The Guitar Zone

So many of the landmark guitar riffs that distinguish southern rock were first hear in the song Freebird, as made famous by Lynyrd Skynyrd. In fact, musicians studying freebird tabs can gain a wealth of knowledge into the sound, style, and feel that makes southern rock.

The album version of the Freebird is over 9 minutes long, and to many musicians its most impressive part is the extended guitar soloing. This lead guitar and also the melody are played with a slide, adding a bluesy side to the song. While many credit Lynyrd Skynyrd guitar player Gary Rossington for coming up with this sound, he often states that when writing the part he was trying to emulate the sound of Allman Brothers guitarist Duane Allaman. Allman a main musical influence for Rossington’s main, and this influence played a big part in shaping the sound of Freebird guitar lines.

The multiple Freebird guitar solos and other key parts are still relevant today for musicians. Freebird tabs are a great source of inspiration when learning to play southern rock specifically, and are appropriate for most intermediate guitar players. While there are many sources of free Freebird tabs online, to really understand the intricacies of the song, it’s important to go beyond the guitar tabs and learn what’s behind the sound. Musicians that take this step will be rewarded with an arsenal of classic rock guitar riffs.

The classic rock hit Reelin’ In the Years has been an incredibly popular song to learn for guitarists, ever since its release in 1972. Made famous by one of the biggest jazz and rock guitar bands of the 1970′s, Steely Dan, Reelin’ In The Years tabs are full of some of the most timeless lead guitar fills and solos in rock.

Forming in the late 1960′s Steely Dan peaked in popularity during the 1970′s for its unique blend of styles. The band’s sound is most often characterized by a blend of jazz and rock, but elements of both funk and R&B are heard in many songs. The genre bending music of Steely Dan is the product of the meticulous songwriting by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The two are known for being extreme perfectionists, often going to great lengths to achieve different sounds on their recordings. For example, one Steely Dan album required over 40 studio musicians, multiple engineers and over a year to complete.

One of the main reasons that Reelin’ In The Years gained such immense popularity in the guitar community was the guest appearance by session guitarist Elliot Randall. Randall’s unique sound in the song’s lead guitar inspired guitarists of all kinds, including Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. Page was quoted as saying that Randal’s solo work for Reelin’ In The Years is his favorite guitar solo of all time. These solos are very melodic and fast, inspiring guitar players around the world to learn the notes in Steely Dan tabs.

For guitar players interested in learning with Steely Dan tabs, Reelin’ In The Years offers a challenge that is very rewarding. The three fast guitar solos, slew of guitar fills, dynamic rhythm guitar parts and melodic hooks in these Steely Dan tabs help players learn rock guitar style as it was in the 1970′s.

What Steely Dan tabs aren’t able to teach guitar players is the gear and tone heard in Reelin’ In The Years. The rhythm guitar parts heard in both the song’s chorus and verse sections are played with a clean tone, from a telecaster guitar, played through a tube guitar amp. This allows parts of each riff to break up when played hard, as is typical with tube guitar amps. For the song’s lead guitar sections, a more distorted guitar tone is used with higher gain setting on the amplifier. These guitar tones are an essential ingredient when achieving song’s sound.