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Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman – Guitar Lesson

Jane — Sat, 01 May 2010 18:21:44 +0000

Diary of a Madman was released by Ozzy Osbourne in 1981.

Ozzy’s bass player, Bob Daisley, wrote this song. According to Daisley:

“I really wrote that one about myself. When I was 16 I had my first nervous breakdown and it really f—ed me up. I was a sensitive kid and I have always been a sensitive person. I suppose you have to be sensitive being in the arts. I wrote the words about myself. Quite often we have problems and we are our own worst enemies and that is why ‘Enemies fill up the pages one by one in the diary. Are they me?’ I am my own worst enemy. The other thing was that Randy had the rough idea for the song ‘Diary Of A Madman’ and I came up with title. I wrote all of the lyrics as well on the album. Ozzy would come and go from rehearsals. One day he came in and we played him ‘Diary Of A Madman’ and because it had funny timing he couldn’t get his head around. He said, ‘Who the f–k do you think I am? Frank Zappa!’ We said, ‘You sing in this part but you don’t sing here. This timing goes like this etc.’ He started to like it when he got his head around but at first he was like, ‘This is not for me’.”

Diary of a Madman – Intro Guitar Lesson

Diary of a Madman – Guitar Lesson – Part Two

Diary of a Madman – Backing Track

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The Beatles – Twist and Shout – Guitar Lesson

Jane — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 19:23:59 +0000

“Twist and Shout” was written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns. It was originally recorded by the Top Notes and then covered by The Isley Brothers. Among others, it was also covered by The Beatles, with John Lennon on the lead vocals, and originally released on their first album “Please Please Me”.

The Beatles – Twist & Shout (live in 65)

Twist and Shout is an easy song to learn on the guitar. This 50’s rock song contains only 3 chords, so even if you’re picking up the guitar for the first time it should be no problem. Use open D, G, and A chords.

The Beatles – Twist & Shout Guitar Lesson

Twist And Shout Backing Track

Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman – Guitar Lesson Diary of a Madman was released by Ozzy Osbourne in...

ZZ Top – Sharp Dressed Man – Guitar Lesson

Jane — Sun, 31 May 2009 20:19:37 +0000

“Sharp Dressed Man” was released by ZZ Top on their album Eliminator in 1983.

Never considered as sex symbols, ZZ Top were somewhat believable in this song about how rich, well-dressed men are irresistible to women. This being the 1980’s, a silk suit was considered stylish, even if ZZ Top seemed much more comfortable in overalls.

Sharp Dressed Man – ZZ Top Perform The Song Live

Sharp Dressed Man – Guitar Lesson With Backing Track

Sharp Dressed Man Backing Track

Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman – Guitar Lesson Diary of a Madman was released by Ozzy Osbourne in...

Eagles – Life in the Fast Lane – Guitar Lesson

Jane — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:33:37 +0000

“Life in the Fast Lane” was written by Joe Walsh, Glenn Frey and Don Henley and released by the Eagles on their 1976 studio album “Hotel California”. After the album’s release, it became the third single from the album peaking at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

The song tells of a couple that takes their excessive lifestyle to the edge.

During an interview with “In the Studio with Redbeard”, Glenn Frey revealed that the song’s title came to him one day when he was riding on the freeway with a drug dealer known as “The Count”. Frey asked The Count to slow down and the response was, “What do you mean? It’s life in the fast lane!” In that same interview, Frey indicated that the song’s central riff was played by Joe Walsh while the band was warming up in rehearsals and Walsh was told to “keep that, it’s a song”.

After watching the videos below you’ll discover that although the main riff sounds quite cool, it’s not really all that hard to play. I have included a “Life in the Fast Lane” backing track at the end of this post. Enjoy!

Life in the Fast Lane Backing Track

Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman – Guitar Lesson Diary of a Madman was released by Ozzy Osbourne in...

Ted Nugent – Cat Scratch Fever – Guitar Lesson

Jane — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:13:46 +0000

“Cat Scratch Fever” was recorded by Ted Nugent and appears on an album of the same name. The song is well known for its instantly recognizable signature riff, which is a 3-tone “blues scale” melody harmonized in parallel fourths. In 2009 it was named the 32nd best hard rock song of all time by VH1.

With a little time spent playing with the backing track even a beginner should be able to get this song under their belt in a couple hours. A classic riff based song well worth the time spent to learn.

Cat Scratch Fever Backing Track

Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman – Guitar Lesson Diary of a Madman was released by Ozzy Osbourne in...

The Cranberries – Zombie – Guitar Lesson

Jane — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:07:32 +0000

Released by the Cranberries in 1994, “Zombie” can be found on their debut album entitled “No Need to Argue”.

Lead singer Dolores O’Riordan claimed that “Zombie” speaks about “The Irish fight for independence that seems to last forever.” She went on to say that, Zombie is a song for peace, peace among England and Ireland.

Zombie – Music Video Released by the Cranberries

Zombie – Guitar Lesson Wiith Backing Track

In the video below the song is first explained as a simple version, then melody and finally a chord integrated style. Fortunately I have also managed to come up with a Zombie backing track which is included at the end of this post.

Zombie Backing Track

Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman – Guitar Lesson Diary of a Madman was released by Ozzy Osbourne in...

The Beatles – Ticket To Ride – Guitar Lesson

Jane — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:11:00 +0000

Ranked as number 384 on Rolling Stone magazine’s of the 500 greatest songs of all time, “Ticket to Ride” was released by the Beatles in 1965 on their album entitled “Help”.

Many have come up with theories to exactly what the song’s meaning is. According to Don Short, Ticket to Ride is a phrase coined by John Lennon about the cards indicating a clean bill of health, handed out to Hamburg prostitutes in the 1960s. A different explanation attributes the song’s meaning to the experience of Lennon’s mother leaving the family when he was a child.

Another fun song for the campfire, even if you are beginner you shouldn’t have too many problems strumming this one out. Below the instructional video I have included a Ticket to Ride backing track and free song chord sheet. Good luck!

Ticket to Ride Backing Track

Ticket to Ride Song Chord Sheet ==> Click Here to Download

Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman – Guitar Lesson Diary of a Madman was released by Ozzy Osbourne in...

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama – Electric Guitar Lesson

Jane — Wed, 20 May 2009 22:40:11 +0000

“Sweet Home Alabama” was recorded by the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. It first appeared in 1974 on their second album, entitled “Second Helping”. Despite lots of controversy, it reached #8 on the US charts in 1974, and was the band’s second hit single.

According to the band members, “Sweet Home Alabama” was written as an answer to two songs, “Southern Man” and “Alabama” by Neil Young, which dealt with themes of racism and slavery in the American South. “We thought Neil was shooting all the ducks in order to kill one or two,” said Ronnie Van Zant at the time. Van Zant’s musical response, however, was also controversial, with references to Alabama Governor George Wallace (a noted supporter of segregation) and the Watergate scandal.

There is a semi-hidden vocal line in the second verse after the “Well, I heard Mr. Young sing about her” line. In the left channel, you can hear the phrase “Southern Man” being sung lightly (at approximately 0:55). This was producer Al Kooper doing a Neil Young impression and was just another incident of the band members messing around in the studio while being recorded. According to Leon Wilkeson, it was Al Kooper’s idea to continue and echo the lines from “Southern Man” after each of Van Zant’s lines. “Better…keep your head”…”Don’t forget what your / good book says”, etc. But Ronnie insisted that Kooper remove it not wanting to plagiarize or upset Young. Kooper left the one line barely audible in the left channel.

The lesson below is taught by Justin Sandercoe. Fortunately, I have also found a backing track for the song. Enjoy!

Sweet Home Alabama Backing Track

Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman – Guitar Lesson Diary of a Madman was released by Ozzy Osbourne in...

Aerosmith – Walk This Way – Rock Guitar Lesson

Jane — Fri, 15 May 2009 18:27:01 +0000

Written by Stephen Tyler and Joe Perry, “Walk this Way” was released in 1975 on Aerosmith’s “Toys in the Attic” album.

In a February, 2006 Q magazine issue, Aerosmith discussed the song’s beginnings:

“We were still searching for a hit when Joe Perry came up with the stuttering riff during a soundtrack in Hawaii in March 1975. Tyler quickly wrote the lyrics and called the song Walk This Way.”

According to some sources, when Tyler arrived to the studio to record the song he accidently forgot the lyrics he had written in a cab. Instead of trying to recover them, he walked to the stairwell, let out a savage scream, and wrote new lyrics on the wall. What exactly the original lyrics were, we will never know.

A classic riff based song that anyone who enjoys classical rock music will recognize immediately. Not to mention, a lot of fun to play as well.

Below you will find a basic instruction video and a video that shows you the first solo break to the song. I have included a backing track as well. Enjoy!

Walk This Way – Main Riff And Verse

Walk This Way – First Solo

Author Note: The first Solo from “Walk this way” Played by Darren Armitage at speed then broke down into easy manageable chunks.

Walk This Way Backing Track

Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman – Guitar Lesson Diary of a Madman was released by Ozzy Osbourne in...

Van Halen – Running with the Devil – Guitar Lesson

Jane — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:51:43 +0000

“Running with the Devil” is a rock song and the first track from Van Halen’s 1978 eponymous debut album.

The track fades in with the sound of a car horn. In many ways, this track is the song that started it all, being the first song from the first album and that it sets the tone for the Van Halen attitude when David Lee Roth was the singer in the band. The song has the interesting distinction of being one of the few songs from Van Halen’s early days where Eddie Van Halen used a guitar overdub. The car horns at the beginning were taken from the band’s cars and linked together with a battery.

Running With the Devil Backing Track

Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman – Guitar Lesson Diary of a Madman was released by Ozzy Osbourne in...