How to Play Whiskey River by Willie Nelson Chords on Guitar
Whiskey River is a classic country song by Willie Nelson, first recorded in 1972 and released as a single in 1973. The song became one of Nelson’s signature tunes and a staple of his live performances. Whiskey River is a simple but catchy song that features a catchy chorus and a twangy guitar solo. In this article, we will show you how to play Whiskey River by Willie Nelson on guitar, using chords, strumming patterns, and tabs.
Chords
Whiskey River take my mind G Don't let her memory torture me D7 Whiskey River don't run dry G You're all I've got take care of me G C Whiskey River take my mind G Don't let her memory torture me D7 Whiskey River don't run dry G You're all I've got take care of me [Verse 1] G C I'm drowning in a whiskey river G Bathing my mem'ried mind A7 D7 In the wetness of its soul G Feeling the amber current G7 C Flowing from my mind D7 G And leaving a heart you left so cold [Chorus] C Whiskey River take my mind G Don't let her memory torture me D7 Whiskey River don't run dry G You're all I've got take care of me [Instrumental] C G D7 G [Verse 2] G C I'm drowning in a whiskey river G Bathing my mem'ried mind A7 D7 In the wetness of its soul G Feeling the amber current G7 C Flowing from my mind D7 G And leaving a heart you left so cold [Chorus] C Whiskey River take my mind G Don't let her memory torture me D7 Whiskey River don't run dry G You're all I've got take care of me [Outro] C G D7 G C G D7 G Whiskey River take my mind
Strumming Pattern
The strumming pattern for Whiskey River is a simple down-up-down-up pattern that repeats throughout the song. You can accent the first and third beats of each measure to give the song some groove and rhythm. Here is the strumming pattern written in tab notation:
e|—————–|—————–| B|—————–|—————–| G|—————–|—————–| D|—————–|—————–| A|—————–|—————–| E|-3—3—3—3—|-3—3—3—3—| D U D U D U D U
Song Structure
Whiskey River has a simple song structure that consists of a chorus and two verses, with an instrumental break after the first chorus. The chorus is repeated four times throughout the song, and the verses are sung twice. Here is the song structure with the chords for each section:
[Chorus] C G Whiskey River take my mind D7 Don’t let her memory torture me G C Whiskey River don’t run dry G D7 G You’re all I’ve got take care of me
[Verse 1] G C I’m drowning in a whiskey river G A7 D7 Bathing my mem’ried mind in the wetness of its soul G G7 C Feeling the amber current flowing from my mind D7 G And leaving a heart you left so cold
[Chorus]
[Instrumental] C G D7 G (x4)
[Verse 2] G C I’m drowning in a whiskey river G A7 D7 Bathing my mem’ried mind in the wetness of its soul G G7 C Feeling the amber current flowing from my mind D7 G And leaving a heart you left so cold
[Chorus] (x2)
[Outro] C G D7 G (x2)
Guitar Solo
The guitar solo for Whiskey River is played over the chorus chords, and uses the G major pentatonic scale. The solo is not very difficult, but it requires some bending and sliding techniques to make it sound smooth and expressive. Here is the tab for the guitar solo:
e|——————————————|——————————————| B|-8b10r8p6–8b10r8p6–8b10r8p6–8b10r8p6—|-8b10r8p6–8b10r8p6–8b10r8p6–8b10r8p6—| G|———–7—————–7————|———–7—————–7————| D|——————————————|——————————————| A|——————————————|——————————————| E|——————————————|——————————————|
e|-13p11p10–13p11p10–13p11p10–13p11p10—|-13p11p10–13p11p10–13p11p10–13/15\17~~-| B|———–13——-13——-13——-13–|———–13——-13——-13———–| G|——————————————|——————————————| D|——————————————|——————————————| A|——————————————|——————————————| E|——————————————|——————————————|
Conclusion
Whiskey River is a great song to learn if you want to play some classic country music on your guitar. The song is easy to play, but also fun and catchy. You can use the chords, strumming pattern, and tabs in this article to play along with the original recording or your own backing track. You can also improvise your own guitar solo using the G major pentatonic scale. Whiskey River is a song that will make you feel good and sing along, so grab your guitar and give it a try.
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