Wilco "Kingpin" Guitar Solo

Lesson description: Wilco's Being There is one of those records I can remember where I was when I first heard it. It was 1999. I was at a bar in Boston, MA, filling out a job application to get a catering gig and "Why Would You Wanna Live" came on the house stereo. I was transfixed. The combination of old-timey instruments, Beatles-y chord progressions, and Jeff Tweedy's sincere and scratchy vocals had me.

Once I bought the record and listened to it a hundred times, I started to notice the creativity and talent of Jay Bennett. He was a great instrumentalist and arranger, and could play the sh*t out of a guitar!

This solo is an excellent lesson applying the principles of pedal steel country guitar licks in a Stones-ian context. Notice how many of the bends are not the typical blues bends. It's more about looking at a scale, and finding a way to use bends to move through it.

Video version: https://youtu.be/i0AduuOUBJo

Format: Sibelius-created digital score with tabs & standard notation

Delivery: Tablature is available as convenient .pdf download, and my custom made backing track is included as a free extra! You'll find the download links on your checkout page and in your email. We encourage you to make a customer account when you check out, so all your future purchases can be found in one place.