Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama"

MLC2006

alright, I'm learning this song and the part I'm hung up on is the second solo (the long one). the song seems to me to be in the key of Dminor, but the solo seems, the best I can tell, to be in the key of Eminor. can somebody confirm if this is right or not? and if so, what is the relation between Dm and Em between the song and solo. the part the solo is played over is the chorus part, which should be Dm (I think this actual chord is D6 maybe?)

MLC2006

I think I get it. the chord progression that play over is D-C-G (they vary between open chords, 5th, and 6th chords). so maybe this would mean it's the key of G, which would put the solo in the key of Em. that would make sense to me. somebody confirm?

lucylespian

I'm learning this as well, while noting just how much of Mike's parts in "Daughter" are dervied from this song.

I got a perfect tab from http://www.sheetmusicdirect.net for this, I could not find one on any free tab site worth having.

PM me if you are struggling and I may (no promises) be able to beamit to you.

It is a fantastic song.

MLC2006

lucylespian wrote:

I'm learning this as well, while noting just how much of Mike's parts in "Daughter" are dervied from this song.

I got a perfect tab from http://www.sheetmusicdirect.net for this, I could not find one on any free tab site worth having.

PM me if you are struggling and I may (no promises) be able to beamit to you.

It is a fantastic song.

if you have Guitar Pro, the tab on ultimate-guitar.com is pretty much right, it's the same one that's in my Skynyrd tab book. the only problem I have is that their solo seems to be all over the fretboard and I prefer to keep it concise in just a couple positions of the scale. the part I'm hung up on is the really fast trill parts around the middle of the second solo. I am not advanced in fast licks like that. the rest of the song is pretty easy.

btw, I learned "Gimme Three Steps" before Alabama, and that song is totally easy and fun to play.

lucylespian

MLC2006 wrote:

if you have Guitar Pro, the tab on ultimate-guitar.com is pretty much right, it's the same one that's in my Skynyrd tab book. the only problem I have is that their solo seems to be all over the fretboard and I prefer to keep it concise in just a couple positions of the scale. the part I'm hung up on is the really fast trill parts around the middle of the second solo. I am not advanced in fast licks like that. the rest of the song is pretty easy.

btw, I learned "Gimme Three Steps" before Alabama, and that song is totally easy and fun to play.

I'll have a llok at what I have when I get home, and see if I can contribute anything. I like tabs with the treble staff included for the note timing. MAkes it so much easier to nut stuff out, so I don't have Guitar Pro or snything like that. I'm a paper guy !!

armanHammer

I remember reading an interview with the producer or someone close to the band, and he said their lead guitarist (i'm not familiar with their names) actually found out after he played the solo that he played in the wrong key.. but it worked anyway.

MLC2006

armanHammer wrote:

I remember reading an interview with the producer or someone close to the band, and he said their lead guitarist (i'm not familiar with their names) actually found out after he played the solo that he played in the wrong key.. but it worked anyway.

they had 3 guitarists who took turn being lead. Allen Collins, Gary Rossington, and Steve Gaines. Gaines joined the band just in time to be killed in the plane crash, but it was said that he was the best of the 3. before he came along, there was another 3rd guitarist, but I can't remember his name. I think collins is the one that wrote Sweet Home Alabama but I think Rossington played lead on it, not sure. I know Allen Collins though has inspired me enough to want to save up and buy a Firebird.

if the song is in the key of G, then the solo being in Em works. if the song is in Dm, Em doesn't work. but once I've looked at it again, I guess the song must be in G.

MLC2006

this is the beginning of the part i'm talking about. though it goes on for several more bars. it's just very fast and it's a big stretch from the 17th fret to the 12th and then up to the 14th on the 4th string. I'm trying to figure out the proper fingering or if there's an easier way to play it.

lucylespian

MLC2006 wrote:

this is the beginning of the part i'm talking about. though it goes on for several more bars. it's just very fast and it's a big stretch from the 17th fret to the 12th and then up to the 14th on the 4th string. I'm trying to figure out the proper fingering or if there's an easier way to play it.

This is a pretty starightforward metal lick, variations of which are used in countless metal songs, esp Metallica.

I practise this by anchoring my index finger on teh 12th fret, then going hammer on/pull-offs on 14, 15, 17 with my midle, ring and pinkie respectively, reapeating this over and over without picking the note, just using the fretting finger to produce the tone. Then vary theoprder alternating 15p14p12, wiht 17p14p12 to make your finger do what you want, not what they want.

You need to develop the ability to hammer on and pull off with your pinky to do that lick.

Use a metronome to slowly build your speed.

MLC2006

do you plant a finger on the 4th string, 14th fret? because that's the biggest part I'm having trouble with. because if I don't plant a finger there, it's almost too fast to have time to bring it down after the pulloff. but if I DO plant it there, it gets in the way, especially during the 14p12 pulloff.

lucylespian

MLC2006 wrote:

do you plant a finger on the 4th string, 14th fret? because that's the biggest part I'm having trouble with. because if I don't plant a finger there, it's almost too fast to have time to bring it down after the pulloff. but if I DO plant it there, it gets in the way, especially during the 14p12 pulloff.

Without a guitar in my hands, I would say no, you start that phrase fretting the d string 14 with your middle finger, using the index on 12, G string.The middle finger dances between teh two strings, doing all teh fretting at 14. You might need to paractice that transition wher you go 14p12 on the G followed by 14 on the D at teh smae intreaval/speed. It might be easier to do 12h14p12 then done to 14 (4th string) initially. I might use my ring fingerfor that, not sure. I'm at wotk, can look in a couple of hrs when I get home. Sorry I can't notate this stuff in tab.

LOts of licks have that sequence, and you will get pretty fast at it with some practice.

ianvomsaal

I believe the tune is in G-Major.
G-Major's relative minor is E-minor.
You can play:
G-IONIAN/MAJOR (also Major Pentatonic)
A-DORIAN
B-PHRYGIAN
C-LYDIAN
D-MIXOLYDIAN
E-AEOLIAN/MINOR (also Minor Pentatonic)
F#-LOCRIAN

I'm friends with the guy that recorded/mixed/produced/engineered Sweet Home Alabama for Lynyrd Skynyrd.
His name is Bob 'TUB' Langford - I worked with Bob last year -- he's a great guy (lives about 20-minutes down the road).
Bob actually changed the spelling of their name using all those "Y"s - wrote it that way on one the the cans of tape (reel to reel).
Their manager liked the spelling and had them change it (it was Leonard Skinnard).
Bob also recorded/mixed/produced/engineered "FREE BIRD" for them too.
They HATED (I can't emphasize this enough) what he did to it with all those unison guitar parts and unison solos,
supposedly because they couldn't play it like that live (the solo was originally just 1-guitar).
Bob mixed multiple layers of various takes of the solo -- he was actually responsible for the tune being soo long.
He said do you want a hit, or do you want to be able to play it live.
Once the song hit and started taking off they went back and apologized to him for being such assholes.
Then they had to get more guitarists for their tour.
The band were so indebted to the sound that Bob found for them that they included a photo of him and
a special thanks to him on the original release of the album on Sounds Of The South Records.
Bob also did stuff for the Allman Brothers.
Cheers . . .

- Ian C.T. vom Saal

lucylespian

lucylespian wrote:

Without a guitar in my hands, I would say no, you start that phrase fretting the d string 14 with your middle finger, using the index on 12, G string.The middle finger dances between teh two strings, doing all teh fretting at 14. You might need to paractice that transition wher you go 14p12 on the G followed by 14 on the D at teh smae intreaval/speed. It might be easier to do 12h14p12 then done to 14 (4th string) initially. I might use my ring fingerfor that, not sure. I'm at wotk, can look in a couple of hrs when I get home. Sorry I can't notate this stuff in tab.

LOts of licks have that sequence, and you will get pretty fast at it with some practice.

I just noticed that I can't frickin type either !!!!!!!!!!!

Nice story Ian, is that why an album was called "pronounced Leenerd Skeenerd" or something like that. I know that song is hard to cop alone. I just attack it without trying to be too precise with the chord picking erttc, to nthicken the sound up a bit.

MLC2006

They got their name from a gym teacher that 2 of them had whose name was Leonard Skinner. that said he was a hateful asshole who wouldn't let males wear long hair in his class. So they basically immortalized that guy. I wonder how he felt about that.