Willie Nelson and Two Sons Singing Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain

Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain

by Willie Nelson • Lesson #433 • May 14, 2022

Hello, friends! Super excited to share my new lesson for Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain, as played by Willie Nelson on his 1975 album Red Headed Stranger. I've gotten lots of requests for this one over the last few years – and am so happy to have this lesson wrapped up & available.

I'll start off teaching the simplest way to play this song (using the E, A, and B7 chords). Then, I'll walk through step-by-step the various ways you can spice things up to capture Willie's guitar playing vibe: alternating bass notes, walk-ups & walk-downs, and more. In my extended version of the lesson (below), I'll even show a simplified way to play the solo – which I had a blast learning over the past week. Please check it out, and I hope you enjoy!

Free Video Lesson

Timestamps:

0:25 Easy 3-Chord Basics
3:11 Strumming Patterns
6:01 Alternating Bass Notes
10:56 Walk-Ups & Walk-Downs
15:46 Additional Willie Flourish
17:15 How I Play the Solo

Extended Video Lesson

For current members on my Patreon page, I have an extended video lesson where I tackle a few additional aspects of this song. This includes a deep dive into my version of the solo, which is slightly simplified compared to Willie's version — but still captures the same vibe. This lesson also includes two play-along covers, showing me playing from start to finish. One is with lyrics/chords & my singing, while the other is me playing slowly (without singing) with the verse & chorus tabs on screen.

Watch the extended lesson on my Patreon page »

Backing Track

I also made two different 5-minute backing track to use while practicing this song. They provide a drum beat using the slight "swing" feel that is hinted at in Willie's recording. There are two tracks, one at 100bpm and the other at 108bpm — both of which you can use while practicing the chords / progression / solo / etc. Nelson's album version has a tempo of 120bpm.

Download the mp3 (audio file) on my Patreon page »

Additional Lessons To Help With This Song

Here's instructional lessons I've made teaching concepts that are useful in this song.

Other Willie Nelson Lessons

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July 11, 2022

Updates to FretMonster (Interactive Fretboard Tool)

Tips & Techniques • Lesson #444

I've added some new features to FretMonster, the free web-based tool I created to help you navigate the guitar freboard. Select a key and scale, and it shows you a map of the matching notes. I've also added some new features I'll show you in this video.

June 22, 2022

How to Make Drum Tracks Using GarageBand's Beat Sequencer

Tips & Techniques • Lesson #442

A beginner's guide to using GarageBand's Beat Sequencer tool to create custom drum beats! Even if you're a total novice when it comes to drumming (like me), I'll walk you through the basic steps to create rich-sounding drum tracks to play over while practicing or performing.

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Source: https://playsongnotes.com/lessons/433/