Black Water

About This Lesson

Patrick Simmons's southern-rock acoustic anthem is one of the most fun rhythm-guitar songs ever written. It's played in an open tuning, which gives the song its instantly recognisable ringing, drone-y character — and it teaches you a lot about getting big, full sounds with simple shapes.

Neil walks through the open tuning, the rhythm groove, the picking patterns and the fiddle-style breakdown that makes this song so much fun.

What You'll Learn

• How to set up and tune your guitar to the open tuning
• The driving rhythm groove that carries the verses
• The fingerpicking pattern with its rolling triplet feel
• The chord shapes used over the open strings
• The fiddle-style melody section toward the end

Skill Level

Intermediate. The tuning is unusual at first, but once your ear settles in you'll find it inviting.