Jimmy Buffett 6-Pack

Lessons

• Lesson 1: Margaritaville

  Margaritaville would have to be the defining song of Jimmy Buffett's career, as well as a poignant commentary on the state of American culture. In any case, the song is very fun to play and would have to be considered a poster song for the term 'Campfire Song'. In this lesson we look at some variations in chord voicings and inversions that can be added to the chorus, as well as playing the intro and the lead in 2-part harmony.

• Lesson 2: Come Monday

  This is from Jimmy's 1974 album 'Living And Dying in 3/4 Time' and is typical of many of his tunes- mostly open chords, easy strumming, and easy to sing by many folks without real voices! This song includes a hybrid picking technique that is part arpeggio and part alternating bass, as well as transitions from picking to strumming and back, which are a sticky thing for many students.

• Lesson 3: Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

  This was the title song from Jimmy's 1977 album that really took him out of the local Florida scene and brought him into the national spotlight. The album also featured Margaritaville. Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes is a pretty basic Campfire song in the key of D and includes a couple of barre chords. This lesson looks at a percussive strumming pattern and includes 3 short instrumental parts where the melody/lead is incorporated into the strumming.

• Lesson 4: Son Of A Son Of A Sailor

  In 1978 Jimmy Buffett released his 9th album, Son Of A Son Of A Sailor, following his breakthrough album Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes. This song is another great example of how Jimmy can take a simple progression, melody, and accompaniment and create a very catchy tune. The lesson focuses on using a pick and mostly a single-string arpeggio technique. We also take a look at playing the intro combining two guitar parts into one.

• Lesson 5: He Went To Paris

  One of his earlier songs, He Went To Paris is a song Jimmy wrote after meeting Spanish Civil War veteran Eddie Balchowsky. It appeared on his 1973 album A White Sport Coat And A Pink Crustacean. It follows (or started?) a typical Buffett formula of a one-part song, meaning a series of verses without any real chorus. It was also covered by Willie Nelson. This lesson features a simple fingerstyle accompaniment with a few variations.

• Lesson 6: A Pirate Looks At 40

  From Jimmy Buffett's 1974 Album A1A, A Pirate Looks At 40 is an introspective ballad that follows a simple 12-Bar Progression in the key of G. This lesson includes various fingerpicking accompaniment techniques and really encourages the student to create their own arrangement with each performance. There is also a segment on playing it in an Open G Tuning, along with a look at the way Jack Johnson covered it.