Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Brooks & Dunn’s “Red Dirt Road” has a lot of layered guitar parts on the original recording. So what do you do when you are the only guitarist onstage?
Matthew Lee starts with a real performance from Nashville’s Broadway, then breaks down the approach he uses to cover the song live.
You’ll learn how to:
• Set up the right tone for the song
• Combine the chords with the signature walkdowns
• Use open voicings and inversions in the key of F
• Add fills without getting in the singer’s way
• Create call and response during the chorus
• Cover the turnaround without grabbing a slide
• Build an alternate solo from the song’s main theme
• Use an Eric Johnson style pedal tone lick
• Choose landing notes that follow the chord changes
• Get out of the solo and back to the rhythm part cleanly
• Confirm the ending, tag, and arrangement before the gig
The goal is not to recreate every layered guitar from the record. It is to identify the parts the audience needs to hear, make one guitar sound full, and play something you can execute confidently onstage.
As Matthew puts it, there is the right way, the wrong way, and the Broadway.
Explore Matthew Lee’s lessons on TrueFire:
truefire.com/educators/matthew-lee/e4485?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social_organic&utm_campaign=tf_longform_202608&utm_content=tf-matthewlee-reddirtroad-260828
When you are the only guitarist in the band, do you stay close to the record or add your own ideas?
CHAPTERS
0:00 Playing “Red Dirt Road” Live
1:10 Live Broadway Performance
4:09 One Guitar, Multiple Parts
4:39 Tone and Guitar Setup
5:03 Intro Walkdowns and Inversions
6:33 Chorus Voicings and Fills
9:02 Building the Walk-Up
9:51 Turnaround Without a Slide
11:53 Soloing From the Song’s Theme
13:05 Choosing Landing Notes in F
14:16 Eric Johnson Style Pedal Tone Lick
17:09 Back Off the Gas
18:11 Returning From Solo to Rhythm
19:25 Confirm the Live Arrangement
20:31 Final Takeaways
#MatthewLee #RedDirtRoad #CountryGuitar
Brooks & Dunn’s “Red Dirt Road” has a lot of layered guitar parts on the original recording. So what do you do when you are the only guitarist onstage?
Matthew Lee starts with a real performance from Nashville’s Broadway, then breaks down the approach he uses to cover the song live.
You’ll learn how to:
• Set up the right tone for the song
• Combine the chords with the signature walkdowns
• Use open voicings and inversions in the key of F
• Add fills without getting in the singer’s way
• Create call and response during the chorus
• Cover the turnaround without grabbing a slide
• Build an alternate solo from the song’s main theme
• Use an Eric Johnson style pedal tone lick
• Choose landing notes that follow the chord changes
• Get out of the solo and back to the rhythm part cleanly
• Confirm the ending, tag, and arrangement before the gig
The goal is not to recreate every layered guitar from the record. It is to identify the parts the audience needs to hear, make one guitar sound full, and play something you can execute confidently onstage.
As Matthew puts it, there is the right way, the wrong way, and the Broadway.
Explore Matthew Lee’s lessons on TrueFire:
truefire.com/educators/matthew-lee/e4485?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social_organic&utm_campaign=tf_longform_202608&utm_content=tf-matthewlee-reddirtroad-260828
When you are the only guitarist in the band, do you stay close to the record or add your own ideas?
CHAPTERS
0:00 Playing “Red Dirt Road” Live
1:10 Live Broadway Performance
4:09 One Guitar, Multiple Parts
4:39 Tone and Guitar Setup
5:03 Intro Walkdowns and Inversions
6:33 Chorus Voicings and Fills
9:02 Building the Walk-Up
9:51 Turnaround Without a Slide
11:53 Soloing From the Song’s Theme
13:05 Choosing Landing Notes in F
14:16 Eric Johnson Style Pedal Tone Lick
17:09 Back Off the Gas
18:11 Returning From Solo to Rhythm
19:25 Confirm the Live Arrangement
20:31 Final Takeaways
#MatthewLee #RedDirtRoad #CountryGuitar
