Drive (part 1)

Download the Drive PDF

“Drive (For Daddy Gene)” is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Alan Jackson. It was released in January 2002 as the second single from his album, Drive. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks in May 2002 and also peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song is dedicated to Alan’s father, Eugene Jackson, who died on January 31, 2000. In the song, Alan recalls as a child he and his father driving around the countryside in an old beat up truck that they fixed up together, as well as a boat they would drive around the lake. In the final verse, Alan talks about sharing his childhood experiences with his daughters and letting them drive his Jeep around their pasture.

This song uses a standard 1/5/6/4 chord progression in B. The B major scale is: B, C#, D#, E, F# G# A# and B so it has 5 sharps. The 1/5/6/4 progression then for B will be B (1) , F# (5) , G#m (6, the 6th diatonic chord of the major scale is a minor) and E (4).

“The music is not in the notes, but in the silence in between.” – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Paul2026-03-09T15:42:21-04:00

Growing Up (part 1)

Download the PDF here:Growing Up

“Growin’ Up” is a song by American musician Bruce Springsteen from his 1973 album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J..

It is a moderately paced tune, concerning an adolescence as a rebellious New Jersey teen, with lyrics written in the first-person. The lyrics feature a chorus that is progressively modified as the song continues, with the first chorus being “I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd but when they said ‘Sit down,’ I stood up,” while the second chorus switches to “clouded warmth…’come down,’ I threw up” and the third finishes the song with “mother breast…’pull down,’ I pulled up.”

An acoustic version of the song, part of Springsteen’s 1972 audition for CBS Records, appears on Tracks, 18 Tracks, and Chapter and Verse.

During the Born to Run tours and following Darkness Tour, Springsteen often performed an extended version of this song, extending it with a long, sometimes exaggerated and/or fictional biographical narration of his youth and his passion for guitar playing.

The song was featured on the soundtracks of the films Big Daddy (1999) and Gracie (2007).

David Bowie recorded a version of this song in the early stages of the Diamond Dogs sessions with Ronnie Wood on lead guitar. In 1990 this was released as a bonus track on the Rykodisc reissue of his Pin Ups album, and in 2004 it appeared on the […]

Paul2026-03-09T15:42:28-04:00

Judas (Part 1)

Download the PDF here: Judas beginning, 2nd week

“Guitarists should be able to pick up the guitar and play music on it for an hour, without a rhythm section or anything.” – Joe Pass

Paul2026-03-10T17:31:29-04:00

Bb Blues

Part of my practice regimen is to play extemporaneously – that is, just by ear- over a backing track, and here’s an example of that. Andy Usher’s tracks are just excellent for this kind of thing, and if money’s tight, he has lots of quality tracks that are available for free. You can hear his stuff on YouTube, Patreon and BandCamp. here’s his site: https://www.andyusher.com/ausher-tracks

If you’re interested in playing blues guitar, just reach out! First lesson’s free.

“I would advise you to keep your overhead down; avoid a major drug habit; play every day and take it in front of other people. They need to hear it and you need them to hear it.” -James Taylor

Paul2026-03-11T16:59:41-04:00

First Principles

January 16, 2026

First Principles

This article is aimed at a very specific audience- that is, guys who play guitar and want to get better at it. There are a lot of guys like us! If that’s you too, well, you’re in my tribe because that’s what I like to do too.

But here’s the thing. The guy that I’m talking about in my audience wants to get better but he’s not exactly sure how to do that. He keeps going back, over and over to the same stuff that he already knows. He knows it really well! Man, does he know it well! But he’d like to try something different.

Maybe he’s looking at online video or a guitar lesson program or an online teacher or an in-person teacher… but it’s hard to find a good fit. That might be because half of the fun of playing guitar is teaching yourself how to play a tune! And sorry -being told how to do something is not the same as figuring it out for yourself. Teaching yourself how to play is the best, and you know what? I can help you figure out how to do that.

As a guitar student myself, I always thought […]

Paul2026-03-09T15:42:55-04:00

Beyond The Sea

Beyond the Sea

“Beyond the Sea” has been recorded by many artists, but Bobby Darin‘s version released in late 1959 is the best known, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 15 on the US R&B Chart, No. 7 in Canada (co-charted with “That’s The Way Love Is”), and No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart in early 1960.

Before Bobby Darin’s version, two instrumental recordings reached the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Benny Goodman‘s version charted in 1948, and was featured in the Cary Grant/Betsy Drake romantic comedy Every Girl Should Be Married. Roger Williams’ recording reached No. 37 in 1955.

The first recording of “Beyond the Sea” was by Harry James and His Orchestra on December 22, 1947, and the first recording of “La Mer” was by French musician Roland Gerbeau in December 1945 (the song’s author, Charles Trenet, did not record it until the following year).

American R&B singer George Benson recorded an R&B version of the song under the title “Beyond the Sea (La Mer)”. It was released on Warner Bros. This version entered the UK Singles Chart on 20 April 1985. It peaked at No. 60 and remained on the chart for three weeks.

“The only love affair I have ever had was with music.” – Maurice Ravel

Paul2026-03-15T17:38:57-04:00

Night In Tunisia

“Night In Tunisia” Dizzy Gillespi, Dm120

“It’s been very important throughout my career that I’ve met all the guys I’ve copied, because at each stage they‚ said: ‘Don’t play like me, play like you.’” – Eric Clapton

Paul2026-03-10T17:35:37-04:00

Teddy Bear’s Picnic

“Teddy Bear’s Picnic”, Bratton/Kenney in C at 75 BPM.

Download the PDF: Teddy Bears’ Picnic

“The Teddy Bears’ Picnic” is a song consisting of a melody written in 1907 by American composer John Walter Bratton, and lyrics added in 1932 by Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy. It remains popular in Ireland and the United Kingdom as a children’s song, having been recorded by numerous artists over the decades. Kennedy lived at Staplegrove Elm and is buried in Staplegrove Church, in Taunton, Somerset, England. Local folklore has it that the small wooded area between the church and Staplegrove Scout Hut was the inspiration for his lyrics

Bratton composed and personally copyrighted it in 1907, and then assigned the copyright to M. Witmark & Sons, New York City, who published it later that year as “The Teddy Bears Picnic: Characteristic Two Step”, according to the first page of the published piano score, as well as the orchestral parts Witmark published in an arrangement by Frank Saddler. However, the illustrated sheet music cover gives the title as THE TEDDY BEARS’ PICNIC, with apostrophe on “BEARS” and no genre descriptor. Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy wrote the now familiar lyrics for it in 1932.

After Bratton wrote “The Teddy Bears’ Picnic”, however, many people felt that the composer plagiarized portions of the melody. […]

Paul2026-03-18T15:29:23-04:00

Honeysuckle Rose

“Honeysuckle Rose”, Fats Waller/Andy Razaf in F at 90 BPM.

“Recording is God’s way of telling you that you suck.” – Bob Brozman

Paul2026-03-10T18:04:10-04:00

While My Guitar

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album The Beatles (also known as the “White Album”). It was written by George Harrison, the band’s lead guitarist, as an exercise in randomness inspired by the Chinese I Ching. The song conveys his dismay at the world’s unrealised potential for universal love, which he refers to as “the love there that’s sleeping”.

The song also serves as a comment on the disharmony within the Beatles after their return from studying Transcendental Meditation in India in early 1968. This lack of camaraderie was reflected in the band’s initial apathy towards the composition, which Harrison countered by inviting his friend and occasional collaborator, Eric Clapton, to contribute to the recording. Clapton overdubbed a lead guitar part, although he was not formally credited for his contribution.Harrison first recorded it with a sparse backing of acoustic guitar and harmonium – a version that appeared on the 1996 Anthology 3 outtakes compilation and, with the addition of a string arrangement by George Martin, on the Love soundtrack album in 2006. The full group recording was made in September 1968, at which point the song’s folk-based musical arrangement was replaced by a production in the heavy rock style. The recording was one of several collaborations between Harrison and Clapton during the late […]

Paul2026-03-16T14:48:50-04:00

About Paul

First Principles