America Ventura Highway Guitar Lesson [Rhythm Strum Riffs Tab]

This America Ventura Highway guitar lesson with show how to play the complete song. With rhythm strum, riffs, and guitar tabs, we’re covering it all wiith a step by step approach! @PaluzziGuitar America Ventura Highway Guitar Lesson [Rhythm Strum Riffs Tab] 00:00 Lesson Preview 00:16 Intro Riffs [Guitar 1] 06:29 Intro Riffs Review 07:01 Intro Riffs [Guitar 2] 10:45 Intro Rhythm Strum 14:40 Verse Rhythm Strum 15:49 Verse Riffs [Guitar 1] 19:17 Verse Riffs Review 19:56 Verse Riffs [Guitar 2] 21:56 Chorus 23:31 Chorus Review 24:07 Chorus Arpeggios 26:32 Bridge 28:46 Alternate Bridge 29:49 Arrangement/Ending 31:03 Lesson Review Online Guitar Lessons America Ventura Highway Guitar Tab & Lesson Plan America Ventura Highway Guitar Lesson Several guitars are used on the original recording of ‘Ventura Highway’, including six and twelve-string acoustics. The following ’Ventura Highway’ guitar lesson will focus on the essential rhythm strum and lead guitar riffs for a performance by one, two, or even three guitarists. Along with guitar tabs and chord diagrams, we’ll cover it all with a step by step approach. America Ventura Highway Guitar Chords The two-chord ‘G6/D-Dmaj7’ progression is the primary rhythm guitar part that is repeated throughout the Intro, Verse, and Chorus sections. Guitarist Dewey Bunnell uses the thumb to mute the bottom string for both chord shapes. How to Strum Ventura Highway by America The key to the Ventura Highway rhythm strum is to set a percussive ‘choppy’ feel with the right strumming hand. The muting effect is notated with ’x’s’, and can be obtained by slightly raising the fretting hand off the fretboard. Though there are many variations with strumming, start to focus on timing with a bass note/chord rhythm of: ‘bass-chop x-x-x chop-chop’). On the original recording, the very last ‘chop’ is occasionally muted. Keep time by emphasizing the bass note for each chord. America Ventura Highway Guitar Riffs Lesson On the original recording of Ventura Highway by America, two guitars play a repeated riff with slight variations throughout the Intro and Verse sections. The more-dominant sounding guitar riff can be played on either a twelve or six-string acoustic. Just prior to the Chorus, a doublestop riff works well for performances with just one lead guitarist. Aside from the opening riff to Ventura Highway, the entire sequence of guitar riffs is repeated during the second half of the song. All Ventura Highway guitar riffs are based from the ‘D’ Major scale. America Ventura Highway Songfacts America member Dewey Bunnell wrote Ventura Highway. In an interview Bunnell explained: “It was 1963 when I was in seventh grade, we got a flat tire and we’re standing on the side of the road and I was staring at this highway sign. It said ’Ventura’ on it and it just stuck with me. It was a sunny day and the ocean there, all of it.“ Bunnell added: “I remember vividly having this mental picture of the stretch of the coastlines traveling with my family when I was younger. Ventura Highway itself, there is no such beast, what I was really trying to depict was the Pacific Coast Highway, Highway 1, which goes up to the town of Ventura.“ Songwriting credits on America’s songs were typically assigned to whoever came up with the idea, and that person would be the one who sings on the track. The entire band often made some contributions to the compositions, and while Dewey Bunnell gets solo songwriting credit on this song, he did get some help. The band’s other primary songwriter, Gerry Beckley, told us: “the guitar lick on ’Ventura Highway’ is something that Dan [Peek] and I put together that really wasn’t a part of the song. The song is of course, super strong on its own. Someone to Call My Lover The opening guitar riff and musical hook to Ventura Highway by America is sampled throughout Janet Jackson’s 2001 song “Someone to Call My Lover“ by the production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis who were influenced by America and “Ventura Highway“ listening radio growing up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. America Ventura Highway Acoustic Guitar Backing Track [Karaoke Songs with Lyrics] Paluzzi Guitar The objective of the Paluzzi Guitar video series is to help establish a foundation of guitar fundamentals by applying various playing techniques (rhythm, fingerstyle, and soloing) to various styles of music. The more playing styles and techniques a guitarist can learn, the more diverse and self-sufficient a guitarist will become. A self-sufficient guitarist can then teach themselves, communicate with other musicians, and even write their own music once a solid foundation of fundamentals i
Back to Top