Rockabilly With Stuart Ziff

Genre and Style Guitar Course from Stuart Ziff

Learn the styles of Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent and more! Join Stuart Ziff in a comprehensive study and application of Rockabilly guitar.

36 Lessons

Complete course with step-by-step lessons and practice examples.

Multi-Camera

Course filmed with 6 cameras for the perfect angles.

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Full Course Breakdown

We will learn the techniques with real musical examples and composed material that, with some hard work and dedication, will have you playing right along with the greats!

1

Rockabilly Introduction

Learn the styles of Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent and more! Join Stuart Ziff in a comprehensive study and application of Rockabilly guitar. Learn with real musical examples and composed material that, with some hard work and dedication, will have you playing right along with the greats!

4:41 Runtime

0.0 Difficulty

View this Lesson
2

Rockabilly Tools & Techniques

Stuart will go into detail about what you need to know and be able to play in order to get the most out of this series. He'll discuss certain stylistic techniques and talk a little about gear and setup.

10:16 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

3

One For The Money

Begin the journey of digging into the style of Carl Perkins. One of the most important aspects of Rockabilly is the 'feel'. Learn the style of one of the original guitarists that made Rock SWING!

7:06 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

4

Two For The Show

Start to look at Carl Perkins style of soloing. It's not all that different than Chuck Berry, but it tends to swing differently... Maybe a bit more Bluesy in some ways.

7:42 Runtime

0.0 Difficulty

5

Well Half Past Nine

Continue looking at Carl Perkins and rhythm guitar. Look at an example that resembles "Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby. It's a nice familiar 12 Barre Blues sound.

6:17 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

6

Everybody's Trying

Look at Mr. Perkins solo over an "Everybody's Trying..." style tune. He used a lot of rhythmic hooks and didn't focus too much on single note lines, but rather would use chords and single notes within those chords to create melody.

8:48 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

7

So Doggone Sweet

Look at another Carl Perkins rhythm loosely based on "Honey Don't" which was recorded by the Beatles. Get ready to play some seventh chords!

4:53 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

8

I Feel Fine

Now you'll get to work on the electric style of Carl Perkins as played in a song like "Honey Don't". You'll be fully exposed to the stop time feel after this lesson!

5:43 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

9

Must Be Rhythm Bound

Look at another interest stop time Carl Perkins rhythm on your acoustic guitar. Remember, feel and groove is the most important aspect of this style. The more you learn and practice these rhythm patterns, the better feeling your playing will become.

5:23 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

10

Carl, You Need No Pills

Classic Carl Perkins electric guitar playing can be found HERE. Rhythm is such an important part of his lead playing. You'll also incorporate a lot of 6th chords and study the dynamic style of one of the greats!

6:33 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

11

'Til Your Big Dog Comes

Chord riffs and rhythm playing in the style of "Matchbox" are on the menu for this lesson that is continuing on in the style of Carl Perkins. Keep the feel!

4:57 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

12

That's Alright Now Mama

Elvis and Rockabilly. You have the opportunity to play a rhythm that the King himself played many years ago! There's no drums on this track so the acoustic part must especially groove!

5:03 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

13

That's Alright With You

Learn the "Tick Tack" rhythm. Dial in a subtle slap delay and play along with the bass part. The solo that you'll hear will be rooted in this rhythm and employ many double stops.

4:03 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

14

Keep On Shinin'

In this lesson you'll get a taste of the rhythm playing of Scotty Moore. Get ready to do some muting and precise, short strums. You'll get to get warmed up over a familiar E Major progression.

7:25 Runtime

1.5 Difficulty

15

Left Me Blue

Back to some electric picking with this lesson. Learn about the guitar player who contributed his talents to songs like Heartbreak Hotel. Scotty Moore was ahead of his time and his style remains timeless to this day!

7:25 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

16

The Sound Of Twang

The sound of twang is very important in Rockabilly. It's a tone... A sound... A vibe. The master of "Twang Guitar" was a gentleman named Duane Eddy. Take a melodic idea and make it a twang-influenced theme.

9:08 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

17

In The Modern Era

Brian Setzer brings Rockabilly into the modern era. He brought the classic swing and attitude of the music in the past and added a modern energy to it that really cooks!

4:21 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

18

In The Modern Era, Part 2

You got a taste of Brian Setzer rhythm in the last lesson. Dive head first into Brian's lead playing. Rhythm is such a key component to his lead style. High energy and groove are some of the main ingredients!

6:15 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

19

Sixteen Coaches Long

Dive in to some Mystery Train style grooves. The Stray Cats made this kind of playing really shine. Grab your acoustic and your electric for this one and lay in to that downbeat!

10:11 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

20

Glassy and Classic

Clean twang sounds and nice rhythms abound in this Duane Eddy style solo. After mastering the rhythms of the last lesson, try your hands at this solo!

6:57 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

21

I'm Cruzin'

Consider this lesson as possibly your first introduction to Gene Vincent. His playing, in this context really encapsulate what Rockabilly is all about. You've got to get this and the next rhythm part before you look at the solo in the coming lessons.

6:37 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

22

Goin' Here And There

Let's look at the electric guitar part present over the acoustic part learned in the last lesson. You'll get to play in the style of Cliff Gallup and pick up some tasty licks! This will be good prep work for learning the solo in the next lesson.

8:43 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

23

Solo Like Cliff

You were warned! Hopefully you're good and warmed up from practicing the last two parts and ready to take on a new challenge. There's a little speed and some classic Cliff Gallup phrasing in this solo!

4:38 Runtime

4.0 Difficulty

24

Cliff... A Little Cleaner

This passage has a brighter, bouncier sound. It doesn't require as much from your hands physically, but all of the fun factor is still there. Clean up your sound a bit and give this one a try!

4:16 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

25

The Last Break, Not The Least

We've been studying the style of Cliff Gallup over the last several lessons, specifically looking at his lead style. This is the last passage of this solo spanning multiple lessons. It contains some of the dirtier playing found in the first passage.

3:03 Runtime

4.0 Difficulty

26

Yeah, I Believe

The artist is Ricky Nelson. The legendary James Burton is represented here. You'll get to work on both electric and acoustic guitar parts.

7:27 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

27

We're Gonna Rock

Look at a solo by one of the greatest Tele players that walked the planet! They start out a bit like Chuck Berry, but higher up on the neck, and there is a bit more 'range' to them... Kinda like blending Chuck, with T-Bone!

3:20 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

28

I Been 'a Waitin'

Work on a song based on the legendary "Waitin' In School" featuring Joe Maphis. Maphis was the kind of Country back in the 50s and 60s... A fantastic flatpicker! Combine some cool Country with some Rockabilly spirit! We're going to work on the acoustic rhythm first!

5:36 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

29

Well, It's a One, Two...

In this lesson we're going to look at the solo from Joe Maphis based on the track that we worked on in the last lesson. Mr. Ziff reveres this solo as one of the best of all time!

7:10 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

30

Brokenhearted Again

Again, featuring Joe Maphis on guitar, you'll get to learn a style based on a song called "Stood Up". In this lesson, look at the rhythm part. It's simple and straight forward.

3:59 Runtime

1.0 Difficulty

31

A Brokenhearted Jam

This lesson is going to be flavored like a jam between Joe Maphis and James Burton. You'll get to dive into two distinctive Rockabilly lead styles!

7:14 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

32

I Couldn't Forget About You

Learn the solo like what Joe Maphis may have played from this track based on "Stood Up". It's based on a lot of cool rhythm stuff, but you're not just playing chords. Dig in and have fun!

5:19 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

33

Move, Hot Rod, Move Man

Let's look at some Cliff Gallup in this lesson. Cliff had a lot of influence on guys like Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. As usual, we'll look at the acoustic part of our track first. Become part of the groove and pursue it with all you have!

6:13 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

34

Goin' Pretty Fast

We're going to learn a couple of solo breaks in the style of Cliff Gallup in this lesson based on a tune that Gene Vincent did called "Racin' With The Devil". Roll up your sleeves and lets get at it!

5:49 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

35

Matchless

Learn a Carl Perkins solo in the style of Matchbox, a song that was covered by the Beatles. You'll start off with some lower register single notes and then work up the neck in typical Perkins fashion. You'll also get to study more of the rhythmic syncopation that Perkins is so known for!

3:00 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

36

Improvising Our Own

You'll be playing over a Carl Perkins track, but you'll get to borrow from many of the influences you've been studying over the length of this course and working on improvising your own solo!

5:57 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

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  • Playing since 1985
  • 139 lessons at JamPlay
A veteran guitarist fluent in, Blues, R&B, Funk, Rock, Reggae and everything in between. As a Studio Musician playing guitar on numerous commercials, demos for singer-songwriters and records.

A career as a songwriter that began with Warner Bros recording artist David Ball’s first Nashville CD in 1994 “ Thinking Problem .“ Stuart was co writer on the hit song “ Thinking Problem.” Also playing on the record supplying acoustic and electric guitar. Since 2000, He’s been living in Los Angles.

Presently the Guitarist for the band WAR, touring and recording with them. As a songwriter for Film & TV: “ National Lampoons Cattle Call ,“ Americas Funniest Home Videos and Bad Girls. Songs on recordings by Eric Burden, Johnny Adams, Gary Hoey and Theresa James. Since 2005, a member of the faculty at Musician’s Institute in Hollywood.
Reviews & Feedback 85/100 with 107 ratings
Geminispirit

liked his honesty and I need to learn a ton before tackling this

tamartin

I dig the swing.

Crlsjrg58

Great basics for me.I"ve never been exposed to the tools of Rockabilly.

JadeM

Learning to play anything by Brian Setzer is excellent.

Russ777

Looks great!