saved myself a lot of trouble had I known better! I love this video lesson, not only for your style of teaching, but also the segment at the start. I look forward to more lessons by you!

[@ducktailcat]

Hi David, thank you very much for your kind words. I guess there are quite a few stories in circulation. He probably used whatever was available on the spot.

[@jaybarber68]

Johnny wrote in his autobiography that he used a dollar bill. I play like Luther too. I don’t use a capo, not sure if Luther used a cape or not, I’ll watch him again on uTube.

[@ducktailcat]

@@jaybarber68 Luther didn't use capos back then. I just did it here, so it's easier to follow for everybody

[@jaybarber68]

@@ducktailcat I looked at some old footage on uTube that proves you are correct! Maybe he was not a “guitar god”, but I couldn’t imagine why an electric guitar player would use a cape. By the way, did Luther start the Telecaster thing for country music? I don’t know of anyone else who used one in country back then.

[@slicksnewonenow]

@@jaybarber68 Johnny actually couldn't "sell" a song in the key of "E", so he had the band tune everything up to "F". It just fit his voice better.

[@imannonymous7707]

The part i have trouble with is the d to g back to a riff tho

[@jamesmcsparron]

But this chord progression changes with every verse. Three times or four maybe?

[@davidrussell8918]

According to Marty Stuart, Luther rolled back his tone knob also to take off some of the twang.

[@jrcarchive1932]

If you play the ‘64 version, the walk down from the D to A, instead of 4, 2, 0, you play 3, 2, 0.

[@jeffrobodeenyehcmon5925]

Fulsome prison blues is my request. I'd love to learn to play it perfectly

[@ducktailcat]

Hi Jeffrey, Folsom Prison Blues is part of my Johnny Cash Special: shop.randyrich.de/en/home/87-johnny-cash-special.html

[@jeffrobodeenyehcmon5925]

@@ducktailcat thank you man I love your channel and your style of teaching!

[@CKC411]

Anyone playing through a VOX VTX Valvetronix? Do you have a way to get a nice Cash/Perkins-style sound out of it?

[@ducktailcat]

Just play it clean at low volume, the rest is in the playing. Luther had the tone knob on the guitar way back also, but just on Walk The Line

[@LonskiBig]

...laser- accurate......but the question is..."How did Luther conceive of that sequence......practice it....perfect it....and get up to speed not having any template to direct him"...???...The dude was just a car mechanic.............That could be the most recognized C/W riff in all the world....

[@kare2much]

One thing i notice everyone gets wrong that was gotten wrong in this video is that when Luther runs down from D to A, instead of playing 4 then 2 on the A string, he plays 3 then 2. It makes a subtle difference and is evident on the original sun recording, the 1964 columbia recording, and all live version with Luther. No one ever catches that, not even Bob Wootton.

[@ducktailcat]

Hi John, I was just listening to it again after your comment. Which run do you mean? Is it in the verse?

[@timothysaxby2417]

Enjoying your lessons. Just watched Luther playing this and he doesn't do a "down and up" strum with his fingers----just an up-stroke.

[@timothysaxby2417]

Sorry-----I mean down stroke!

[@vandykemindreader]

An Esquire in the mud position and flatwounds tuned to F. I'm thinking Luther may have been using a Silvertone amp on this recording.

[@imannonymous7707]

He plays a jazzmaster in vids ive seen but they werent produced at the time this was recorded and sun records musicians all seemed to use one particular amp that had that slapback repeat....scotty moore luther even ike turner when he recorded there I think phillips owned the amp......wish i could remember when i saw that....it was on you tube somewhere lol

[@caseycollis]

Ray Butts' echo-sonic amp

[@jonkern9503]

Silvertone 1300 and a very early Fender Esquire. There were no electronic tuners in 1956, so the band tuned up by ear. They always seemed to overshoot it and were tuned a step high. The Sun version of "Folsom Prison Blues" is tuned right between F and F#. It drove me nuts as I kind when my playing sounded out of tune to the record until I figured it out.

[@rockabillycat1954]

@@imannonymous7707 a few of the sun guys had Echo-Sonics, which were all hand built by one guy in Illinois. A local picker in Ray Butts' hometown had the first one, Chet Atkins had the 2nd and used it on Mr Sandman (a 1954 Grand Ole Opry TV performance is here on KZbin). And Scotty Moore, had (I believe) the 3rd one and used it first on the last Elvis SUN session (Mystery Train, Tryin' To Get To You)... others like Luther Perkins and Roy Orbison had them too.

[@groovydjs]

@@jonkern9503 Actually, Conn came out with the first version of the Strobo-o-tuner in 1936, so very accurate tuners were available.

[@partssman1]

Johnny Cash said himself that he used a playing card for the snare sound

[@bearthalamas9241]

A bunch of broken crayons in the soundhole works too. I've heard of fiddle players throwing rattlesnake Rattlers in their fiddles to get a sweeter tone.

[@Paranormal_Gaming_]

@@bearthalamas9241 Bet you did

[@youcancallmeZimmy]

it just makes it like a washboard that's all

[@DeadKoby]

Another story was wax paper. Let's just go with some sort of paper.

[@ben4735]

@@bearthalamas9241 I have three sets of rattlers in my guitar.

[@brananherndon6947]

Memphis!!!!!

[@georgeborrego7483]

I like that. What other courses do you have on u demy?

[@enriqueosorio3731]

He has mainly 50's rockabilly courses, I recommend them, he's a great teacher and teaches to play them just like in the 50's

[@AdrianJayeOnline]

doesn't work unless you have the right hair, I know I've been trying and learning to play RB guitar only when I slicked it back did I manage it !

[@davyhendrix]

I have a video where he put a piece of paper between the strings

[@CustomReverb]

Damn nice. Damn nice. Damn.

[@crispychip360]

Thank you for the lesson. I have a quick question where did you buy that shirt

[@ducktailcat]

Honestly, I don't know. I have it for at least 20 years. I used to buy clothes from vintage dealers and stores when it was still pretty cheap.

[@crispychip360]

Randy Richter ok thanks for letting me know

[@elijahmonn3757]

Hi, is the acoustic guitar you are using a Sigma or Martin. The headstock is defiantly one of these :) Cheers, Brent

[@ducktailcat]

It's a Recording King, I really love it

[@annajames724]

Could you please do the Johnny Cash's Bonanza, cheers

[@ducktailcat]

Hi Jay, Thank you for your interest. I have to disappoint you though. I'm trying to concentrate on the 1950s stuff even though I show songs from the early 1960s too. But Bonanza has never been one of my favourites, Sorry about that

[@annajames724]

@@ducktailcat No problem, thanks

[@patriot4786]

This is how it looks like if there was KZbin in the 1950s

[@TermiteUSA]

Disrespectfully Disagree John could get by. Don't downplay him.

[@patriot4786]

@@TermiteUSA no intention whatsoever to degrade the content

[@matthewferguson7084]

The right way is the Johnny Cash way

[@Baroque-Handel]

When’s the Udemy course coming? Will it cover Amp settings to get the best twang?

[@ducktailcat]

The course will probably be out at the end of next week, still working on it.

[@ducktailcat]

Did you check out this video? kzbin.info/www/bejne/emLLipWaaMqVhrM For the best twang I recommend a solidbody guitar and picking the strings very close to the bridge. The amp settings are not so important, you just shouldn't turn down the treble too much.

[@Baroque-Handel]

Much appreciated Randy. I will buy your course when released. Looking forward to it. Great work and playing.

[@hankbob9347]

Hey I live in gladewater

[@davidwamson4739]

I would visit anyone for homemade banana bread pudding. Nice video keep up. Have you done solo for Don William's Amanda? I wish you could.

[@woodythompson4321]

Great lesson. Good practice though-to distinguish between chords and shapes. The D shape capoed a half step up is not the D chord.

[@lamper2]

Probably meant the D SHAPE

[@myyootube2]

Would Johnny call it a D# chord? let the non capo'd instruments worry about adjusting accordingly I say

[@annajames724]

Hey Randy, sorry to ask again, how about Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash! - JayWalker

[@ducktailcat]

HI Jay, I'll do a Johnny Cash Special in May or June featuring three songs including Folsom Prison Blues. I just have too much work, so I can't do a lesson every week, but I'll get to it asap

[@annajames724]

@@ducktailcat Cool, thanks

[@michael_david_music]

I have a question: Did Luther pick the quick down /up strums that occur after the bass notes or did he use his right-hand middle and ring finger like you? Or does it matter? I ask because other tutorials use the pick for both the bass notes and the strums whereas some like you use the pick only for the bass notes. I watched a live version from the 1950s and it looks like he's doing what you're doing.

[@ducktailcat]

Hi Micheal, Watching the old videos, it seems to me that Luther uses his pick. I tried that, but it sounds way too harsh when I do it. So I use my fingers

[@michael_david_music]

@@ducktailcat thanks for the reply. Do you think that I should practice it that way even on an acoustic guitar? I’m kind of at a crossroads as it’s easier for me to use my fingers like how you teach it but it seems more rhythmical/even to pick everything.

[@stephenrlong]

Isn't what you're doing after about 11:15 just basically the Carter Scratch with a flat pick?

[@ducktailcat]

Yes, that's it. You're right