
Welcome to my first comprehensive lesson series on Udemy! I grew up listening to Freddy King and wanting to play like he did - or at least something close to it. I especially loved his instrumental tunes. As an adult, I noticed that nobody really tried to teach these great songs - no books, DVDs, or You Tube videos. So, I took it upon myself to give it a go. I do not claim to be an expert. Nor am I a gigging musician - any more. I just spent hours listening to these songs, studying them, and trying my best to figure out how Freddy did what he did. This lesson series is simply me sharing what I've learned with you. I hope you enjoy it and learn a lot!
Sorry about the lesser quality on the second part of the video. This was the last one I did for the whole series and I needed to spend more time on the lighting. I will fix this and post a REVISED video as soon as I figure out the lighting better. I'm a one-man crew and still learning how to do this the best way possible. Thanks!
Freddy King played mostly in the 1st position blues box - a position that corresponds with the 1st position barre chord shape in any key. He also played a lot in the 2nd blues box. These two positions are where he played about 90% of what he played. The other positions he used more sparingly,but when he did, they added something unique to his playing.
These are some of the basic guitar licks - mostly in the 1st position blues box - that Freddy King used over and over again in his instrumentals and as fills/solos in his vocal tunes. Beginners might want to learn and practice these before heading into the individual lessons for each song.
Explore Freddie King's signature licks, including double stop bands and moveable blues-box patterns, anchored in the first and second positions, with examples in keys such as a and e.
Learn Freddy King's chord-based approach, focusing on first-position shapes like E7, B-7, A, C7, G7, and the Freddy King seventh and hideaway chords to outline solos and endings.
Freddie King's sound blends aggressive plastic thumb and metal fingerpick attack, guitars (1954 Les Paul Gold Top with P-90s and ES-345) and a cranked amp shaped by Chicago blues influence.
Survey Freddie King's instrumental catalog through key LPs and compilations, including let's hide away and dance away, go surfing, and just pickin'. Emphasize listening to original recordings before learning songs.
Explore the 1961 instrumental heads up by Freddy King in the key of G, with G, C, and D chords, a first-position solo, and the main melody over barre chords.
Master Freddie King's heads up intro and verse in g, using the first-position g blues box, hammer-ons, and slides, then the five-to-four-to-one progression with double-stops.
Freddy King's heads up verse 2 presents a variation of the opening riff, moving between g and c chords with hammer-ons, hammer-on pull-offs, double stops, and slides.
Explore verse three as a bass-driven guitar line over the G, C, and D chords, with slides from second to third fret on the sixth string and a seventh-chord ending.
Learn the heads up verse 4 guitar figure, with third-fret bass notes on the six-string and variations toward the turnaround. Appreciate Freddy King's soulful tone and groove.
Learn a beginner-friendly Freddie King heads up solo in the key of G, broken into bite-size phrases with bend, hammer-on, and walk-up licks you can mix into your own solos.
Explore the final verse of Freddie King's heads up, returning to the initial melody with variations, checking the tap, and concluding with the sliding part five played three times.
Master Freddy King's end tag through slide riffs, two pull-offs on the third string, and a closing G9-like chord resembling a B-7 voicing, as demonstrated in the classic instrumental.
Explore Freddie's midnight dream in the key of G, with chords G, E minor, C, and D, a bridge substitute; includes B minor, A minor, and D seventh with bends.
Explore Freddy King's Freddy's midnite dream intro and verse 1, with guitar phrases from the third to fifth fret, hammer-ons and pull-offs, chromatic slides, and a D turnaround over chords.
Explains the second verse of Freddy's midnight dream with note-for-note phrasing, showing hammer-ons and pull-offs on the first string near the third fret, and encourages following the original lick order.
Explore Freddy King's bridge in 'Freddy's Midnite Dream' as the lead slides from sixth to ninth frets, shaping phrases on the second and third strings with pulling off and picking.
Reviews the final verse of Freddy's Midnite Dream, outlining phrasing from the third fret on the second string to seven, muting to quiet noise, ending with a piano lick.
Explore Freddie King's sat night out, a g instrumental with g c and a d progressions, featuring thumb and first finger double stops across first and second blues boxes.
Explore verse one of Freddie King's Sat night owl with a pick grip and fingerings across frets, including a notable double-stop passage.
Explore Freddie King's 'Sad Nite Owl' solo in part 1, breaking the first and second blues boxes, detailing fingerings, bends, and phrasing to make notes sing.
Explore Freddie King's sad nite owl solo part 2, detailing fretboard patterns, blues-box phrasing in the first-position G blues box, and hammer-ons and pull-offs to shape the solo.
Freddy King's 'Sad Nite Owl' final verse revisits the opening motif with a subtle G F chord ending, while a first-position blues box solo ventures into the second blues box.
Explore Freddie King's washout in g, an instrumental from the 1961 hideaway and dance away album, featuring a 1-4-5 progression with g, c, d, two solo verses, and double stops.
Explore Freddie King's washout in G with the bam bam riff over the G bar. Learn first-position C bar work, hammer-ons, and double-stops that shape verse 1.
Compare washout verse two to verse one, with subtle variations over the sea, including shifts to the four-string top and a slide back to the one, setting up the solo.
Master Freddie King's washout solo 1 in first blues box, then move to second blues box, learn two fingers on the third string, bends, hammer-ons, and licks from T-Bone Walker.
Explore Freddy King's washout solo 1 part 2, detailing fingered licks, pull-offs, and string progressions across the third through fifth frets, culminating in the first solo verse.
Explore the second solo in Freddie King's washout, featuring blues-box licks on the second and first strings, bends, and hammer-ons across the eighth to thirteenth frets.
Describe the third verse of washout, repeating the initial material over the G with two verses and two solos, then introduce a new variation over the sea.
In the fourth and final verse of wash out, the performer repeats the same figure used in the third verse, returning to the line and preparing for the end.
Explore Freddie King's wash out end tag, using a bar corbleu scale from the third fret and a ninth-ish G9/B-7 voicing to finish.
Explore Freddie King's hideaway, a 1961 electric blues instrumental built on a 1–4–5 e progression with e seventh and b-7 chords, stop time, double stops, and riffs from Peter Gunn.
Learn the intro and verse 1 of Freddie King's hideaway, featuring open-string licks, hammer-ons, slides, pull-offs, and five of the seven chords with double-stops.
Explore the second verse of hideaway, with open second-string hammer-ons, legato licks, and a Les Paul sustain leading into a bass-driven stop-time transition to the next verse.
Demonstrates the iconic hideaway verse 3 blues guitar lick, with a continuous bass riff and a detailed pattern of slides, hammer-ons, and fret transitions that lead into verse four.
Learn verse 4 of hideaway with a shuffle lick, finger on the second fret of the fifth string, hammer-ons on the sixth string, and bass-note accents guiding the groove.
Tackle the fifth verse of Hideaway, mastering the B-7 Freddy King seventh chord and the difficult double-stop slides from the 12th–13th frets, with slow practice and tab guidance.
Explore the verse 6 of Hideaway with the Peter Gun riff, highlighting finger patterns, open-string voicings, slides, and bass-note seventh-chord phrasing.
Explore the last verse and end tag of Freddy King's 'Hideaway,' compare to the original, and follow the tab for accurate execution.
Learn the end tag for Freddy King's 'Hideaway' by tracing a quick third-to-second fret move, a two-strum chord, and an upstroke timing hand movement.
Explore Freddie King's just pick it in the key of E, with chords E, A, and B7, plus E7 licks, and two solo verses with variations on the main riff.
Explore Freddie King's just pickin' intro and verse 1, featuring finger-picked licks, hammer-ons, and open-string riffs around E, E7, and B-7 shapes.
Explore verse two of Freddy King's just pickin', tracing a rolling lick from open fifth to frets five and two, including an a-7 roll and a country blues slide.
Learn Freddie King's just pickin' verse 3 as he demonstrates a simple, catchy lead lick in the blues box between the 12th and 14th frets, without a backing track.
Explore the first solo in Freddie King's Just Pickin' as he demonstrates an African country blues lick using seventh and eighth fret shapes, bends, and barre-chord movements.
Master Freddie King's just pickin’ solo 2 through double stops, e7 shapes, and slide-in phrasing. Use precise fingerings around the tenth to twelfth frets with hammer-ons and licks to groove.
Analyze the fourth verse of just pickin', tracing how the bass drives the rhythm and how the solo returns to the established beat with slight variations and a straight run.
Demonstrates verse five picking variations in just pickin', with hammer-ons on the fifth string, open fifth, and transitions between e seven and B, followed by slow single-string runs.
Verse six repeats Freddy King's picking pattern from verse three, using the exact same lick again. This emphasizes the repetition of the motif across verses.
Explore verse 7 as he repeats the motif by doubling the 12th fret on the third string, starting with a slightly different approach and replaying the figure as before.
Freddie King performs just pickin' in verse 8, closely mirroring verse 1 with minor accents on certain notes.
Explore Freddie King's last verse lick, highlighting attack, rolling bass licks, open-string ideas, the third-fret shift on the sixth string, and a bend before the phrase.
Explore Freddy King's just pickin' end tag, featuring a single-string pattern, hammer-ons on the third string, open-string fills, and a move to a b-7 shape sliding to e-flat.
Explore Funnybone from Freddie King's 1965 instrumental LP, highlighting two solo verses, double stops, and the funky pull-off melody in the E blues box around the 12th–14th frets.
Learn the intro and first verse of Freddie King's funnybone, featuring a bass riff, open six-string, E7 and B-7 shapes, and upstroke picking with string muting.
Master verse 2 of Freddie King's funnybone with precise second-fret pull-downs on the fourth string, open-string transitions, and the next movements into the seventh and B-7 positions.
Explore Freddie King's funnybone verse 3, featuring a bass riff around E seventh and C-7 shapes, rapid fretwork, bends, pull-offs, and expressive two-handed phrasing.
Freddie King's first solo verse in funnybone introduces sliding double stops, the first-position blues box in E, and bends around the 12th–15th frets on the third and fourth strings.
Explore Freddie King's funnybone solo two, featuring double-stop licks in the second-position e bar chord, a slide over the a chord, and a first-position blues box.
Explore the fourth verse of funnybone, played straight through like the first, with a tricky B section and the A7 top three times; bass is hard to hear.
Master the last verse of Funnybone by Freddy King, following the initial verse pattern, a three-time figure, tricky bass, and a final full fourth verse.
The fade-out ending of Freddie King's Funnybone wraps the fourth verse, stays on one chord, and showcases sixth-string bends on the third fret in a seventh shape, with funky pull-off.
Explore Freddy King out front (1961), built on a bass riff across chords, two solos, varied positions with double stops, three stop times, and sliding double stops, echoing Hideaway.
Explore Freddie King's out front intro and verse techniques, featuring double stops, sliding into E and E7 shapes, picking patterns, hammer-ons, and moving riffs across the 4th–6th strings.
Explore Freddie King's second verse of 'out front' with stop-time double-stop riffs and the slide into an east 7 double-stop, then practice the turnaround into the upcoming solo.
Explore Freddie King's 'Out Front' solo with a step-by-step breakdown of slides into the e e double stop, bends, hammer-ons, open-string licks, and a first-position bar chord concept.
Explore Freddie King's out front solo 2, featuring seven double-stop licks and slides from the tenth to the twelfth fret. Listen to the original recording and match the phrasing.
Demonstrates Freddie King's up front verse 3 lick with hammer-ons, double stops, and open strings, plus bass-like walk and thumb-down strokes inspired by Merle Travis and Chet Atkins.
Practice fourth verse's stop-time double-stops, starting on the double stop with timing like Stevie Ray Vaughan's Pride and Joy. Play the verse, then move to bass part over four.
Explore the last verse of out front, focusing on the bass part and the end tag, with the attack to be taught in a separate lesson.
Explore Freddie King's out front end tag, with a walk-up from the fourth to the seventh fret, a quick open-strum, and a rapid slide into a fifth-fret d-shaped chord.
This overview introduces sensation, a 1961 Freddie King instrumental in the key of A, featuring three basic chords (A, D7, E7), a solo, a bass lick, and double stops.
Explore the intro and verse 1 of Freddie King's sensation, detailing slides from 7 to 8, seventh and fifth fret double stops, bending, and thumb-fingerpick techniques for the iconic lick.
Compare the second verse to the first and identify variations, then practice the rake and upstroke techniques, palm muting, and drag the pickup to capture the Freddie King sound.
Explore Freddy King's 'Sen-Sa-Shun' solo 1, the third verse's rapid idea, with tab guidance. Learn the tenth fret on the second string and eighth fret on the first.
Learn a fun electric blues surf guitar lick in the key of a, as Freddie King delivers verse 3 with a hammer-on from open strings and palm-muted riffs.
Demonstrates Sen-Sa-Shun verse 4/solo 2 with precise hammer-ons on the second fret of the third string, bends, pull-offs, and timing to shape a tight blues guitar lick.
Master the next verse of Freddie King's sensation with slide-in chords, bar chords, and quick fretwork. Practice hammer-ons, country blues turnarounds, and Robert Johnson-inspired licks that define verse 5.
Trace Freddy King's country blues turn around in Sen-Sa-Shun, verse 6, and show how the guitarist returns to the slides to move into the next and final verse.
Practice the final verse of Sen-Sa-Shun, then play the end tag exactly as verse 1, and revisit verse 1 to solidify the introductory verse of the song.
Explore Freddie King's end tag lick, walk down the first position from the fifth fret across the strings, then resolve into a seventh shape to finish.
West Side Chicago Blues Meets The 60s Surf Guitar Instrumental Craze!
In this course you will learn 11 of Freddy King's classic blues guitar instrumentals from the early sixties. I will take you through each verse of every song and teach it - as best I can - note for note from the original recordings. In the process, I will help you to mine a virtual "King's Treasure" of licks and ideas from Freddy's seemingly inexhaustible blues guitar vocabulary.
The introduction includes a brief overview of Freddy's style and includes short lessons on the chords he used, his thumb-finger right-hand technique, soloing positions, and the Freddy King sound/tone. I also have a short video listing what I think are the best Freddy King CDs and vinyl albums for you purchase in order to hear the original recordings of the tunes I will teach
I then go through each of the 11 tunes, verse-by-verse, teaching the introduction, main melody lick, solos, and end tags for each song. I break down the solo verses in each song phrase-by-phrase to help you understand and learn each individual lick Freddy used. In places where I do not know, or am not sure, about what Freddy played, I offer my best "educated-guess." Complete, downloadable, TABS are available for EACH verse of EACH song along with a Freddy King Chord Chart and other resources to help you understand how to play what he played.
This first volume of lessons focuses on Freddy's "more approachable" instrumental tunes - grouped by the key they are played in and generally progressing, in order, from easiest to more difficult. Tunes taught in this volume are
Key of G: "Heads Up," "Freddy's Midnight Dream," Sad Nite Owl," "Washout,"
Key of E: "Hideaway," "Just Pickin'," "Funnybone," "Out Front,"
Key of A: "Sen-Sa-Shun,"
Key of C: "San-Ho-Zay," and "Butterscotch,"
These lessons will keep you busy learning new licks and ideas for hours! You can also use most of what you learn in these lessons to figure out many of Freddy Kings' other licks and solos - on his vocal tunes and instrumentals!
All students are encouraged to purchase or obtain copies of the original tunes by Freddy King (versions recorded on King Records!). All are available in both digital and CD format - or, if you really want to go old school, vinyl! The vinyl might cost you a bit more, but will be well worth it to hear Freddy's playing as it was originally intended to be heard!