Downloads
This Video (MP4)This video in downloadable MP4 version. This is good for Macs, Ipads, and some PCs that use iTunes.
The TAB (PDF)Here's the TAB to the vanilla arrangement. I also added basic chords so you would know where to put bass notes if you choose. The rest is up to you so have fun with it and experiment!
66 replies to "Independence Day 2014 Star Spangled Banner"
I’ve enjoyed playing this vanilla version of the Star Spangled banner for years and I continue to try and transpose the notes up the fret board like you do in the video, however have note been able to get it. i know you say you’ll leave the rest up to me, but I just can’t seem to get it! Every year
I get hopeful you’ll embellish the the tab to show how to work up the neck.
The tab doesn’t work how do I get it
2020 Very cool again!
In August 69, I turned 16. My buddy and 3 other guys were all set to head to Woodstock. I ended up getting a summer job and couldnt go. What a bummer that was. I remember hearing Hendrix play that and was floored at how cool it sounded. I made it my Signature song for the end of every gig that we played. Always a Crowd Pleaser for sure. I had a 64 Gretsch Astro Jet and Custom 200 amp. What a sound it made. Wish I still had those today. Keep up the Great lessons. You Rock.
Hi Griff,
At 72 you already know what I am cranking up tomorrow!!!!!! A MCCARTY 594 and 300 watts of STAR SPANGLED BANNER yaaaaahoo!!!!😷🧤😎🎸🎙🎶🔊 HAPPY FOURTH TO ALL!
Iam a viet nam vet and whenever I hear this song it seems to put things back in perspective. I will have all my doors and windows open tomorrow when I fire up my 300 watt Haffler power amp with T2 TUBE PULL BOOST the neighbors will freak. Im 71 and I will tell them Griff made me do it. Awesome video Griff thank you. Were is my 594 I wil do it today and tomorrow ha ha ha. HAPPY 4 th all.
Go for it Chris Clemans. I agree with you. I remember it from August 1969 when Hendrix took the stage at Woodstock and played the 3 minute 46 second version of the song. Awesome. I am going to learn it too Chris. I am also 71 this month and it reminds me of the Viet Nam era because I served with the U.S. Air Force. Wake up the neighbors with that tune and it will be something for them to remember. I am going to do the same next year. Got to prepare for a performance at our local community event center this morning. Enjoy Independence Day 2019, it is something to celebrate for sure.
Thanks for your service! RAWK on!
thanks Griff ! … now I have something to use with my new fancy pants overdrive pedal! looking forward to working on this one…happy 4th to you and your family. appreciate your efforts !
Great lesson (as always) surprised my wife and daughter by playing it for them.
Hi Griff, Happy Independence Day to our guitar cousins across the pond.
Thanks Griff for the video…..sounds really good. Saw Jimi only once at Winterland in San Francisco and he was something to behold. Sat about 15 feet in front of the stage (no guards back then) and he kept saying there goes another speaker but I couldn’t tell. Strange bill that night but Bill Graham was always doing that.
Thanks Griff! This was the first song I learned when I got my electric guitar. I wanted to turn the volume to ten on my peavy vt200 classic 2 by 12. A little vibrato ( maybe a lot ).what an awesome song! Everyone loves to hear it. When they stand and take off they’re hats! It’s chilling!! Now I have another version, thanks again you da man Griff B-)!
Can you turn the amp to 11 or 12 (ala Spinal Tap?)
ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE JIMI. I SAW HIM DO THIS ON THE 4TH AT THE ATLANTA POP FESITIVAL. I SAT ON THE SIDE OF THE STAGE AND WATCHED HIM DO IT. TOOK ME ABOUT A WEEK TO SOUND LIKE HIS VERSONE. I HAD TO GET A FEEDBACK PEDAL. I EVEN DO THE METAL LEADS. THANK’S GRIFF FOR THE MEMORY’S. LEARNED IT BY EAR.
Griff,
Thanks for the Hendrick’s lesson. Missed it last year (12 days in hospital) and the year before that I’m not certain where I was. LOL
Anyway, back in 1969 I saw The Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Charleston Civic Center in Charleston, WV. I hate to admit this but I don’t remember Fat Mattress nor The Chicago Transit Authority being there. It says they were on the internet, but if they were you couldn’t prove it by me. Perhaps there is some merit to the adage “If you can remember the 60s you didn’t live them.” Well, I do remember four main things about the show. Firstly, when Hendrick and The Experience kicked off you could actually feel the vibrations of the sound. Secondly, I recall the show being stopped briefly when Jimi commented something about “Damn the man”. Thirdly, I recall Jimi smashing a guitar at the end of the show, but he did not destroy the one he had played that evening. Fourthly, I had never seen a guitar player like Jimi before that night and I never have since! JIMI WAS UNBELIEVABLE!!!
Well, if I’m ever going to learn Jimi’s interpretation of the “Star Spangled Banner” I’d better get started. At 71, you never know. Also, I enjoy the comments of those of you who respond to Griff. It is an enjoyable learning experience all the way around. I thank you and Griff.
Happy July 4th!
Old School & Still Rockin’
Griff,
Thank the Lord I’m still here. Seriously!
I liked what you said regarding your interpretation of Jimi’s interpretation of the “Star Spangled Banner”, “If you haven’t seen it before it’s new to you, right?”
Well, right you are and perhaps you should make it an annual tradition to revisit this lesson every July 4th just as Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” is played by many classic rock radio stations on Thanksgiving.
Happy July 4th (2017)!!
Old School & Still Rockin’
Love what I have learned from BGU. Watch all the extra lesson that you put out all of the time. Just want to say thank you and rock on. your Student Mark
Good one Tater !
ha, Saturday in the park, we’ve got Sunday in the park here in the UK, Hyde park, Carole King, no food, drink, no chairs no cameras allowed, Beer £6 a pint, wine £22 a bottle, food anything from £10 upwards. Why has Carole King at her age allowed herself to be part of this pathetic corporate rip off? No more anything in the park for me in future.
Very cool Griff. Just like Jimi!
Brilliant!!!!
Many thanks, Griff.
Love your national anthem (I’m from the U.K.), and now I will be able to learn it on guitar.
Chris.
Late you thanking you, but this was so much fun to learn and play. Family loved it too!!!!
Hey Griff,great lesson my friend…I was over on Active Melody. com and Brian has a great version of this american standard…not quiet as easy as yours but it sounds pretty sweet.
Thank you. I have been trying to play this but having a little trouble getting it to sound good. Once again you have helped me greatly. Hope you had a great 4th .
Fabulous video. Is there any way that you can show the song in it’s entirety?
Thanx!
Omg that is so kool super thanks Griff I remember seeing the Woodstock movie when I was a kid at the drivein ha ha remember those but as a kid I was blown away by Hendrix playing all the bomb sounds and I thought man of I could play that I would be there I have a 1982 JMP 800 100wt head and 4×12 cab humm ???
This is so good. Thank you.
YOUR VERSION WITHOUT ALL OF THE NOISEY DISTORTION SOUNDS THE BEST. THE VERSIONS LATER ON SOUND LIKE THE STUFF NASCAR AND SOME OF THE NATIONAL SPORTS TEAMS USE DURING SOME OF THEIR OPENING CEREMONIES. IN MY OPINION THE SONG SHOULD BE PLAYED STRAIGHT-FORWARD ON NATURAL SOUNDING INSTRUMENTS, NOT MADE TO SOUND LIKE AN AMPLIFIER WAS BLOWING A TUBE.
Thanks Griff, great lesson, i,m just in the process going through ABGU, great program,
Griff , what a great lesson . In 1970 , I went to the Atlanta Pop Festival with a couple friends ,July 4 th weekend . There were a lot of great bands there . Hendrix played this at midnight . Blew everyone away !!! A lot of people never heard of this festival , so check out the Alman Brothers CD, Live at Atlanta Pop Festival . Thanks for sending this lesson . Cannot wait to play it . Mike Z.
Mike Z:
Although I wasn’t there (15 years old summer of 1970) I know exactly what you’re talking about regarding the ABB at Atlanta Pop. The CD is unreal. Two great versions of Mountain Jam, great stuff.
I had a blast doing this one with your video, Griff. I used my little 3 watt Blackstar Fly, battery-powered, which has reverb, clean + overdrive, delay, and was amazed that I was able to match your sound effects with just that little box. Even turned down the volume to keep the peace in the house. That was a great way to get this one “up to speed” by starting with the clean, basic tones. I was chomping at the bit to get to the “meat” of the lesson. Really get a lot out of your style of teaching and plan to get a lot more, now that I can while my left hand recovers and regains strength. “Thanks for all the fish.”
I learned this one last year but wanted to make just one comment. This song has a very special meaning for me. Besides being our national anthem (I am very patriotic) Francis Scott Key is my Great Great Great Grandfather. A lot of pride for my family!
I acually got too see Hendrix do this at Monteray Pop Festavil. went with song write Tommy Boyce. Hendrix played it in A. Was always playing it on the high end of the neck. blew everyone away. He used a lot of feedback. i tryed to talk with him after wards, but he was so high and drunk, he was hey man. later man!. sad! yet i learned to play it in A. happy 4th Griff. now i know it in E.
Man…I remember u sending us this one last year, & learning to play it. I was early on in my leaning process & had just decided to take up guitar only a few months prior. I’ve since lost the tab & moved on, but am definitely gonna put this one in the repertoire….& add some embellishments now that I’m further into my playing. Thanxx Griff ! You’re really great man !!! Much appreciation to u my Friend!!!
I got it down pat on my bongos. Time to
plug in my o’l Ibanez.
David Mackenzie plays a kick ass version also
Griff showing off them tweddlys again.
Good lesson thanks
U R the Best Griff
Thanks Griff, cool lick, this is going to be a great treat for our party this weekend, volume 11 for sure!
you sent it out again Griff. i know your frustraion with your sound problem. we had a gig at Cal State Domegez hill university festival. there sound board and generator where not working never got to do a sound check , or a few minutes to run a few patterns from a few songs. but in the long run we got a standing ovation.
played this last night jimi style. had all the nieghbors screaming at me to shut up. LOL!
You put a smile on my face. A great gift for the 4th.
Great lesson Griff. Hendrix was one of the greats, so the lesson is very right on
for this day. Have a great day, and thanks for all the time you give to us.
You made me smile….. Good job. Happy 4th, 6th,9th # 7th what ever!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, I enjoyed the video Griff. My son who is 17 is preparing to enter the armed forces when he turns 18. We never know if they’ll come back to us alive or damaged. So many young ones and old have given so much. Your video stirred some emotions in me,just wanted to say thank you. Gonna work on this lesson. And thank you again for all of your emails and lessons. I appreciate them all. David from tampa fl.
pretty kool Griff . I had mentioned that I never saw a blues player use the tremolo bar or wammy bar ever and there you were using it instead of bending to the next note . I do want to express the fact that yes you may go seriously out of tune afterwards . that is why you should only bend the one string instead of flexing all of them . I have played around with this tune before ,but was kool seeing some other form of doing it. Yes marshall amps are excellent for this tune with a fender . I also use a old school didgetech rp 7 with a delay and a wammy effect incorperating a bit of pedal action . It made me smile this video it must have been something you said . have a banging 4th of July
revisited once again getting into my digitech more because hardly know how to use it .I just use a clear sound and thats about it . I have had it about 15 years wow . Its got alot of cool stuff to mess with . Yeah crank the marshalls up with a fender . fuzz out with overdrive an crank the reverb .
this done by Hendrix is noted as the most awesome guitar solos ever. BEST EVER
SO SWEET!!! almost got arrested for playing this on my front stoop in the early 70’s. had a 69 strat and a super reverb and no peddles. just dimed out. sheriff said he’d better not hear of it again. i moved. thanks for bringing back my “childhood”.
Another fine lesson Griff and so on the button , so to speak, with this week-end looming and all that it means to your fellow Americans. Patriotism is not lost in the minds of some over this side of the big pond too. I enjoyed listening to you describing the use of the effects pedals. This is an area of guitar I am hoping to enter real soon. What an encouraging piece to get started with right? I like to think of myself as an unpaid sales rep for Blues Guitar Unleashed over here and have told so many people that are gracious enough to listen and humour me or, appear to listen, as I explain how great a teacher; through the medium of the internet you are. I also have told those same people of the various courses I have purchased these past few years. Keep up the good work Griff and I shall keep up my chatting and practising this side of the big pond. Have a great week-end and play your socks off in celebration. Alex.
Great little lesson and nice to hear you describe the effects and how they all work together. Happy 4th to all out there that celebrate it! Be safe and enjoy.
Great lesson Griff! You mentioned that you had 3 “big” gigs this weekend. I was wondering what they are, since your normal gigs are pretty impressive to me.
happy fourth to you and family Griff. like the vibrato on those notes. learned this , or copied the Jimi Hendrixs style. a little more crunch and feed back. I like your way of playing it. Thanks for this differant style. happy 4th.
Thanks Griff for another great lesson. Not much for the Hendrix style but at least I learned the song.
The link “This Video (WMV)” is actually to the MP4 version so some Windows drivers might wonder what’s up?
Thanks Wayne, I fixed that.
Thanks Griff. I need to make a room in the house bigger anyway, so I think I’ll play this tomorrow on my JVM 410HJS and my JCM 2000 TSL100 in stereo.
Happy fourth of July.
Turn ’em up!!!! Sounds like a spiritual thing with those 2 amps going.
Hey Griff , what a fantastic lesson for the day of celebrating our FREEDOM !!! You are the guitar teacher HERO … Happy 4th to all …
Great, fun lesson! (except you played it sitting down! Please rise…)
I always learn something on Griff’s videos. Besides the song, the line about the “Marshall being ‘dimed'” was a new one! Next 4th, lets do Jimi’s planes and bombs! Happy 4th, GBA!
Hey Griff, thanks 4 another great lesson. I can’t even begin to thank you 4 the” Strumming “video & what I got out of that. That video & what I learned from it was the tipping point 4 me. I went from….just making noise, to actually making Music with what I learned from U. I’m actually melodious & can belt out a couple of cords w/ that strum & not only entertain myself, but my family as well. That’s a real proud feeling man. Thanxxx again Griff, and keep doing what you’re doing. I’m a loyal fan & surely only one of MANY !
Already having a blast with this. I live in a rural area with no nearby neighbors and the only other life form here is a geriatric, deaf cat so I am WAILING!!!! Thanks for this – my wife will be thrilled (GRIN).
My Great, Great, Great Grandfather was Francis Scott Key. For those of you who are from another country. Or those who may have slept through American History while in school. He wrote the words to the “Star Spangled Banner” It was originally a poem he wrote for his wife while watching the bombing of Baltimore (Fort McHenry) during the Battle of 1812. So this song besides being our National Anthem (I am VERY patriotic) has a very special meaning to me and my family. This was the very first song I learned to play on guitar. I hope everyone who reads this post at least tries to play it. It’ll make you feel very patriotic to play this on this holiday weekend. I hope everyone has a happy and safe weekend! Tom
Another fun video Griff Thanks.
I’m not sure I have enough time (basically today)to work this into my set for tomorrow’s (July 4th) gig. But I’m gonna give it a try for an hour or so today and see what happens.
Thanks again!
Tom,
That’s really cool. Most of my ancestors were drunk ne’er-do-wells with one exception. My great-great maternal grandmother was Cherokee (a real native).