How To Play Free Bird By Lynyrd Skynyrd - Guitar Lesson

In this video I demonstrate how to play the song Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd. I go over the the verse and chorus as long as the big finale in the end. I show how to play the main theme solo with and without a slide and offer a slew of soloing techniques on how to sound and perform the ending solo for the song. I also cover tone tips and phrasing tips along with some casual discussion around performance and phrasing. I hope you enjoy the video. Please subscribe!

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[tysondog-original]

Today at work, I heard Free Bird. I thought, I never learned that song. I never tried to learn that song. I want to learn that song.
So, I got home, turned on Youtube, thinking I'll search how to play Free Bird.
I see Marty has a new video. Oh, I'll watch that first, then search for Free Bird...
I kid you not...🤯

[ScoobyStrat]

I’ve had a slide for years and have never tried it. Marty, you just gave me a reason. Thanks for the lesson.✌🏻

[chesterproudfoot]

Excellent lesson, Marty! I finally had the time to sit down with this and follow along. I maintain that this is THE MOST DANGEROUS SONG EVER to play while driving. 🎸🎸🎸

[supersimito]

Man the top on that guitar really pops and is spectacular. Bea Utiful

[Murikann]

Thanks Marty. Just got a LP few weeks ago perfect song to learn

[Coopersx]

I love your shirt!!! The Devils Rejects is one of my favorite movies but most people I talk to today never heard of it. Took me a sec to realize the "Free Bird" ending...I love that part! Perfect for your lesson! I pretty much learned the intro like you play it without a slide but I definitely picked up a couple of sweet notes from your lesson that i was missing...though I never refined my version since the 70's. Thanks for all of your videos. Great stuff!

Foot note- Lynyrd Skynyrd, Dickey Betts and The Great Southern, the J Geils Band and Peter Frampton performed at the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia June of 1977 before a crowd of 91, 000. Great concert! The year before (1976) "Yes" performed there before a crowd of 120, 00-130, 00. I attended both. They used to call them dance concerts. (They would fill all the seats and then fill the field or floor so that there was standing room only). I don't think they do concerts like that anymore today. I googled those two concerts recently and was surprised to find a lot of pictures from those shows and then I saw an aerial view of the crowded stadium. It blew my mind, It was an unbelievable site looking down on the filled stadium from above..it was filled to the brink with people. I believe that image came from WMMR...a popular Philadelphia FM radio station of the time . WYSP and WMMR were the popular philly stations. Their was no internet or cell phones and MTV didn't even exist Lol. Oh.. and the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia was tore down a long time ago and the Wells Fargo center was built on those grounds. Home of the Philadelphia Flyers and the NBA 76'ers. Oh...just realized...and the Yes concert at JFK 1976 was also a celebration for the Bi-Centennial..200 year anniversary...July 4th 1776.

[NeptunesLagoon]

At keg party’s back in the 80s and 90s this was a must do song, and all the way thru til today… even country people ask for it… the leads are somewhat monotonous, but that’s it! You could always get a decent reaction if you pulled it off…
Great lesson again Marty! 😅

[northtone]

Nice tutorial! Thanks for posting. Your channel is very informative.

[TechFlowwithNate]

Awesome lesson! You really know how to explain and actually show what's going on is terrific! Thank you!

[geoffreylowery]

Thanks Marty! I dont know why but ive seen Skynerd more tgan any other band. It seems theyd be at any festival or even races for years. Free Bird live is an institution around here.

[jerryhayden]

Awesome job. I’ve been away from playing for a few years and Am fiddling around with the guitar somewhat again, finally & you did an awesome job of explaining & showing how to play Free Bird & with some great, acceptable slight variations “AND” using a slide as honestly, that’s how it’s supposed to be played. Don’t know why I haven’t noticed your platform before now but I’m glad I did because you’re good & please except the compliment from an old returning musician & for the kicker, my parents were teachers so I think I’m qualified enough to hand out a star or two to put on top of a paper. 👍☝️

[johnCjr]

Great looking Gibson, Thanks for the Lesson, It was Ronny before the crash, now its Johnny . 😮

[pete-gc]

Great lesson ! You finally explained it slow enough for metro grasp it! Beautiful LP!

[reharris]

It’s the late great Ronnie Van Zant you must of played with Johnny or Donnie the 38 special member. This band is special to me I grew up in Jacksonville Florida right down the road from Lakeshore Baseball park where the band all started ahh Gary Rossington on the slide so many great licks Gimme 3 steps with the hybrid picking Allen Collins the Genius of Ed King my guitar hero’s great one Marty 🎉

[JustinSmithPYRO]

Thanks for the lesson 🤘🤘 that was friggin awesome. Now i got to get my slide out and try it 😂 not to mention all the parts i hadn't figured out yet. Got the main rhythm of the song down, but not the rest of it. Where I've only played rhythm my whole life, and now want to figure out the rest of it.

[dwainphillips]

Allen Collins was a great guitar player, and songwriter. He wrote that song year's before they were ever any body. People always said when he played it was like being drawn to him. He had a certain energy that only a few have.

[daveallsopp]

Just found your channel 🎸 new sub 👍🏻 liking the way you teach Marty. Love this song…. now to learn it 👍🏻 cheers buddy 👍🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🎸

[CarrigansGuitarClub]

Top quality Marty....I don't think you ever done Sweet Home Alabama though!

[jerry_fishguy]

Great lesson! Love that sound your getting. I want to emulate that.

[TylerJohnstonGuitar]

The hardest part of Free Bird? Remembering how it goes 😂