how's it going this is David Patris song
notes I'm going to show you how to play
I walk the line by Johnny Cash
you
that's the intro I'll show you the
verses in just a little bit but um
that's a little taste of what it will
sound like now this is a great great
it's a great song and I have learned a
few Johnny Cash songs before never this
one and after learning this one it's by
far my favorite to play it's fun to play
it has key changes that are actually fun
to do they use characteristic Johnny
Cash chords and you get his
characteristic boom Chicka Boom Chicka
Boom Chicka Boom Chicka strumming
pattern in there um it's really great
fun so I recommend it I'm excited to
show it to you now where to start I'll
start with the chords we'll need and
then I want to talk about the sort of
the strumming pattern that Johnny Johnny
Cash typically uses - boom chicka-boom
chicka-boom chicka-boom chicka-boom
chicka-boom chicka-boom where you
alternate bass notes then i want to talk
about some of the bassline walking or
doing this song what do I mean by that
is if basically
you've got a lot of that intro and
you're going to have that throughout the
song especially in the key changes
because then it kind of helps you
transition from one section to the other
so basically you put all this all those
together and we get the entire song so
to begin with I'll talk about the chords
now everything I'm about to show you for
the chords the strumming pattern the
intro everything is available on my
website in tab tablature chord HTML text
format totally free handmade by me
that's where I put all the songs I learn
to keep track for myself and for
everybody on the internet so enjoy it I
think you know I'm glad to help everyone
with the notes I take so the song notes
CC basically the chords are going to be
the e
you're gonna need an A
you're gonna need addy
you're going to need a G
and you're going to need a b7 and this
might be a new one for you but it's an
open chord technically and it's one I
really recommend learning don't let it
scare you away basically you're starting
on the 5th string 2nd fret 1st fret 2nd
fret
open second
so
those are the chords you need now given
that we have those chords I want to talk
a little bit about quickly about this
boom chicka-boom chicka-boom strumming
pattern basically there's two parts of
it there is a sort of alternating bass
line element so so if I'm playing an E
chord basically I'm taking the natural
bass note of the core of the e in this
case I'm moving up a string and took the
boom chika boom boom chika boom boom
chika and the Chika's are just a down up
down up down up so down now if I was
playing an A
same thing
or I could do the a bass note by and
ultra make down so
I'm doing it D I would probably go down
with the bass note
I'm doing a G I would probably go up
with the bass note since the G is on the
sixth string so basically the important
part there is that loom Chicka Boom
Chicka Boom Chicka Boom Chicka it
doesn't matter which bass don't you
alternate to as long as it's a it's a
million actual chord whether you're
going up or down in strings doesn't
really matter but it's going to be used
to wrap this song and next I want to
talk about the bass lines now the intro
this song starts in a right
but to get to the a this is actually the
first turn into the song you're going to
walk up from the low e-string
again so that's open to 4 to 4 and then
you're gonna do on the same thing but
just move it up a string so now on the
fifth string open to 4d open to 4d and
then you're gonna go back down from B
same thing but just backwards and then
down to e so right there you have up to
a a up to D D down to a a down to E and
only is that rhyme which is very
important but it's practicing that's
gonna just do you a great good for
learning this song and just other other
other things you practice in general so
again
now I'm not doing the alternative
baseline yet I'm just showing you this
walk just walking one more time just
focus on the walking bass note
and if you get the same thing with the
alternating bass note you would get
and that's that's actually the start of
the intro and then the intro gets tricky
in the second half because you're going
d7 so again when you walk down to the e
in the intro
check out song notes for the actual tab
to that or room wine didn't watch it
again but basically you're staying on
the open and the second fret of the
fifth and the sixth string
and here's the whole intro again and
just pay attention to what I've talked
about so far the walking bass notes the
boom Chicka Boom
d7
and then here you're just gonna stay on
this bass note
I keep a close watch on this heart of
mine I keep my eyes wide open time I
keep he is a full-time fine because
you're mine I won't lie so that was the
first verse and the important part is
you're starting on me you're kind of
doing them are socks cute
and he was is that to sort of establish
the vocal tone of that key because he
changed his key every time he does
though so you're getting that verse with
the bass note e alternating bass note
after the verse is over you could do the
same then you go now you stay on the
Amero sorry and you stay on the a
I find it very very easy to be true I
find myself hello when each days through
this I miss it I'm fool for you because
you're mine I walk the line and walk up
whoa our deep humming
I find another then now I'll add this to
that when your again we saw right there
that the first the first verse is in the
second verse is in the third verse is in
deep and then after the third verse you
go back down to a with the fourth and
then back down to e for the thing and I
want to I'm not as concerned about
showing you the exact chords in each
verse in this in this video and I might
do that but let me stress this is that
the the progression in each verse is the
same and my progression I mean the
you're going from the but you the one to
four and the five are basically if I'm
in the key of D D is the one g is the
for a is the five so one four four five
five five one
five five five now I get that by going d
e f G a so for five DG DG a now if I was
in a key of e e f g a b e a B so 1 1 1 1
4 4 5 5 QP 5 5 1 1 4 so understand that
the fourth and the fifth or the the
major chords within any key and
basically the pattern you do in each
verse so what I'm trying to stress the
pattern is the same do you going from
let's do the first verse as an example
um mmm I keep a close watch on this
heart of mine where that is is a 5 5 5 5
2 1 I keep my 5 5 5 5 2 1 and then 2 4 I
got a 4 4 4 or 1 to 5 and back to 1
and then the second verse you're in the
key of it and the same thing so
five five five five one five five five
five one two four four four four one
and down the five and back to one and
then the third verse D hum it mm-hmm
five five five five one it's a 2d a 5 5
5 2d
and then to four which is a gg4 for four
to one
two five two one so yeah I want to
stress that um because it's really
helpful to understand what's going on
here but but putting all that together
you get a wonderful song and I'll try to
play it out here just to give you the
whole picture but but again it's a
wonderful song if you want a simpler
version that stays in one key I
recommend playing in the key of a and
Justin Sandra Koh there's a great great
look up Justin guitar on YouTube he does
a great lesson where he stays in one key
I think that's if you're if you're new
in this whole idea of changing keys and
everything is overwhelming search for
Justin's video and check it out because
he kind of keeps everything in one key
and you're not worrying about changing
keys and you're not even worrying about
the strumming pattern he's just kind of
letting you know that this is an awesome
song and you basically can say this is
my key I'm an a all you need is a D and
I'm sorry oh you get a D and E for the
whole song so I keep a close watch on
this heart of mine I keep my eyes wide
open all the time I keep the ends out
for the tide it binds
because you're mine I walk the line now
I did that with a single strum on each
chord that's all you really need if
you're if you're just getting into this
if the whole idea of the boom Chicka
Boom Chicka if you made it this far in
the video and you're new to guitar
that's awesome because it this is so fun
to learn and you should definitely keep
going with it but but um it's it's most
important to to play it in a way where
you can get I think it through
everything and kind of maintain the
rhythm first and then you can you'll
naturally get the talent and the ability
to be able to add the you know that
not that I'm not a great added foot
so that's basically a as basically it
for you um and should I let me do the
intro and I'll do the first couple
verses again and just to play it off but
again thanks for watching and check out
song notes dot CC my website for all my
tabs and if questions or comments please
let me know so
you
I keep those watch on that heart of mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time I
keep the ends out full tide advice
because you're mine I want blood
I find it very very easy I find myself
alone many taster then I admit it I'm a
fool for you because you're mine