How to play 867-5309/Jenny - Tommy Tutone

In this lesson I am gonna show you a note-for-note breakdown of how to play 867-5309/Jenny, the 80's smash hit by Tommy Tutone.

There are quite a lot of cool guitar riffs to learn in this one, many of them layered on top of one another. For the most part though, each section does have a dominant guitar part so playing the whole song with just one guitar can sound fine.

We start with that classic intro that is instantly recognizable. For the beginner level player this opening riff can be a nice arpeggiated picking exercise.

From there we launch into the main chord riff consisting of mostly power chords with a couple of cool licks thrown in.

The double-stop lick that happens during this section occurs a few times during the song so you will want to master it. It makes for a nice challenge as well to play it up to speed. I like to use hybrid picking for guitar riffs like this and I suggest you try to do the same. You will be able to control the sound of the notes much better that way.

As we move on through the lesson, I will also be showing you some overdubs that are played over the verse. You can choose to play those or not. I think they can be a nice way of keeping the sound varied since the verse and chorus are so similar.

During the bridge section you will need to be able to confidently play barre chords that move around at a pretty quick tempo. There is also some arpeggiated picking going on here as well.

Finally, we make it to the solo. I think the solo is really cool and has sort of a dark quality about it for such a poppy song. It is very blues influenced and contains some subtle bends, slides and staccato notes. I suggest listening to the original recording multiple times until you have the solo memorized by ear before learning it in this video lesson. Or you can just listen to my performance over and over again. :)

So have fun with this 80's rock classic!

Carl...

[muleunit]

Is there any song you didn't make a lesson for???? You're the best man, I love you. Thank you so much!

[idw]

My cover band just revived this song now that I've recently joined them on lead guitar. This lesson is awesome because it covers all the main licks as well as the more subtle ones that all make the cover performance more realistic. Also, kudos on the three screen video. That is super helpful
Thanks a million, you have a new subscriber.

[ab-rrbs]

Thank you for being one of those guys who plays it right off the bat instead of talking. I always just need to see someone else play it.

[dawnrussell]

You might be right about the crazy train thing, crazy train was out
About a year before Jenny. But what a great lick to rehash !
Your lessons are great. You don't over teach, most pickers that
Watch your videos I think are good enough players that don't have to have
Licks broken down to the point of boredom.

[JokersWild]

Best tutorials on YouTube. Love the 3 angles, and how he really explains things that anyone that does or doesn't read music. Awesome.

[noisyboy]

I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS SONG TUTORIAL SINCE LIKE FOUR O FIVE YEARS!! THNAKS!! GOD BLESS YOU!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🙏🙏🙏

[aardvarkusrex]

Just found a pitch-corrected version of Jenny out on YT. Makes applying your lesson a lot easier. Great tutorial, Carl!

[timhansen]

Oh man, the memories this catchy song brings back...Thanks a lot for the lesson- you made it easy even for an oldfart like me!

[LuisLozano]

finally a lesson gets straight to the nuts n bolts that u can use live! ive been playing this fr years but gettin old u forget more than u evr learnt then goin back to it got bit stuck ..dunno why lol..old guys brain.. ..thanx heaps n hi from Australia!

[evimlck]

!!!I love the rhythm guitar & riffs the best in this song. There's a lot going on and I have listened to the beginning of this video and you sure rock it!!!! Awesome! Jenny is worth learning.

[foorankoo]

Hey, Carl- you have the some of the best technique out there. Thx much

[MrWilky]

Carl. Thank you so much for your instruction. You and your bro are amazing

[shafersongs]

These are among the easiest and most comprehensive lessons on YT. Good work! Thanks.

[WhaleBluePRS]

I'm in a trio and will be singing this. Having all the parts worked out here will make my job much easier. I remember when this came out and had just met a girl named Jenny. Ahhh.. the memories music can resurrect!

[JohnnyPirahna]

Hey Carl!! Great lesson. I've been playing my original owner Fender Jaguar for 54 years now, I have the ear does not transpose to my fingers. Once I see how it's done, it's a piece o' cake. Thanks for your most awesome lesson. You don't  waste time with all of the B.S. so prevalent  in many  lessons....you get right down to showing HOW it's done. I appreciate it!  John Boyer

[msi.gaming]

this is the 4th song you've managed to teach me tonight.... which is more then I've learned in the past 4 weeks! Fast & easy lessons, I will be subscribing to your patreon account for sure !

[jamesnielsen]

Well displayed lesson. Really like the 3 camera angle. Best presentation of any guitar lesson I've scene. Thank you.

[williamkelly]

Carl, thanks for breaking this great tune down. One of the tastiest intro licks ever.

[mscottashley]

Great lesson. This is a great guitar song and always goes over with the crowd. . Every bar band needs to rock this one

[daleg.]

Thanks for another very helpful lesson!

I find it easier to play the beginning part with fingers 2, 3, and 4. Just slide 2 and 3 back to the 4th fret without changing which strings they are on. Makes for a an easier transition because your fingers don't have to move as far. (Playing the first part with 1 and 2 shifts 3 and 4 farther down the neck). And for me using my smaller fingers means less unintentional muting of strings. Interestingly, that recurring fill that comes in during the verses starts in the same position as the beginning part. I use the same fingering.