Added: 2 years ago
From: SteveHacker
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  • Hi, I was wondering if you were going to make a lesson for the whole song not just the first solo.

    Thanks,

  • Awesome job! May I ask what pedals youre using?

  • AWSOME TONE

  • Really great video! was just searching around learning some solos and this one popped up and i have to say it has been the most thought out and best taught one ive found!

  • what kind of guitar is that is it a fender stratocaster

  • @freebird379 Correct...It is a Strat...1987 model with a old school Kahler fulcrum tremelo (which I hardly ever use)... :)

  • Brilliant lesson! Now PLEASE do the second solo aswell ;)

  • Thank you, I've been looking for a trustworthy video on how to do this solo. I can't thank you enough :)

  • Thanks Steve AGAIN.That sounds just like the radio version.No improv there at all. It takes trying it bit by bit slow then faster. Then just put all the bits together. Works great man. I'm going to the second solo very shortly. Thanx a million.

  • this is what you call a perfect guitar lesson thanks alot !

  • good sh** dude

    

  • Thanks! this helped me alot! I like how you don't say something like "if your having trouble you can play it this way" or "To make it easier you can play it like this". There is only one right way to play it. Thanks again!

  • Loved how you slowed the song down and repeated a loupe times for us to practice getting it down. Cool video

  • @schwill81 Thanks! Be sure to check out the way I did it also, on the final solo to "Sultans Of Swing" by Dire Straits (Mark Knopfler) :)

  • Does anyone have the tab for this song as played in video. I cannot find it anywhere and have resulted in stated writing it myself. Thankyou

  • at 3:38 you do pinch harmonic. How do you do it?

  • Excellent guitar work and fine teaching! Far above the general standard of many helpless uploaders. Chears from Denmark!

  • thanks but a little fast!

  • Excellent guitar solo lesson for this song . I play a G key harp when my duo covers this - just to be different - your right when you say not many people cover it properly ... I know I myself am guilty of this .

  • great job!!!

  • I was wondering do you have a home page and what is it please

  • @pepper19691973 YouTube won't let me post links here,but if you go to my profile page here on YouTube,all the ways to reach me are there, my web site (which is sorely in need of updating),etc.BUT,the BEST place to reach me lately is on Facebook: facebook . com slash stevehacker or if you have questions, you can actually just text me at 229-416-8340 ...I won't be able to do a voice call most of the time,but I am now giving worldwide lessons over Skype if you're interested :)

  • Kara Parabens Aprendi o solo com vc muito bom mesmo vlw 

  • Treblejunkie, you took the words right out of my mouth!! AWESOME lesson!

  • Thanks, now I know what I'll be doing until...December. Thanks guy.

  • Good stuff man...nice job

  • Great lesson mate.

  • Thanks for this lesson, found it massively useful as the tabs I found on the Internet just didn't sound right!

  • You are selling yourself and alabama WAY SHORT,

    THE ED KING write that bad MFer, NO bdy plays it right,

    but it aint no laugh it up matter, I KNOW steve YOU KNOW,

    Again i am a fan, STEVE, viewers search 1987 Ed King workin for the mca

    and 1977 winterland whiskey rock and roller, and or Sweet home 1987 for

    a small taste of HOW GOOD MR Ed King, really is, CAN i tell you

    GODs name for him KING, aint far off, THe is the king, HIS playing is like syrup,

    Sticky and sweet, WOW thanks Be blessed

  • lesson starts at 1:16

  • Ace video.

  • thanks! your good! :D

  • Steve

    Thanks for the lesson, you did a great job on it.  I know you've been busy taking care of your son. I don't know if you're a single dad or not (I am), but I, like you have my priorities straight! My band used to play this song & guess what we're playing it again, so thankfully I found you to brush up on the solo! Thanks again! And for playing it in the correct key! I hope your son is doing well!

    Take Care,

    jc

  • you look like the guy from Back To The Future :D

  • Great Job of showing how to play that solo, vary nice. Thanks  Can you do the next solo?

  • excellent dude- you look like Ed Norton the actor

    thank

    s for tutorilal

  • Steve, Thanks for the instruction. I've been using the Amazing Slow Downer SHA and found a curious thing in this solo @ ~1:32:66, right after the "D" shaped triad on the 14/15th frets. On the original recording there is a high-pitched squeal leading into the next phrase and I can't quite make out what it is. I don't think it's is a harmonic...What are your thoughts?

  • Steve, thanks for the note on some upcoming additions and the lesson on the second solo coming up soon....can't wait for it...thx again!

  • Nice job. Thanks.

  • Great Work Tks - I'm a new player and my questions, is there a TAB for this? Tks.......g

  • I've been playing guitar for over 30yrs and this is the best instruction video i've seen. I've also made tv commercials & don't think I could do a better job..... A+

  • very well done

  • Yep.. That is Ed king.. He wrote me a note recently and that is how he signs his post. EK! There is a great video of 87 Volunteer Jam where you get a great look at Ed doing his magic on this song. When I heard that solo way back in Jr High School I was bewildered that someone could come up with that off of the top of his head to lay down in a session. Yep.. That is when i really started to listen closer to LS... Ed's Stat makes that song..

  • ohhhh you are so shinyyyy xd

  • Excellent thank you for the info. always wanted to know how to get Skynyrd leads right. Are you using 9's for your string gauge or 10's. I like 10's cause they give a better amp sound but you gotta work harder to bend them.

  • Excellent thank you for the info. always wanted to know how to get Skynyrd leads right.

  • you look like the boy from the sixth sense

  • Outstanding Job, thanks for the lesson. I've been lazy on this one for years...And that lesson will fix my glitches...mahalo! (Share the next solo with us please).

  • PS--And Billy's kick-ass piano playing! Billy was right up there with Chuck Leavell---one of the all time great rock piano players.

  • Love your analysis. They were NOT messing around. They played to the top of their ability, they worked out EVERYTHING, this song has, as you say, layers of detail that people do not consciously recognize, and most people play slacker versions of this great tune. My only quibble--this song can NEVER be overplayed. It is universally loved and with good reason. Bright happy sound, excellent picking, and some old-fashioned anti-PC common sense coolness from the late great Ronnie Van Zant.

  • no shame in playing this song...

    its one of the greatest American rock songs ever recorded..

    good go,ng getting the new players started off right

  • Not TOO bad...some wrong positions but you get the idea. KEY OF G. THANKS. EK

  • @edking1949 Is this THEE Ed King, or someone using his name? LOL :)

  • @SteveHacker I know this may be a little late, but....Yes sir, that IS THE Ed King. ;-)

  • @tulsapoolplyr88 LOL :) Thanks Tulsa :) Yeah, I have since found that out to indeed be the case :) Coolness :)

  • @edking1949 I just want to say thank you for your contribution to this awesome song! This song truly is a gift and it never gets old no matter how many times I listen to it. Thanks Ed!!

  • where can i find the loop thats only 75%? Thanks

  • @houseband239 If you'll send me an email at: stevejhacker AT yahoo DOT com , I'll reply with MP3 files for ya :)

  • Great video!!!!!! Thank you!!!! Please do more!

  • You are a great teacher... It's easy to learn from you. We need more instructors with your knowledge and clarity. Cheers mate!

  • Can you teach me the second solo please :) ?

  • Thanks you !!!!!! I'm 14 years olds an I'll have a concert in two days and this lesson so help me ! Thanks again your a very good teacher, a learn the solo perfectly in 30 minutes :)

  • nice teacher man thanks! =)

  • Great lesson... Nice to see it done correctly. Can't wait for more...

  • Is this a half step down??

  • @fiddlefarts Standard tuning....A440 :)

  • Steve you're a legend mate. You make it easy for us beginners to learn the solo's we all strive to play when we're just starting out. I've played piano for years and I wish I could take it all back and put that time into guitar cos damn guitar is so much nicer.

    You keep up the good work and just know that it's appreciated around the world. Thanks again buddy!

  • @gam35guru Thanks! I really appreciate it! :) I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to get some personal time back so I can MAKE MORE VIDEOS. I have really been hit with a gazillion requests for the 2nd Sweet Home solo, and I'd really like to do some PIANO LESSONS as well (which is what my primary music degree is in, although I did study classical guitar at FSU as well), but again, thanks, eventually I'm going to find the time to become active on here again.

  • @gam35guru Also,something else you might want to make a mental note of,and also perhaps spread the word on:Very soon,I hope to start ONLINE LIVE WEB CAM GUITAR LESSONS.The great thing about that,is that in addition to my work in my studio in Bainbridge,Georgia,USA,I will be able to "teach all over the world",which really excites me.I keep really crazy hours,so,for example,teaching someone on the complete opposite side of the world would be PERFECT because their DAY TIME is when I'm up and fresh!

  • @SteveHacker  Ah I look forward to that ...... it's nice to take tips from experienced players like yourself. I'm still having difficulty bending to the right note on the intro but I'll get there. I think it's down to the really crappy beginners electric guitar I bought. The damn strings are so stiff. Anyway instead of bending on the last two notes of the intro before the repeat just play the notes on the 2nd string 1st picked then 3rd hammer on. At least it actually sounds similar :)

  • 0:16

    he has no nose!

    he cant smell the music!

  • @jamirosmajicrocks Ha..............Ha............­.Ha.....LOL! Nah, my nose is quite big actually, just crazy-bright light, and crazy-bad camera! LOL! :

  • @jamirosmajicrocks comentário produtivo!

  • this was uploaded on my birthday.

  • I loved your detailed lesson for the 1st solo in sweet hime alabama, but I can't seem to find the second on the net. Are you planning on making a sweet home alabama solo #2 lesson in the same style as this one anytime soon?

  • awww i need tabs =)

  • Hey Steve i appreciate the lesson you did i would not of learned with out your vid so thanks. And also will you be posting the 2nd solo i would over the moon if you taught it!! I subbed!!!

  • 125% ? lol Good :D

  • Good I really like this song. You know... I knew how to play it but i didn't know the solo; so thank you, because you learn me how to play it! CIAO DA ANCONA, ITALY.

  • Great vid, easy to learn off etc, but can you put the next solo up like you promised please

  • dude that was spot learned it in 1 hour ... you are a great music teacher...are you going to teach the second solo any time soon?

  • Thanks for helping me out man you do it all really properly.

  • It is in G major indeed... But G major is the same as D mixolydian.

  • @LosLurvos ...And A Dorian...and B Phrygian...and C Lydian...and E Aeolian (Natural Minor), and F# Locrian....YAY! We made it through Music Theory 101 !!! LOL! :P

  • @LosLurvos These, however are ALL modes of the Key Of G Major :)

  • @SteveHacker agreed.

  • Thank you. At the next gig I am gonna perform this solo. Acoustic. Thanks mate.

  • Love this lesson and I really appreciate you make a slower part of the solo at the end of the lesson. Hope you're gonna make the 2nd solo too ;)

    Thanks and keep rockin'!

  • hey steve....how 'bout you show everyone how to play the harmonic lick in the song also...very few get that right.

  • Steve, great lesson my friend. You made this so EASY to learn by your various speeds and easy to understand fingering positions. You are an excellent teacher and picker.

  • for some reason this is confusing as hell, but i'm not giving up at it just yet.

  • Excellent Lesson, Is there a lesson for the second solo?

  • I've seen 100's of lessons on utube...this is the best yet, nice job and thanks man

  • Can you make a vid for Ain't it fun, pls ?

  • The guitar players in Skynrd are so tasetful and so hard t play! the 3 guitar players rocked!

  • Thanks for showing! got it down now :-)

  • The best and most accessible lead instruction I*ve seen. I play acoustic 12 string

    but feel confident after viewing. Thanks, Dan

  • Hey Steve what strings do you use on that strat, 10' or 9's ?? Please respond.

    And thank you for this great lesson!

  • The proper way to teach guitar,well done mate

  • i really wish u put tabs in with the vid i cant follow along

  • @BlackPanem I'll put in into Guitar Pro and let you know when I finish I'll send it to you . If you don't have Guitar Pro I'll try to send it as a PDF. zumacon

  • @BlackPanem same here.

  • Good tutorial but i have a little trouble with the pick. It was not a very long time ago i started using a guitar pick. Damn there is some fast parts of this solo and when i strum with the pick i kiind of feel "resistance". Could you please give me some advice on how to plau fast with a pick?

  • @AaronJayThomas123 There's no need for a tab. He cleaarly gives it all in the vid!

  • Awesome ... wish I had seen this a few years back lol

  • Great job Steve I learn alot, great teacher, wish you had more post

  • Awesome lesson man. You're one of the few people on youtube that can actually teach. I learned this solo in like 45 mins. lol

  • this dude is thorough, and clear. takes ALOT of wasted time out of learning stuff the right way..! wish he was my neighbor..  Thanks,, please keep 'em comming,,

  • @thebikerdave44 Thanks! I really appreciate it! It really means a lot :) Maybe we ARE neighbors. If so, we should jam some time. Where are you located? :)

  • @SteveHacker  Buffalo

  • Awesome. Loved it.

  • i hav the same guitar :DD

  • Excellent lesson... been playing for 30+ years and have always hated trying to copy a solo. This was nice. I remember trying to figure out a Van Halen solo by recording it onto an old Wolensak reel to reel and slowing it to half speed and listening to it an octave lower.... It's amazing what you can accomplish with modern technology.

  • This is the best video Lesson :D Thaks mate ;)

  • Hi Steve,

    Great lesson mate. Thanks very much for putting it up. Is there any chance you'll put up lessons for the rest of the solo work for this song sometime soon?

  • Sir, what amp and, if any, what distortion pedal are you using to get that clear sound like that

  • Excellent instruction technique. Thank you for your video on this one man. Now it's practice time!

  • I really like that you play it at 50% and 75% but i am having a little bit of trouble jumping from 75% to 100%...I guess I just need to keep practicing.

  • @funis2sk8 Got it!

  • Great lesson man! I'm a Profi musician from Germany with Classical Guitar background. I don't have so much experience with e-Guitar and this lesson helped me al lot. Thank you! All the best!

  • @AaronJayThomas123 Nah...sorry...no time...Best advice is to use Pause and just write it down. I DO call out ALL the notes, so if you take it slowly enough, and Pause enough, you can write it down...

  • @SteveHacker , Thanks for your time and effort presenting this video. I happened upon this video some

    6 weeks ago. Loved it and your teaching; Wanted to share it with a friend I am mentoring, but lost the link. Just found it again and I am quite pleased. I am an experienced player and an old curmugeon but I am not a teacher. I feel comfortable telling a friend to watch, listen and learn from this video. Sincerely Larry

  • Hi !! Thank you ! Great lesson ! You´re a very good teacher!

    I still love that song. I heard for the first time back in 1974. I probably never get tired of it !! Could you do one on "Call me teh breeze"? Please?

  • nice lesson, but i think you did det last part a little too fast...

  • @MaltheGuldberg It's called PAUSE, REWIND, PEN and PAPER my friend...LOL! :P ...YouTube LIMITS the length of videos, therefore, hurrying is required :)

  • Steve, you're one of the best YouTube teachers I've come across.

    But, wondered why you play it all at the 12th fret? Ed switched positions down to the 7th when he slides from the D to E. Not fussing, just wondering.

  • @ThePaterFamilias Simply for reasons of efficiency :) If Ed had been formally trained, he would know his scales well enough to do it all in the same position also. That being said, there is indeed something to be said for string tone voicing, by moving down to a lower position, but this lesson is easier for the beginner to digest if it is put within the confines of the G major scale (1st finger 12 th fret position - pinky finger 15th fret) :)

  • didnt understand cos u went 2 fast

  • This is brilliant. Many thanks for an excellent production. Exactly what I needed at this time. One of the best teaching vids on the net! Well done, mate!

  • you are an EXCELLENT teacher and guitar picker. i've been playing this song a long time and never had it right, just sort of did my own jam to it, and wasnt doing it justice. I really appreciate your time and talent being shared here. People still request this song at almost every show. Thanks

  • 2nd solo PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • your insane could you post 2nd solo same way...??? maybe some scales that require soloness

  • your insane could you post 2nd solo same way...???

  • I'm in a band and I'm actually using this to learn the lead on the fiddle!! So awesome, best tutorial I've seen so far. Please post more!! THanks so much!!

  • Hey Steve... first of all best wishes for your son.... I have to say THANK YOU! This was a gift that I appreciate very much... I am relatively new to playing in a band. Our keyboard player has been pro for decades... he said something to me that struck home " Sweet Home Alabama isnt going ANYwhere... people will be digging this song forever.. so if you take to time to learn it right... you can play it till your 90! I learned this lead in 2 hours due to your teaching... thanks again Mark

  • You nailed it and you're absolutely right - hardly anyone plays this song correctly. I've even heard professional cover bands in clubs (seasoned musicians, we're talking about), do a slop job and get the guitar work wrong. I'm a purist about this kind of thing. By all means, play it man, but get it right. And none of this, "Oh, well I play it using my own style." BS! It's great to see a guitarist approach this song professionally! Way to go!

  • 102,205 and counting... and I like your talk at the beginning about how you know its overplayed... lol

  • @jdlovering LOL! Yeah man...It is, but some people still love it and stake their entire music careers on Skynyrd, so I'm all too happy to help :)

  • Are those gauge 10 strings or 9 on your strat?? btw. best solo cover on YT ;)

    I've moved from 9 to 10, and now the solo doesn't sound so bright, and the harmonics are also so bad! Bad string's (labeled Optima) or definitely string gauge?

    Thanks in advance

  • This is such a great teaching video, very clear and a very patient demonstration. Thank you so much.

  • its very faboulus thank

  • Haha, We have been arguing about the leads in this for months in my band, I just sent the link to our lead player, his only comment was "crap, ok I'll play it that way"

  • GREAT! probably the best lesson on this solo on youtube! ;) but I just have one question, what is your settings? (on the guitar and amp) :) thnks :)

  • you're the man!!!!!!!!!

  • steve - could you post the 2nd solo in the same way

  • @1ellababy2005 I will be uploading the rest of this song as well as others as soon as possible. I am still in the "full time job" of getting my son's medical situation stabalized as well as moving into a new studio. Thanks for your patience. I will be uploading more just as quickly as possible :- )

  • great work steve - I must have played this tune hundreds of times as I play covers and go by the 'give em what they want' motto.This tune is a banker just about anywhere in the world and yes I'm one of the guys who doesn't play it right.I have the rhythm parts alright but i pretty much jam the lead parts.Hopefully now with a bit of effort I can nail those leads.Cheers

  • Great teaching method showing each step in the solo, explaining the reasons behind each movement and note. I like the repetition learning process and the slow motion demonstrations - keep up the great work. When are you going to present and explain how to play the second solo in Sweet Home Alabama? I'll be looking forward to it...

  • thank you so much, this is great...i've always been looking for the right solo-tabs..now i found your video & it took me half an hour to learn this ;) thx

  • Steve, Great lesson. I've got it down already. Obviously, you're playing with some distortion on the guitar (which sounds great). In the original "Ed King" recording, he seems to play the whole thing squeaky clean. I'm sure his amp was loud and punchy, though. How would you approach going from clean to dirty in a gig? Start clean, then kick on pedal? Roll off some dirty with the volume control? Curious. BTW, hope your son is doing okay.

  • Hey Steve, Great Lesson! Is that a custom Strat you are playing? If so, what is that color called. It looks really nice with the maple neck!

  • teach solo number 2 no one has the 2 solo for a lesson on you tube...?

  • Cool lesson dude. I'm self taught for over 40 years, Last 20 with a band. I have a crap memory and tend to jam around a basic lead theme. Any hints on how to become so consistant.

  • This is a great breakdown with all the right elements to make this a successful learning experience. This saved me a lot of time as I needed to pick this solo up quickly for an upcoming gig.

    Why not do the same for the second solo.

  • thanks man!

  • Man, this is a shithot lesson!!!

  • thank you so much

  • could you tab this out and send it to me?

  • Steve. Thanks I have now leant this solo with your tuition. One thing though, I dont feel comfortable bending that first note on the first string as it feels like either the string or my finger will snap. I bend the 2nd string at the 20th fret which sounds about the same.

  • apparently 10 people cant play guitar

  • Steve. Outstanding.

    Nailed it on the head. Nothing cliche or overplayed about it. Best song for teaching

    phrasing, and probably more important, teaching how to get three guitars to play together and behave themselves.

  • Naw, the tone is from your fingertips.Beautiful job. You have the same complaints with this tune that I have. I've played it for years, and it's hard to get a band to pay the proper respect to it. They either leave out the hits and the lines or play them incorrectly. When my student said he's found a youtube video teaching the solo, I was worried-as you well know there's a lot of bad info out there-but when I heard your introduce the lesson, I knew it was going to be right on. Great job!

  • when can we expect the rest of the solo's

  • Steve,

    I'll bet Ed King was pretty happy with every note on both solos. They probably paid his mortgage for a long, long time.  One of my friends told me that Ed told him that the solos came to him in a dream. He woke up, got up and worked them out. Wonder if he was playing a blonde or a rosewood neck. I'd guess blonde.

  • Thanks Steve! That is a great tutorial! I have wanted to learn this for quite some time and teach my son. It is a great job. Ready for solo 2! It's time! We're ready! Thank you very much in advance.

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