Resources & Next Steps

To continue improving and dive deeper into Western swing (and related styles), here are some hand-picked resources:

  • Books & Courses:

    • “Western Swing Guitar Style” by Joe Carr (Mel Bay) - An excellent book that covers rhythm guitar in Western swing. It contains many chord charts and explanations of common moves. (It even notes that Western swing rhythm involves “chord changes or substitutions every two beats” and lots of 7th, minor 7th, diminished chords amazon.com - sound familiar?)
    • “Western Swing Guitar: An Instruction Manual” - if available, this could be similar to the above, often with audio examples. (Joe Carr also has a Volume II and some video lessons that specifically show how to “spice up even the simplest two-chord song with sixths, ninths, minor sevenths, augmented, and diminished chords” texasmusicsupply.com.)
    • TrueFire or Udemy Western Swing courses - e.g., lessons by Whit Smith (Hot Club of Cowtown guitarist) or Ray Benson (Asleep at the Wheel) if available. They often teach Eldon’s style and include TAB.
    • Ment Morris’s Lessons - As you found, Ment Morris has transcriptions and courses on Eldon Shamblin’s rhythm style mentmorris.wordpress.com. These could be great to get accurate TABs of songs like “Bubbles in My Beer” and “Stay All Night” arranged in Eldon’s manner (he mentions providing full arrangements for those tunes mentmorris.wordpress.com ). Since you prefer TAB, a transcription could rapidly boost your learning - just be sure to also understand why those chords are used.

  • Online Videos:

    • YouTube has many Western swing guitar lessons. Search for “Western swing rhythm guitar lesson”. In particular, look for:
      • Lessons focusing on “sock rhythm” or Eldon Shamblin comping (some are free, some paid). For example, guitarist Hayes Griffin offered a free lesson on “Right or Wrong” sock rhythm chords (with PDF) youtube.com.
      • Whit Smith’s lesson on Western swing rhythm on the Acoustic Guitar magazine site youtube.com - he’s a contemporary master of the style.
      • Vintage footage of Bob Wills and Texas Playboys - watch Eldon Shamblin’s hands if visible. Even if you can’t see much detail, you’ll observe his timing and how he interacts with the band.
    • Western Swing Authority / Hot Club of Cowtown performances - modern bands where you can sometimes see the guitarists doing the rhythm in a small group setting (which might be more audible than old recordings).

  • Listening:

    • Keep listening to Bob Wills recordings, especially the Tiffany Transcriptions (great sound quality) and the reunion album “For The Last Time” (1973) - Shamblin’s rhythm work is loud and clear on that record mentmorris.wordpress.com.
    • Explore other Western swing bands : Spade Cooley, Milton Brown, Tex Williams, etc., to hear variations of rhythm style.
    • Also listen to some early jazz rhythm guitar (Freddie Green with Count Basie, for example) - it’s a more stripped-down 4-to-the-bar style, but it heavily influenced Western swing comping mentmorris.wordpress.com.

  • Practice regimen going forward:

    • Repetition and Repertoire: Continue adding songs to your practice list. Each new song will sharpen your skills and add maybe one new trick or chord to your vocabulary.
    • Focus on Weak Spots: If certain chord changes still trip you (e.g., diminished jumps, or moving between distant fret positions), make specific exercises for them and drill slowly.
    • Jam Sessions: If you can join a local jam or even an online jam track, do it. The real-time aspect will solidify your ability to keep form and react in real music settings.

Finally, remember to have fun with it. Western swing is joyful, danceable music - if you’re grinning while playing that “Fat Boy Rag” or swinging “Ida Red,” you’re doing it right! As Bob Wills might holler, “Ahh, let’s swing it boys!” Enjoy the journey, and swing on! premierguitar.com

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