“YOU GOT THAT RIGHT”

Lynyrd Skynyrd

FEATURING THE LATE, great Steve Gaines on lead guitar and vocals, this assertive, high-energy song showcases Lynyrd Skynyrd’s celebrated Southern rock swagger at the top of their game, only months before the tragic plane crash that decimated the band.

The studio recording features an ambitious arrangement and, as always, a tasteful layering of guitars and other instruments, which never “step on each others’ toes” nor produce “sonic mud.” The song kicks off with Gaines and guitarist Allen Collins doubling a crisp, punchy repeating barre-chord riff with slight variations in their voicings (see bars 1-8, Gtrs. 2, 3 and 4). Notice how the combination of clean and barely overdriven tones in these parts contribute to the punchiness of the groove and help maintain clarity throughout the performance.

As he had done on “Freebird” and other songs in the illustrious Lynyrd Skynyrd catalog, guitarist Gary Rossington (Gtr. 1) contributes his signature sweetly-in-tune slide playing throughout the track, demonstrating great control over not only his intonation (pitch centering) and vibrato, but also his string muting technique. As he’s playing in the key of F major and in standard tuning, Rossington is well aware of the fact that any open-string notes would sound unforgivingly sour, as would any non-chord tones inadvertently sounded on strings other than the ones he’s targeting. And so he uses both hands to mute the strings he’s not picking and prevent unwanted open notes.

Gaines’ climactic solo, beginning at the modulation up to the key of G at section K (bar 70) features the inspired guitarist using a muscular single-coil lead tone and boldly cranking out tireless phrases of “Freebird”-style bluesrock licks. Notice Gaines’ impeccable bend vibrato technique, as applied to notes bent on the B string in bars 71, 72, 75, 76 and 95. Be sure to use your fret hand’s 3rd finger (not the 4th!) to bend and shake these notes and to support it one fret below with your 2nd finger while momentarily hooking your thumb around the top sides of the neck.