Rockabilly: The Guitar of Brian Setzer Page One

Hope you guys like Rockabilly, have plenty of hair pomade, attitude and are appropriately attired because with Brian Setzer we have a man credited with re-popularizing the whole Rockabilly genre back in the 80's.

Brian did so first with his excellent trio the Stray Cats and later with the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

I have read interviews with Brian and he admits to taking ten years of guitar lessons from an early age perhaps 11 years old. Brian also sings very well and is a heck of a lot of fun to listen to.

Now some instructors will tell you that Rockabilly is easy. That it allows you to 'take liberties' to quote Brian himself.

Well everything is easy if you know what you are doing. I find Rockabilly one of the most difficult styles to come to grips with because it combines a lot of other styles within it that you need to know like Jazz, Swing, Be-Bop, Country, Rock and Blues.

And if that weren't enough, to wring every last nuance out of it you need to be able to hybrid pick or fingerpick at the snap of a Zippo lighter. Plus you need to have good rhythm and be able play 4 to the bar in a solid way.

Brian is inspirational, plain spoken and articulate as he shows us how its done. Brian also sings and hums with his breath kind of singing.

Solfege is the technique of note singing. From wikipedia: "The technique of solfège involves assigning the notes of a scale a particular syllable, and then practicing by singing different note sequences using these syllables. The sequences gradually get more difficult in terms of intervals and rhythms used."

For best results: At first you practice as slowly as you can! do re me fa sol la ti do

Brian teaches Brian Page One | Page Two | Page Three | Page Four | Page Five