How to Play Rhythm Guitar in Western Swing

Ranger Doug is a master of Western Swing, and here he explains where he gets his rhythm guitar aesthetic from. The answer may surprise you, as he discusses the influence of Count Basie's guitarist Freddie Green! Check out his explanation, as well as his performance with The Amigos!
Learn more at the Jazz Academy: academy.jazz.org
Ranger Doug - Guitar and vocals
Justin Poindexter - Guitar and vocals
Andy Stein - Violin
Sam Reider - Accordion
Noah Garabedian - Bass
Eric Suquet - Director
Bill Thomas - Director of Photography
Aaron Chandler - Sound Engineer
Richard Emery - Assistant Producer
Seton Hawkins - Producer

[@MattRingressi]

Wonderful to see Jazz At Lincoln Center including Western Swing in its lessons, thus recognizing it as a form of jazz..long overdue! THANKS! Ranger Doug is among the best old-school acoustic archtop rhythm players around!

[@JazzAcademy]

Matteo Ringressi Thanks! More videos to come. Please be sure to share the video

[@kalashnikovii113]

Of course they would include western swing

[@IreneNordstrom-l3v]

Love you ranger Doug !!!!!!!!!!!!81 year old Kerrville fan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@billhunt4539]

Played this tune with my Dad, (guitars) around age 10 through 16 or so. I'm 68, still playing guitar, and still remember all the changes...thanks Dad.

[@DieHard10901]

Thank you for posting this great old song! Great stuff! This song was part of the evening music menu at the Bloomingburg, NY Sul-Ora roller rink back in the 1960's. And you guys are really good and having fun, too!

[@thomasmartinscott]

I worked 2 Shows with Riders In The Sky in '99 in Telluride. Some of my absolute favorite memories of my 50 year career. I still have a picture of Ranger Doug and me, that Too Slim took for me, with my camera. I'm holding Doug's 1935 Stromberg. They hung out till everyone was gone, and then we hung out a while longer in their bus. It was such a great night, none of us wanted it to end.

[@epiphonium]

Hey Ranger Doug. I met you Sunday it was awesome ! Great guy !

[@MikeS29]

Awesome! We need more music like this!

[@TonyfromBham]

Ranger Doug is the very best at what he does.

[@johnnyfrisco5354]

Love this performance... Everything brilliant... Superb, thanks

[@nickg2431]

Lovely singing and western swinging😀

[@jaswilcox123]

Oh. My. Word. Love this!!

[@samking73]

Ranger Doug is very talented. I love what his singing and yodeling adds to The Time Jumpers.

[@samking73]

Oh yeah, and I love his boots. Those are called classic western boots. I never seen my dad wear any other kind of footwear. The looks are deceiving, they are some of the most comfortable boots I own.

[@neilshropshire7209]

These guys are having fun!

[@robertadupree7656]

I absolutely loved it!

[@d60guy]

Great musicianship... Nice shirts too.

[@joseph2832]

Swing it, this was special!!!!

[@SuperPaldn]

wow, super fun song!

[@Nick_Leventis]

Dear jazz academy at Lincoln center, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I BEG OF YOU DO A VIDEO LESSON ON THIS SONG! I AM DYING TO LEARN JUSTIN's ARRANGEMENT AND CHORD CHANGES. Yours truly, Every guitarist to have watched this video, ever

[@SilverCityBoundBand]

Hey there! Ranger Doug has a great book, "Rhythm Guitar the Ranger Doug Way," that shows his chord voicings. Best of luck, and thanks for listening.

[@martinsmall3284]

Ranger Doug is the greatest!

[@josephallwood3681]

Idol of American youth!

[@calebadeleye7273]

Love it soooooo much

[@JazzAcademy]

afunfere caleb Great! Be sure to share it and spread the word

[@pjokivuo]

Fantastic!

[@rodneykitchen3869]

Great vid thanks you all ! Rod in London 2020

[@TheAltarBillies]

Very Classy and well done!!!

[@RonLWilson]

Nice!

[@marcoblender5738]

Great swing feeling here , near manouche style in some way..

[@jameswolverton7345]

Obviously there was lots of influence.

[@gaddyiii]

@@jameswolverton7345 Which direction?

[@michaelcantwell6928]

Listening to this carried me someplace. I looked up to see the sunset and reached for a drink, both imaginary.

[@Hjaltland2]

How does the guitar accompany 6/8 jig time tunes for westren swing? as opposed to the Irish guitar style

[@thijsclaassen2178]

cool

[@ronaldsimone]

I loved this guys no generation gap here brilliant arrangement. I'm going to share this on face book twitter etc. Is western Swing a genre in Jazz?

[@WilsonCastilloFreakFilms]

Really cool... :)

[@4guysandacontroller]

2:25 Swedish Girl?

[@zacharymartinwelch]

Swedish girls are the best.

[@treyjenkins6405]

Can someone recommend me more music like this? Swing style, but with only a few performers, instead of a big band?

[@jonjimusic]

Bob Wills. Classic. Hot Club of Cowtown.

[@jonjimusic]

and, for the creme, quintet of the hot club of paris. django and company.

[@iannuages]

The Rosenberg Trio

[@jonjimusic]

hot club of cowtown

[@ranchleather1408]

Ranger Doug usually plays with the Riders in the Sky, a guitar/fiddle/bass combo.

[@メみず]

めちゃくちゃいいやん

[@sweeperz27]

paul gilbert on guitar!

[@JillandKevin]

SINCE this is titled "How To Play.....", it would have been nice to have Doug turned to the camera. He's sideways to the camera, and we can't see any of his chording, although I DO play that style (mostly) in Western Swing bands.

[@henryb160]

Love those "one note chords"...lol

[@jonmathis]

The correct lyrics: After you've gone and left me crying After you've gone, there's no denying You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad You'll miss the dearest pal you've ever had There'll come a time, now don't forget it There'll come a time, when you'll regret it Some day when you'll grow lonely Your heart will break like mine and you'll want me only After you've gone, after you've gone away

[@nitemechpa6018]

This is why it's called music...

[@djautotur4875]

if they take gypsy jazz and call it western swing now i'm going to puke in this guys cowboy hat