Western swing music began in the dance halls of small towns throughout the lower Great Plains in the late 1920s and early 1930s, growing from house parties and ranch dances where fiddlers and guitarists played for dancers. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Western Swing became very popular as a subgenre of American country music. Over the years, Western swing has been a huge influence on honky-tonk, rockabilly, and country rock. It also popularized the following in country music: use of electrically amplified instruments, use of drums to reinforce a strong backbeat, expanded instrumentation, a “honky tonk beat”, and jazz/blues style solos.
In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play a slow western swing guitar solo in the key of D. We’ll work through the guitar solo with tablature one line at a time. After you learn the solo, practice along with the Western swing backing track in the key of D. Guitar tablature is available below the lesson video. Hope y’all like this one!
