Surprisingly (to me, anyway) I’ve had a lot of requests recently to demonstrate one of my own songs.
It’s an older one, but “Don’t Lie” always seems to be a favorite, so today I’ll walk you through the basic rhythm and changes for the song. And if you’ve never heard, there’s a fun video below where you can hear the original song…
Downloads of this video – MP4 | TAB (PDF)
Now… this next video is the original recording of the song, from my most recent release (2019) with The Single Barrel Blues Band:
73 replies to "Don’t Lie Rhythm"
Sounds great 👍🏻 I’ve been avid follower of your teachings awhile now. Best
Michael
Great song! I love it!
Oh yes. Happy Birthday Griff, will put it in my book. You’re not even aging much
The riff is mostly SRV, but nice song Griff. You gave it your own feel
Really love this song Griff, one of my all time favourites, so thanks for the lesson.
Happy birthday spud
and don’t for get the first rule of being over 50
All birthdays are gratefully accepted
definitely not an anticlimax when you consider some of the alternatives
Happy Birthday! I hope it’s the best so far with many more to come!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRIFF AND MANY YEARS GUITAR PLAYING.
Love the song! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Griff,
Wow man! That’s a terrific song and nice chops. When you 1st starting showing how you play it, I thought that it’s was just like a SRV tune, however upon listen to the tune, it’s quite original end just has that “Cold Shot” feel to it. Thanx! – Jack
Definitely SRV. I’ve learned so much
about his style from you, thanks.
Happy Birthday Sir Griff!
(you’re a baby, I’ll be 67 in a few months)
Tom G
Great song!! Oh and Happy Birthday youngster!!
Great song Griff From a South oak cliff, That’s Dallas to you who don’t know great song . Sounds like something I used to hear in these parts .
I agree. Grew up in Oak Cliff. Went to school with SRV and Jimmie. I guess I’m old. But you are right. Good tunes fromthere
I bought your album on iTunes. It’s great. I really like this tune very much and want to thank you for giving us this lesson. It’s great.
Great song and great video. You know I can’t help thinking that if you were a promoter and you put this guy Hamlin on stage with Matt Schofield, Josh Smith, Eric Gales and maybe even John Mayer that he wouldn’t let the side down one little bit.
Who was that young stud? 😉
Seemed like in the video it was out of sync with the playing. good tune non the less. Will give it a shot but I tend to play more slow blues .bb king box.
Thanks for teaching us that cool song!! The video was also really good and of course the guitar playing was awesome!! Was that your wife that smashes the record in the beginning:)
The lady who smashed the record was Donna Reed from the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Hi Griff
Nice to see you starting to cover your own stuff.I think there’s more people interested than you may think. I would love to see you go over your song Where Would I Begin still one of my favorites from any artist.
Finally, got the CD from CDBaby!
Excellent stuff Griff! Thanks for sending it out to us.
5/25/19
I’m surprised that there isn’t any mention at all of the heavy string muting involved in this style. It’s integral to the sound and not so easy. A couple people posted here were wondering about it and don’t seem to know about it.
Great lesson and I love this style of playing – really clever to get that percussive feel throughout. More of these please Griff!
Thanks griff, hey you have been in the rotation on b.b. Kings bluesville. I drive a truck cross country and have heard your recent release a few times now. Good to see you guys getting some recognition. Enjoy your day.
a lot (most?) of the solos in that mashup were not you. Somebody went to a lot of trouble to sync everything up and it worked. Do you know who was the player, KWS?
And the song (chord progression and lyrics) is cool regardless.
Reminds me of KWS “Somehow, Somewhere, Someway”
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=kenny+wayne+shepherd+somehow%2c+somewhere%2c+someway&&view=detail&mid=32E39F80133590C7039A32E39F80133590C7039A&FORM=VRDGAR
Awesome! Really cool! I am stealing this for sure.
Griff:
Am I correct in thinking you are not really picking each note but just including them in the sweep action you are doing? At speed it’s hard to tell but it doesn’t look like you are picking them specifically
Very good performance good to see you have talent and exultant teaching videos. Keep this going. Also do you have your CD’s n pal formate.
Wow!!! That was great,I wish I could do that.Good job!
very nice. tx. sing more . . . u r good. xo
SRV &KWS heavy influence for sure.
Cool song!
Thank you for taking the time to describe the settings on both your guitar and pedal to get that tone.
I too am loving this song!!
I’ve never seen you play live before so am very glad that you shared!
Lots of you have said SRV, and I don’t think you’re wrong….
The other guitar player I think of when I hear this is Kenny Wayne Sheppard. Others agree?
Doh! That will teach me for responding before watching all the videos. Clearly it’s a KWS inspired song too.
Love it!
AWESOME,
Griff why hasn’t Eric Clapton or any of the other BIG blues names covered this song?????????
TREEEEEMENDOUS BOY!
oh and by the way thanks for all your free lessons
Great Stuff Griff, Love the Energy….Cheers
Really want to learn this. Where can I find the lyrics?
Hey Griff,
You have to show us How to play your own songs maybe the next BGIAB V3..This song is so COOL that I am going to learn the Rhythm of it. It just has a great groove & feeling.. I have a Strat same colour as yours, not sure I have a tube screamer but on my Boss ME 80 (Effects Board) it is bound to be in there or close to.
This song seems to have the influence of SRV sound but much better.. because it comes from our best guitar teacher Griff Hamlin.
Michael-Sydney-Australia 29 April 2017.
A few years ago? Mon ami, that live recording was of a gig a decade ago!
This makes for a great opening song! This one is stoked with lots of coffee! caffeinated indeed!
I enjoy this number and the style. But it’s your song. Lots of high-class attention getter…
I printed out the sheet music, maybe hope to learn a portion of this. I have lots of learning to do.
Thank you, Grif!
Good tune. Stevie Ray is not easy to get his groove down right. Best I have herd is him and Albert in session recording and they both were a pure delight to listen too.
I’m truly amazed! I watched Joe Bonamassa at the Greek show the other day. He’s exceptional, but… I much prefer watching what you have demonstrated with this video. I can’t play very well yet but watching this video inspires me to keep at it. BTW you’re instruction is by far the best that I have been able to find anywhere.
Re the best instruction : I second that emotion. As Jimi said, “Play on…play on.”
Great song. It has a cool groove to it.
Thanks
Neil
That was very cool! I couldn’t see you picking the notes. Look to me like you were just strumming. I need to slow this way down so I can see how you picked the notes. I want to learn to play this. I really dug it.
I have slowed it way down (50%, 25%)–you simply can’t see the note being picked. I assume that he is extremely good at muting 5 strings because the notes being played are very clean and clear with no mute noise that I can detect–so clean it’s as if someone else was playing them (looper?). The only way I can get that clean a sound is by playing the whole thing finger style–but of course you loose the SRV effect in doing so.
Griff, please enlighten us….with either a comment or another follow-on lesson.
Saw you do this song at BGU Live and really loved it. I was hoping to learn it. This is perfect! Thanks.
Hi, Griff.
That’s just a GREAT song. I liked it VERY much.
you say it’s been a while since your last album.
Make another. “Don’t Lie” is just great.
Great song Griff! Love the haunting sound of the turnaround!!
BTW, that song and the rest of the album is available on iTunes. 😎
Love it! Thank you for sharing!
Well damn, Griff, that was cool!
Griff, that was AWESOME, fun to watch and hear and very inspirational!
Oh yeah the boy can sing to Your juat to kewell 4 School.
makes me wanna burn my guitars.
well maby not
Cheers Griff
For the lesson how did you leave this one out
Of the gig in a box courses 😎🎶
Very SRV like rhythm pattern. I was always partial to your song When Evil Comes. Love to play along to that song. Loved your album when it came out always disappointed you didn’t follow up!
Awesome Griff!!! I concur with whoever said how about showing us the whole thing, thank you 🎸⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I knew you were a great guitar player, but you sing very well too. That’s just not fair 😭. How come so many musicians can do both? I will be happy just to crack the guitar.
Hey Griff – that was truly Awesome! You really should put more of your songs out there. Top blues vocals too. You been keeping this stuff from us? I just loved it Griff.
Thank you
Very enjoyable, hope our responses encourage you to give us all of this great tune, many thanks.
How cool would it be to learn that song and then get to play it with Griff’s band? Oh wait, that happened.
Yeah, every chance I get with Griff and his band…the first song I play and last year he allowed me to do some vocals…if you are a SRV fan you gotta love this song…my favorite at every BGU event
Griff: Thanks for the lesson – great tune and good lesson. Love the son as well.
It’s a pity you didn’t put the PDF on two pages, so that both could be open at the same time. It’s more awkward to have a PDF on three pages on the music stand.
Really John? REALLY…
WOW!!!! any more like that? That is something to aspire to. Great Griff, thanks.
Must really like Stevie Ray.Saw him live when he was just getting started. You sound and play very close when he was younger. Excellent great listening tune. Paul
Great song….just wanted to give you a heads up. The last two video clips I received from you aren’t synced. The video and audio are out of sync.
Nice job Griff. You have a great voice. I like the tune…a little SRV-ish. Great playing.
Love the song and look forward to learning the lead parts. Were you using a looper when you were playing the lead?
Where’s that been hiding!…great voice!….smoking guitar!