This video teaches country guitarists how to play "Folsom Prison Blues" on electric guitar (solo included). I hear the train a comin' It's rollin' 'round the bend, And I ain't seen the sunshine, Since, I don't know when, I'm stuck in Folsom Prison, And time keeps draggin' on, But that train keeps a-rollin', On down to San Antone. When I was just a baby, My Mama told me, "Son, Always be a good boy, Don't ever play with guns," But I shot a man in Reno, Just to watch him ...

Video Transcription

Hey! It is John again. Today, I want to show you how to play the song by Johnny Cash called Folsom Prison Blues. Let us get started. Three chords used in this song, E chord, B7, and the A. Those are the formations I play on the second fret. So I am going to run through a verse, I will show you how it sounds, and then we will go through it slowly. [Music Playing] So I just played one verse for you. Okay, so the song starts out with a B7. And I start out with my A string, play it three times, then I play this three times, which is the D string and then the B, and D strings. I will play with both of them. And then I am going to do a bend over here. Take my second finger, pick it up, put it on the second fret of my E string and go. So I bend it down, and let it back up. And then I put my E chord, that is the intro. It sounds like this, slowly. [Music Playing] Then I just use this kind of a rhythm pattern. Actually I am alternating the bass note. I am going... [Music Playing] That is kind of a slow version there. I am playing my bass on the A string, then I am playing my bass on the E string. So I am alternating them. [Music Playing] When I go into the chorus, it is A chord, I do the same thing. I have got the bass line in there. [Music Playing] But the difference, I actually do some little different when I play my B7 here, I am going to take my thumb, and put it on the second fret of my E string, because I want to do the alternating bass, it sounds... [Music Playing] It does not sound right. So if I take my thumb, put it on the second fret there, it is going to sound like this. [Music Playing] Then there is sort of a walk down when I go from my B7 to the E string. When I go, "Up down the San Antone" that part of the song. I am going to go... [Music Playing] So it is a second fret of my A string, three times. I'll put my first finger on the first fret of the E string, and then I am going to come up here with my second finger, towards the second fret of my E string, and go, and bend it again, and then go into my E chord. [Music Playing] Alright, now the solo. The solo sounds like this... [Music Playing] Alright, that is the solo for you. I will talk through it slowly. [Music Playing] That is the first part. I am going to take my second finger and I am going to go to the eighth fret three, and I am going to hammer on to the ninth with my third finger. And then I have my pinky, my first finger set up perfectly to go. [Music Playing] That is going to be from the seventh fret to the tenth fret. [Music Playing] And then after I do all that, I am going to go to here with my third finger and go. [Music Playing] This is my ninth fret, play the B string, I am going to play the B string, it is like a door bell. So all we got so far is... [Music Playing] Then I am going to come all the way up here to my A and I will play with one finger, my first finger, play the bass note. That is my A bass note, my A string. I go... [Music Playing] So I am playing that, then I am playing my D string, so A string, D string. Then I notice that my pinky down here on the fifth fret, which is actually another high A note. Then I am going to play my B and D string. So it goes... [Music Playing] I keep on playing right there. So I do that once and then I go -- similar, I am going to go... [Music Playing] Then I am going to take everything off, I am going to play an open E - open B. So... [Music Playing] So put them both together. [Music Playing] Then I am going to come down here, I am going to play my D, B and E string. As you can see I am playing on A chord, very high one. It is kind of like A barre chord here, I am taking that. The strings I am playing it. [Music Playing] I lift off, after I play those three notes. An open E and open B. Lastly, I am going to come down here and play another high A chord. I am going to go... [Music Playing] ...and I do formation. [Music Playing] So the whole part I just played with the E chord goes... [Music Playing] So the whole part I just played the A chord goes... [Music Playing] I am going to go back to E, after that I am going to back to E. [Music Playing] I am kind of doing the same kind pattern that was the latest. Two bass notes, then I go high on my E. [Music Playing] The same thing here, then the lock down. [Music Playing] That is going to be so. So the whole thing again goes like this... [Music Playing]