Free Guitar Lessons Blog

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 [...]

[Read more →]

“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 [...]

[Read more →]

Released as a single in 1977, “Hotel California” is the title song from the Eagles’ album of the same name. The song topped the Billboard hot 100 singles chart for one week in May of 1977. Since the song’s release there have been many interpretations as to exactly what the lyrics are referring to, however, [...]

[Read more →]

The single “Dust in the Wind” was released by the rock band Kansas on their album “Point of no Return”, in 1977. Later, Kansas also released a live version of the song on their album entitled “Two for the Show”. According to some sources, Kerry Livgren wrote the song after reading a book of Native [...]

[Read more →]

By Guest Writer Brad Finley Although made popular recently by Eddie Van Halen, guitar tapping or right hand ‘legatos’ is a technique players have been executing for years. Country players know the benefit of laying down a nice subtle lead and just putting in those quick hammers with clear guitar tapping. And while it’s not [...]

[Read more →]

Released by Deep Purple in 1972, the classic song, “Smoke on the Water” can be found on their album entitled Machine Head. When the song was originally recorded, the band did not think it would be a hit. It was not until it was released in the United States as a single, a full year [...]

[Read more →]

Cash was inspired to write this song after seeing the movie Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison (1951) while serving in West Germany in the United States Air Force. Cash recounted how he came up with the “Reno” line: “I sat with my pen in my hand, trying to think up the worst reason a [...]

[Read more →]

Although Neil has never been one to worry about making hit records, this song is by far his greatest hit and probably best-known song. Neil wrote the song in 1971 while suffering from a back injury and released it on his harvest album in 1972. The song’s composition is not difficult but it has enough [...]

[Read more →]

Featured as the soundtrack in two science fiction movies in the eighties: An American Werewolf In London (1981) and Twilight Zone: The Movie (1982), “Bad Moon Rising” can be found on CCR’s 1969 album entitled “Green River”. There have been many theories as to exactly what this song is about. According to John Fogerty in [...]

[Read more →]

“Let There be Rock” was released on AC/DC’s album of the same name in 1979. During an interview, Angus Young recalled the following about the recording session for the song: “I remember the amp literally exploded during the recording session. My brother watched it with crazed eyes, and he told me ‘Come on! Keep on [...]

[Read more →]