Tom Sawyer Guitar Lesson - Rush

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In this Tom Sawyer guitar lesson video, I will show you how to play all of this Rush classic on the guitar.

Guitarist Alex Lifeson uses some unique chord voicings along with some tricky riffs throughout this rock masterpiece. His solo was improvised through 5 different takes. The final solo that appears on the record is a combination of the best parts of each of those takes.

The guitar enters with a layered guitar riff. The way I will teach it in the lesson is the way Alex Lifeson plays "Tom Sawyer" live. The chords create a very full and rich texture throughout the into and verse.

After the verse we get to what I believe is probably the hardest part of the song. The pre-chorus consists of a tricky riff that requires you to accent an ascending and descending bass line while arpeggiating chords on top. I will break down this section in detail so you will know how to approach it and make it sound like the album.

The chorus section is by far the easiest part to play of the entire song. It consists of just basic chords throughout.

There is a quick little musical interlude section that is dominated by a keyboard melody that is eventually taken by the guitar an octave lower. Just for fun I have transcribed this keyboard melody on the guitar and of course Alex Lifeson's guitar riff that he uses to join the keyboards. The way Alex Lifeson fingered this riff requires some pretty quick shifting, but is very fun to play.

For the guitar solo, I will break down each phrase note-by-note which I feel is the best way to tackle it. There isn't anything overly difficult in the solo even though there are definitely small licks in there that were "winged" to quote Alex Lifeson. In a couple parts of the solo it can get a bit erratic and difficult to recreate, but for the most part it is a melodic solo that is easy to follow.

The final riff of the song consists of just two chords but the rhythm can be a bit tricky. However, if you can play the pre-chorus, you won't have much trouble with the outro riff.

Hope you guys enjoy learning this incredible rock classic from Rush! #tomsawyerguitarlesson #rush #guitarcovers

Carl...

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Finally learning this because of Neil Peart's death, such a legend

brendanslomski

Yep, I'll be listening to some Rush on the way to work this morning. Thanks Carl, you're awesome.

junglegrowler

I wish you would do a lesson for La Villa Strangiato.

joelsimpson

Carl I've been waiting for you to do rush for months!

japellan

Guitar master. I tried playing the riff before the solo in 4th position. Easier for me. Carl plays it like the artist. Thanks for all the lessons!

mikezingone

I can’t find anyone that breaks down Jacobs Ladder. If you’re looking for another Rush song I know fans would love to see that one.

analogstyle

Probably the most talented, best guitarist of all the people doing this online... however, might you name these chords (for future reference)? Sorry, a little geeky request I know.

frankvet