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

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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 is established.

America Ventura Highway Guitar Lesson [Rhythm Strum Riffs Tab]

[gregghoff]

Beautifully presented with detailed instructions. Thank you sir.

[pradeepnair]

Thank you. That was the most complete lesson I found!

[jarmot.laitinen]

Very detailed and informative. Thank you for the effort.

[Andrlz_]

My mom and i loves this song, i can't thank you enough for such a well done lesson!

[talos]

You are in my opinion the BEST and you deserve to hear it. Thank you for making my Memorial Day 2024 more memorable with this video.

[tcretella]

Nice and perfect for those who want to play better

[jenniebaldonaza]

You finally divulged the matter of my concern now it has been solved; thank you.

[jamieminsky]

Very good and I have played guitar since 9 and I am 65!

[napo.x]

I am following your Space Oddity video and dig your teaching method Bravo Sir! Subbed will be check out other videos on your channel

[zseeley]

Seem like it could be a good lesson. I would have listened to the whole thing if you played the song first, then the lesson.

[cm]

I can't learn guitar from YouTube. Lots of people swear by it. Doesn't work for me🤷‍♀️

[gordonlawson]

As with most guitar lesson videos they are too slow and designed for beginners. Not for intermediate +