Chordplay - The Chords Of Great White

Here's the next episode of Chordplay with The Chords Of Great White. I've had numerous requests to feature some Mark Kendall and the music of Great White, and now I've finally created it - so let's dive in!
Great White exploded on the scene in the mid/late 1980s with their album 'Once Bitten' in 1987. The album had two minor hits - 'Rock Me' and 'Save Your Love.' The band followed that album with 'Twice Shy' in 1989 and it literally exploded on the scene, thanks in part to the cover of Ian Hunter's classic 'Once Bitten, Twice Shy', which was played constantly on MTV and the radio at the time.
Around the same time, Great White also helped usher in acoustic rock and "unplugged" music on MTV, when they were one of the early performers on the channel's famed 'Unplugged' program, and totally rocked a cover of the Led Zeppelin classic 'Babe I'm Gonna Leave You'. An edited rebroadcast of that live performance aired on MTV daily for over a year.
The riffs and chord-based ideas shared in this lesson come from Great White's heyday, with hard-rockin' tracks like 'On The Edge,' 'Desert Moon,' and 'Mista Bone,' along with some of their bluesier numbers, such as 'House Of Broken Love,' 'Rock Me,' and 'Mistreater.' I also made sure to include a section from my favorite Great White song - the standout chords from the emotive ballad 'Save Your Love.'
There's plenty of great chord-based ideas floating around in this lesson, so give this episode a view, leave some comments/feedback, and please subscribe to Late Night Lessons - THANK YOU!

[@raymondreid4987]

Mark Kendall is a great guitarist who doesn't get the credit he deserves. His blues playing is incredible.

[@thecraikybunch6789]

Great White is an essential piece of the 80's! Great job... Blue Murder next! John Sykes is killer!

[@r1ckgr1m3s8]

House of Broken Love is just a fantastic example of the genius of Mark Kendall. Great guitar player!

[@tomasschuman6576]

Damn you weren't kidding about their cover of "Babe im Gonna Leave You". That's one of the best Zep covers I've ever heard

[@matthweneldon8694]

The whole "Great Zeppelin " album is awesome!

[@Shamilt3]

I saw them live in 1990, and they were great 👍

[@scottpeters4401]

Mark Kendall’s playing and his tone are great…..I saw them in 84 opening for Judas Priest….I had never heard of them before that…I don’t think anyone else had either….They were amazing…that show had such an impact on me….Great lesson…do another one…More Great White!!

[@mattmacarthur520]

Mark Kendall is so so criminally underrated man ! He’s gritty with melody for days such a tasteful player that solo and outro solo on rock me are top notch !

[@picksail1]

Just shared this with my bud Tony, who wrote “Mista Bone”!

[@StealthParrot]

That's so cool. Hope he likes it :-)

[@picksail1]

@@StealthParrot He did! I sent him the link and was planning to share it!

[@roymenke1909]

Mark Kendall is a badass. His solos and choice of notes are very unique and interesting. House of Broken Love is one of my all time faves. Thanks for doing this.

[@jimmyz2098]

Agreed, Roy! Mark Kendall is a killer guitar player, for sure. No one else really sounded like Great White, back in the day. And to me, that was all Mark Kendall. He came up with some killer riffage, and it was so bluesy. But electric bluesy, if you know what I mean? I mean.... he had that Southern rock sound.... but they were an L-A based band. It was like.... L-A Southern rock. So cool. To this day, no one has quite ever sounded like Great White. Love their sound.

[@mattmacarthur520]

House of broken love is an absolute masterpiece! Some of the tastiest and most expressive playing ever put to record in my opinion!

[@jimmyr204]

MK is so underrated! Big Great White fan from way back. Great video!

[@r1ckgr1m3s8]

Mark Kendall is a fantastic guitar player he is up there in my hero list

[@jeffersononetwo]

Great job on these Great White riffs! Can never get enough of their playing blues style!

[@ericdavis73]

Clearly remember whoever was in the dorm room below me banging on the ceiling as they tired of me trying to play the solos in House of Broken love incessantly in the wee hours of the morning in college. Yeah. Mark Kendall and I go back a ways... Thanks for this lesson!

[@GeoffSweet]

My man Mark Kendall!!! Not to be forgotten is Audie Desbrow!!!

[@brianphelps1183]

Awesome song, Mista Bone is it. I saw them open for Whitesnake

[@TwistedSMF]

First time I heard "Rock Me". I was hooked(heh) on them ever since. "Save Your Love" is a beautiful song for sure. For those who may not know, Check out "Jack Russell's Great White" Great band also!

[@natas7379]

I loved the album Once Bitten, Lady Red Light and All Over Now were awesome. You need to do a GW2 chordplay already. This series you do is the best on KZbin.

[@davetaperek2206]

Sad that "Face the Day" cover was missed on this, it got heavy rotation here on Detroit radio as their first hit ... killer chord structer. My buddy's band opened for them @ Harpo's, and after the soundcheck, Mark sat on the edge of the stage and taught me how to play it. He also said "that'll be $500". Mr. Cool, much overlooked legend of 80's/90's music

[@gianpaolousai1768]

I have always loved this band, they completely rock!

[@Callmenobody174]

Such an underrated, overlooked band, man. It's a shame, too. Those 3 albums were fucking killer.

[@jimmyz2098]

Killer vid. A great series - one of the best on the Tube for sure. And Great White is such a great Band. Mark Kendall has that blend of blues, and Southern Rock.... all while still being one of those great 80's L-A based Bands. How he got all that squeezed in there was, and is amazing. Killer band. killer songs, and riffage. I still dig it - to this day. Great stuff. Thanks for this!

[@mattmacarthur520]

We desperately need a Mark Kendall 3 for all and a great white chord play part 2!! Awesome guitarist and an awesome band !

[@wanderingweederspapa7878]

House of broken love give it a listen

[@RackhirTheRed]

I played cover versions of Great White songs for years in various bands. Definitely gig worthy.

[@bretth5070]

The first Great White I ever heard around 1984 and a song called "Stick It" from their debut album. If you haven't heard this one you should check it out.

[@samright4661]

Great White my favorite 80s band.. Mark Kendall is very underrated guitar player. He uses the Wah pedal perfectly on Mistreater ..

[@tat2dlukydevl]

Always enjoyed this band.. Mark Kendall is an underated guitarist.. Zep wannabe? I don't think so.. That would make everyone a wannabe. As usual, you did a fantastic effort sharing this lesson.. Thanks

[@markeffend165]

I told mark kendall he played babe I’m gonna leave you better than page and he was flattered and told me that jimmy is why he stepped up his game on guitar 🎸 and feels page had superior tone this is a podcast he did

[@stratman9449]

i think it's amazing how you break down so many different styles of rock and blues genres...and you nail them all very good...and fast....repect...:-)

[@daveg5857]

Awesome! I was into this band in the eighties. They deserves serious respect for the songwriting, musicianship, all on point.

[@kellybeane7546]

I'm going to listen to it again 👃 and I'll be back. Great lesson and awesome band.

[@belotface]

This band sounded so great LIVE! Great Job!

[@bghammock]

I saw that Great White / Tesla show with Kix opening up. It was Kix final night on the tour and they just had a crazy good time. Tesla and Great White both rocked that night. One of those nights where you were happy to be fans of both the opener and headliner.

[@davetaperek2206]

Learning a few GW tunes "greatly" improved my guitar playing and songwriting...Mark is phenomenal!!

[@Viewdelity]

Hey David, Great lesson. I was fortunate enough to see Badlands, Great White, and Tesla October 27, 1989 in Rochester, NY and all bands were phenomenal. Just before Great White played The Angel Song, Jack Russell dedicated it to a local and very young drummer who tragically lost his life in a car accident earlier that year. That night was a guitar feast!

[@dixee6498]

Great lesson David! Great White has been a favorite of mine since the 80's. Thank you for sharing sir!

[@paulm6341]

Fantastic video and lessons thank you. Great White somewhat overlooked. Brilliant band their mix of blues and hard rock is killer and the guitar playing top notch. 🔥🎸🙏

[@barryhaynes103]

I saw that tour with Great White and Tesla … and then I saw Great White years later in a club in OKC … man those were good times 😎 … thanks for the lesson and the memories !!! 🤘🏻

[@Jhossack11]

Great one Dave!

[@ObltKG4]

Big thank you for taking the time to put this one together

[@sixstringer3783]

Hey David this was a good one many memories of the 80,s thanx man 🤘

[@StealthParrot]

Thank you. I always crank up the volume when a Great White song plays on the radio. Love em'.

[@zeus-bx9xw]

Thanks Dave, i watch everything you do. Lucky we have youtube in New Zealand.

[@mikeivey8471]

Thank you for this video !! Great White was one of my favorite bands from the Eighties !! I always loved Mark's tasty licks !!

[@Robgk55]

I have been watching your videos for a while now and you sir are a great player and teacher and very knowledgeable of your craft.. thanks

[@kane6529]

Damn I literally have never heard of them and love the licks you were playing! Granted I was born in 88 so that’s prob why. Love the bluesy vibe

[@bytwyzz]

PRIMO ... SAVE YOUR LOVE , deserves a video .. cheeers

[@Dos_Perros]

Awesome🎉🎉🎉🎉 Big GW fan😊

[@c.JamesFrogsworth]

Hey Brewster D., how about chords of Fastway? Really solid guitar work! Keep up the great work mate! Peace

[@bryanmoraski7005]

Love it.

[@dennydabbs9272]

Great Stuff Dave!

[@dougfa3515]

Yesssssssss!

[@ericwang604]

Thanks man. God bless you. Lots of real talk in the video.

[@Craig_Fussell]

“Great” lesson Man! Thanks for sharing. One thing I appreciate about your lessons is how you call out the actual note/chord names and not just the position or shape on the fretboard. Really helps me (and hopefully others) grow my understanding of the guitar and music. ✌🏻

[@eleutheradirect]

Mark pretty much lived in our house in West Covina, CA where I started high school. I think the pool table was the main attraction as he was there every day playing and he's still quite good at that, too. He was in Zzyzx at the time and trying to hold that band together. I remember him having problems with the lead singer who was quitting. He was always jamming on an electric guitar that wasn't plugged in. I seem to remember it being a white Fender although my brain might have that mixed up. We always use to ask him to play Zeppelin and he always seemed to oblige. I was only 14 at the time so he was a huge influence on me and the reason I started playing guitar again. I remember him being so into Aerosmith and Ted Nugent as they had just played at Cal Jam right after I moved into that house. Anyhow, just wanted to say that Mark saw this tutorial and commented on it on his Facebook page. He thought it was really good although some of the positions weren't exactly as he played them. He was always big on playing things the easiest way possible with the least amount of movement up and down the neck. Nice job on a very cool set of unique songs!

[@frankiedonofrio5438]

Awesome!.. Always dug Great White

[@bustercrack788]

I just ran the Save Your Love progression through me ditto looper and did a cheeky pentatonic widdle over the top and she sounded half decent. If he keeps this up I reckon I could fool someone into thinking I knew what I was doing 😝 Another cracking chord play DB 🇬🇧👍

[@cradd00]

Awesome lesson! I too saw Great White and Tesla in Chicago in 1988-1989. You're right, Tesla came out and kicked ass and I just remember Great White being good but not as exciting. If you haven't already, get your hands on a copy of Great Zeppelin the band did a great job of recreating some really good Zeppelin tunes!

[@914hans]

Badlands opened that show in Orlando. It was awesome!!!

[@vicarelli]

Thank you for a great deep dive with Great White and Mark Kendall. Would love some tunes from the first 2 albums

[@donnyt7799]

Good stuff

[@deke61sg]

As usual a very cool lesson. Have you done Humble Pie? Keep 'em coming. Thanks.

[@leaharrington4472]

I always thought Tesla's Five "Man Acoustical Jam" inspired Unplugged. Huh. My ex was once in a band named "Twice Shy" because of Great White. Yes to all of this.

[@playAgainMe]

I like their song shot in the dark.

[@Abbykoen]

David, you're a genius. Would love to have your brain. I know 60% of the songs in your lessons really well but can play almost none of them well.

[@Meetlofe]

Awesome stuff, as always. Love that V-amp, too. ;)

[@guitarist100]

Great White very kool bluesy hard rock ,awesome stuff David,should do the acoustic stuff also ,they are a great band for ballads.Hard rock on from Scotland.

[@shadowthethrill1086]

Hey man, like your vids, thanks for covering my riff! Cheers, T

[@kjmg65]

The Angel song was one of my favs

[@whothan2011]

Great lesson! I love Mark Kendall, his guitar tone is awesome, riffs and solos too! Thanks again.

[@wtffrankreich6873]

Rock me, Dave !!!!!

[@tomcox875]

Excellent lesson. Bookmarked. Liked. Thoroughly enjoyed. Basically hit everything I listen to first when I am I'm in the mood for some Great White. Saw them a few weeks ago (Jack Russel version without Mark unfortunately). Jack doesn't get around so well but he can still sing. They rocked pretty hard.

[@pedroberetta4934]

great

[@nicklebac6753]

Skid row 🙏🏽

[@kennethharn2893]

In 82 they released “recovery live” and it has an amazing cover of the immigrant song on it.

[@Peter-by3ox]

I think one if not the most under rated great white song is Old Rose Motel - such an amazing tune so atmospheric it really manages to conjure those images of desolation in a modern land scape. Brilliant guitar work and piano. In fact that whole album is cracker - just came out at the wrong time and got buried by grunge

[@upthecatters86]

These chords straight fire bruh. Lit chords fam 🔥🚨🔥🚨

[@waynegram8907]

LATE NIGHT, To really get a better chord vocabulary is to make lessons on Jefferson Airplane used so weird chord voicing using the 12 string guitar, Randy California Band Spirit used weird chord changes and chord voicing, Hot Tuna first 3 albums lots of fingering picking folkish type chords, Stone Temple Pilots 3rd,4th, 5th albums used weird chords like jimmy page type chords.

[@jerryc3240]

Saw them opening for the Scorpions in 91

[@markrobinson8410]

Like the mxr shirt.

[@jspic4907]

My favorite band of the 80’s. Could you please do next my second favorite (Stryper)?

[@markpowell2395]

Mark Kendall is the guitarist for the greatest Rock Band ever ! But still Jack was the best singer in a Rock Band ever ! And I grew up around Robby Lochner and his Tucson Band The Roc Lochner Band ! I'm so glad Jack & Robby found each other , Otherwise Jack may not have still been Rocking today !

[@Menieres4Life]

They had one good tune, Lady Red Light.

[@marcjordan29]

I am taking the song name "banging hopelessly" unless you want it.... 😛

[@raymondreid4987]

I was turned on to them because a friend had the cassette of them doing Led Zeppelin songs and I thought I never heard this version of Led Zeppelin and then he told it was great white.

[@markeffend165]

On desert moon Michael lardie does opening power chords kendall does the opening solo

[@coalfacechris1336]

Cheers Dave. Nice lesson.

[@kendrix76]

👍

[@artheriford]

David, did you get a new Les Paul? The inlays look different

[@RF944]

L.N.L doing the Beano album David?

[@meatloafhead]

Everything ive read about great whites fire it was the fault of the bar owner his ceilings were too low and he lied because it was a fire code issue, so when GWs pyro tech gave them their bands specs it came back as ok Ill always love great white bunch of talented guys

[@DonLytle]

I wish you lived in the same town as me bro. I'd pay for lessons with you. :)

[@carrielittlecplaster1620]

luv ya channel dood! one thing tho, the band that played when the fire happend, was not great white. It was a bunch of no names jack russell put together. But yet mark and the REAL great white get associated with that tragedy.

[@nonrevnosnibormetalbeerrev6251]

We're they not called something else before they changed to great white 🤔

[@willd2225]

Can we get some Blackfoot love?

[@mr.ormrs.greene9737]

3:44 the guitar part starts. Your Welcome

[@markkelley2158]

I seen that tour. And if you think your ears were nuked by Tesla. Jake E. Lee was so loud it was of Ted Nugent epicness.

[@toomanywaystofall]

What would be really cool is if this mr. Late Night, would play a song all the way through from the episodes' song\ chords he covers, and r0ck us all out here in You Tube land, r0ck 0n...

[@jasonpitts8395]

Great White was awesome and don't get the credit they are due

[@r8rfanizme]

growing up, I was into 80's hair metal bands. I thought Led Zep was "dad-rock"". Then great white released "Great Zepplin"......

[@Dave-Rough-Diamond-Dunn]

I always liked them, but they were basically a cover band in my view. All I heard from them was covers in the 80s.

[@Aaron5616]

Dave, my only suggestion to improve your videos is with having the guitar on your left leg, PLEASE rotate yourself around so your feet hand isn't way off to the back. Hard to see

[@headwinded1948]

These chords are fire.