Welcome to my Alan Jackson songs page for the acoustic player where you will find seventeen great country demos / lessons on this page. There are also additional Alan Jackson Love Songs here that you can learn on the acoustic and several Alan Jackson Gospel Songs in this section.
Below are free demos on how I specifically play Alan Jackson hits on guitar as well as free pdf chord sheets you can download. I also explain some of the strumming techniques you'll need to play these Alan Jackson songs like Chattahoochee, Gone Country, It's Five o'clock Somewhere and more. Full lesson tutorials are also available for a small fee.
In this song "Bug In My Margarita" or aka "Long Long Way To Go" ... I'm using a Drop D tuning and a capo on the 2nd fret.
Rhythm in this song is a simple root up down up and repeat except where there is picking, in which case you'll notice I'm using a lot of downstrokes to cover off that section.
The chords move around pretty fast in this one but overall not a difficult play. The picking may be a bit challenging for some.
As are many of Alan Jackson songs, this one has just three chords and they are D, G and A or A7 if you prefer.
Chasin That Neon Rainbow was one of those for Alan Jackson songs that was co-written with Jim McBride.
This one gets a bit high in the vocal department. The song is in G originally and then moves up to an A in the last part of the song, so be ready.
It has a simple root up down up rhythm pattern so nothing complicated in that area but where it does get tricky is throwing in those guitar licks throughout the song while singing. The walk and chew gum at the same time moments.
I cover all of those riffs and picking segments of course in the full lesson and that goes with all of my tutorials.
The chords you'll need here are a G, C, D, D/Gb, Em, A7 for the first half of the song. When the key change kicks in you'll use an A, D, E, A/Ab, Gbm and a B7.
Jim McBride wrote or co-wrote several Alan Jackson songs including Chattahoochee that managed a #1 hit in both the US and Canada back in 1993.
As far as complicated goes, this one rates up there as you'll see from trying to pick and play rhythm at the same time and the fact that the background guitar and the fiddle player are all over this one.
If you're looking for a page with just the lyrics on it, I have a separate Alan Jackson Chattahoochee lyrics page.
For the rhythm you have two choices. You can play a simple root up down up pattern or you can play a bit of bass by playing root up down up, bass up down up and repeat. This is moving pretty fast but it's doing on some chords, mainly the C chord.
The Chattahoochee chords are C, G, G7, F and D7.
Bob McDill wrote a few Alan Jackson songs and Gone Country was one of 31 number one hits he penned for various artists during his active period from 1960-2000. Alan Jackson released Gone Country in Nov 1994.
This song has a familiar riff that can be played under the rhythm as the song progresses.
Fortunately there isn't any heavy lead work in here but there is a small break that can be added in even tho the break is a steel guitar.
The rhythm here is a simple root up down up and repeat as you work in that riff.
The Gone Country chords are G, D, C and an Em. I have a separate Gone Country Lyrics page if you just need to download the lyrics to the song.
Here In The Real World was recorded with a capo on the first fret but in my version here I'm in standard pitch tuning.
I'm picking out an intro and doing a picking section in the middle and some slides during the last half of the song, so this one is a bit of a bust play.
The rhythm is a standard country rhythm of root up down up or you could use some bass notes and play root up down up bass up down up. You won't use many bass notes however if you're playing some riffs as in the last verse of the song.
For chords you'll use a D, G, A, Em and a Gbm.
In this song called Home there are several patterns going on I'd like to point out.
First off, this one has an arpeggio beginning in the first verse. then picks up with a root up root up down up which is a bit of a different pattern if you're not used to it. Finally the chorus uses a root down up root up down up and repeats.
There isn't much picking in here, just a riff or two and a longer one at the end of the song.
Again another one of those simple three chord Alan Jackson songs using the C, F and G. This one I found a bit high to sing in this key.
It's Five O'Clock Somewhere was a very successful duet with Jimmy Buffett and one of those Alan Jackson songs people can easily relate to.
You'll find Drop D handy in many songs and it stands out in this one when you listen to the opening picking riff.
Rhythm wise this one is a root up down up and repeat but there are various riffs scattered throughout the song that add a bit of texture when playing this one alone.
You'll need a D, G, A7, Asus, Bm, A/Db and an Em.
You don't usually associate Alan Jackson with rock and roll, but Jim & Jack & Hank has that sort of vibe.
It's another one of those Alan Jackson songs with three chord but in this one I'm using a Drop D tuning and a capo on the 2nd fret, which puts me in the key of E.
I say a rock n roll vibe because this one is all own strokes and allows you to play that rock and roll style all the way throughout. A short picking break in the middle of this one.
I'm playing a D, G and an A chord.
This song was written in memory of Hank Williams.
Midnight In Montgomery is one of those Alan Jackson songs with an erie vibe to it and only has a few chords with no lead guitar to worry about.
You can use a combo of arpeggio picking and rhythm to get through this one. Once you begin strumming you can use a down down up down up down up pattern and repeat until needed again.
And visit here if you just want the Midnight In Montgomery lyrics.
The Midnight In Montgomery chords are Dm, C, A# and A7.
Every now and then a key change occurs in Alan Jackson songs and that's the case in this one called Pop A Top.
This one has a walking bass component to it which is fully explained in the lesson while the right hand does a steady down up down up rhythm pattern. There are two breaks in here but I just played the first one.
The songs begins in a G,C and a D and then a whole step shift up to the A, D and E chords.
This one called Right On The Money was recorded a fret above standard pitch in D#.
There is a beginning riff and an ending riff but in my version here there isn't any lead break.
You can strum this with an all downstroke chop or use a down down up down down up as you move thru this one. Or in the chorus you can switch over to a down up down up and repeat that pattern.
Unlike many Alan Jackson songs, this one has quite a few chords in it. A chord sheet will be available soon but for now you can use a D, Adim, Em, A7, G, Dmaj7, Gbm, Bm and an F.
She's Got The Rhythm And I Got The Blues is a soulful sounding number played in A. It has that slow bump and grid kinda vibe and is a great song to learn.
The rhythm here is for the most part all downstrokes but you can combine some upstrokes as I do in my demo without giving it much thought. There are a few riffs and a picking break you'll want to include as well.
The only four chords you'll need are A, D E and a B7.
Small Town Southern Man is played with a capo on the 1st fret but it may be a bit low for some. Drop D tuning comes in handy here as you'll see.
If there was such a thing as an Alan Jackson songs album of three chord songs, this one would be on it.
You can strum this one with a root up down up pattern and pick out that ever so familiar riff. the Small Town Southern Man chords are D, G and A. And you can pick up just the Small Town Southern Man lyrics here.
Alan Jackson recorded this song called Thank God For The Radio several years after The Kendall's first recorded the song. The song was written by well known Nashville writer the late Max Barnes.
The rhythm here is a smooth root up down up bass up down up with a place for some picking if you choose to add some to the song.
In this four chord song you'll need an A, D, G and a Bm.
Well if you're not convinced by now that many Alan Jackson songs are played in three chords I don't know what to tell you.
The Older I Get is a three chord song and in this one I'm using a Drop D tuning. There are other subtle chords you can throw in like a Dsus or an A7sus, but three chords will still work here.
You can mix in some arpeggio note picking in a few places but rhythm wise but this one is mainly down down up down up down up and repeat. A little bit of picking is required in this one.
The chords used are D, G and A7.
This is one of those Alan Jackson songs that hits close to home. Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning of course is about 911.
You can play this with arpeggio in the verses and then use a down down up down up down up rhythm pattern in the chorus. Or you can do some arpeggio and some strumming and mix up the two patterns.
There is no picking break in this one and the chords used here are C, F, G, Am and Am/G.
You Can Always Come Home starts out slow, and the last verse slows down also, but in between this one is a toe tapper.
A root down up down up pattern will get you through this one with a little picking thrown in for good measure.
I'm playing with a capo on the 2nd fret in Drop D tuning and using the D, G, Bm and A7 chords.
So there you have it. Seventeen Alan Jackson songs you can learn on the acoustic guitar and another twenty awaiting if you check out the Alan Jackson Love Songs and the Alan Jackson Gospel Songs pages. I hope you found the info here useful.