The Midnight Special

The song 'The Midnight Special' uses the chords A, D and G. You will notice that these are chords that you have already learned, so you should have no problems playing and changing between them. Also you will notice the strum used in the song is exactly the same as the strum that we practiced in lesson 4.

Not only that, we have practiced using these chords and this strum with changes. So you can see how we have systematically built you up, so that playing this song is just another simple step in developing your playing.

While this song might not be in a style you would choose, it is a good song to get you started using the chords you have learned. In the full Jamorama course, we cover many more styles including pop, rock, jazz, blues, metal and funk. So don't be too worried if this song is not your thing. It's just there to get you up and rolling, and stringing those chords together.

Let's look at a new warm up pattern. This one will be a touch more difficult than the last few. This pattern starts on the 1st fret and the 6th string (thickest string). You will play all 6 strings and use all your fingers. As always with these exercises, be sure to use the correct fingering (as indicated).

Warm Up

Play the audio for this exercise above.

In the above warmup, you will have noticed that the frets you play have the same numbers as the fingers you use. This should make it easy to remember what to play. So now after playing that, your fingers should be warmed up and ready to play.

Let's move onto learning 'The Midnight Special'...

As you already know how to play the chords and the strum for the song, all we really need to work on today with this lesson is getting you to remember the changes and getting into the feel of the song. The 1st part of ‘The Midnight Special’ is the chord G followed by the chord D. The chord progression is the same during the verse and the chorus. In tomorrows lesson we will play along with other instruments, but today we will just work with a singer and your guitar.

You will have noticed by now that each lessons is given to you in small, manageable steps. Nothing is going to change for this lesson. There are 4 parts to this lesson:

• Listen to the song
• Play it by yourself
• Play it with another guitar
• Play it with a singer

Let's have a listen to the song. You will hear that there are only 2 instruments playing Note; it is common to hear the ‘voice’ being called an instrument). Listen carefully to the guitar part, you will be able to hear that it holds the song together and maintains its rhythm.

The Midnight Special

Audio for 'The Midnight Special':

Play the audio for this exercise above.

This is the longest piece of TAB you have had to read and play along with, but you have done all the parts before. For this 1st time, just play it through in your own time. Think of this a piece as Section 1. Play Section 1 until you feel you are getting it together before you move on. One last thing... all the tracks in this lesson have a click in period of 2 measures (8 clicks) before you start playing. So, when you play the following exercise, wait for 8 clicks before starting.

The Midnight Special Section 1

Play the audio for this exercise above.

Once you feel like you have mastered this piece, practice it some more, and then some more. In essence this same section is repeated over and over throughout the entire song! The song structure is simple and easy to follow. Below are the sections and how many times you need to play the chord progression :

The Midnight Special Structure

Chorus) Play section 1 - x 2
Verse 1) Play section 1 - x 2
Chorus) Play section 1 - x 2
Verse 2) Play section 1 - x 2
Chorus) Play section 1 - x 2
Chorus) Play section 1 - x 2

At this point practice the structure with all the changes at your own pace, until you feel confident with the piece. The whole song is quite long, and without someone singing can feel very repetitive, try singing along (if you can) as you practice.

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Play Along With The Track

Now that you have had a chance to play the song by yourself, you should be getting used to the chord changes. Let's play along with the guitar track and the vocal tracks. This will feel a little harder as you will have to keep time with the guitar track. Focus on playing in time and if you make any mistakes, just restart. Listen to the count on the track for your cue in.

In this part of the lesson you will be playing the exact same TAB that you have played in the last exercise. If you can do this then you have mastered this piece and you really are developing as a player.

The Midnight Special with Vocals

Play along with the following guitar and vocal track:

Play the audio for this exercise above.

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End of Lesson

So now you know how to play the song (with the guitar and vocal). In tomorrow's lesson we will be playing with the whole band. You won't be learning anything new, instead you will be putting together all the elements you have learned so far and playing through an entire song! Also included is a track without the singing so you can try singing the song yourself while you play the guitar part.

Until next time!

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