Waitin’ for the Bus – ZZ Top | Guitar Lesson
![*](https://i0.wp.com/allprowebdesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1703108798_maxresdefault.jpg?resize=840%2C430&ssl=1)
Video Title: Waitin’ for the Bus – ZZ Top | Guitar Lesson
Foreign [Applause] Welcome back everybody this one’s going to be super fun this is waiting on the bus by ZZ Top off the great Trace ombres album from the early 70s and uh this is just Billy Gibbons Les Paul greatness just plug into a probably a Tweed amp and turn that sucker up and
Just let it rip love this song so we’re going to go through the Rhythm sort of how he’s recording that um those little Parts there’s actually deceptively some stuff going on there it sounds pretty simple but uh there’s actually some things going on there when you listen to it very closely
So we’ll break those down and then of course we’ll chop up the awesome awesome guitar solo with Wawa um that happens here too we’ll take that through piece by piece okay this is the kind of thing that you love and you haven’t done so yet I invite you to click subscribe and ring
The bell the Bell will let you know every time I drop new content which I do every single week all my videos have chapters in them so you can jump right to the part of the lesson that you want to see and bypass what you don’t and if
You’re looking for other ways to support the channel I appreciate that there’s thanks which is just like throwing a tip in the tip jar the button right below or you can join my patreon page where I’ve got chord charts and tabs for all the lessons I do on YouTube just like this
Song but all the links are in the description below check it out alright so this is Billy Gibbons uh getting your tone on this one I mean do the best you can who can actually achieve the greatness that billy gets and I’ve got something interesting today I don’t have a this
Sounds like a sort of maxed out Tweed amp to me you know and I could run it into the Marshall if I wanted to I guess and sort of kinda but instead I wanted to Showcase uh something a little interesting this is a I’m running into a an old 50s maybe 40s Bell
Of PA it’s like a PA that they used in the olden days in like schools you know if you wanted to you know you had the microphone and you’re broadcasting across the you know in the school over the intercom system or you can actually run phonographs record players into these
Um really cool thing but I’ve got a I met a guy here near Nashville who takes these things and he mods them for guitar amps and oh my gosh they are so cool when you crank them up and you get that sort of overdriven tube sound because there’s tubes in them Oh my Lord it just sounds so good I’ve got it turned way down I’ve got attenuated down because I’ve got my family downstairs but um these things are awesome and if you ever get a chance to see these little Pas that people have modded um if you have the luxury check them out
They’re sort of not something you want to maybe take on the road with you but um you know if you want to have it in the house and and just plug it in and turn it up and just get that great Rich tube tone that these things scream
Um that’s it this is this is like 40 Watts what I’ve got right here um so I’m actually running it through my Marshall 412 um but it’ll power anything any cabinet you want but oh my gosh they’re so fun so fun so we’re gonna we’re gonna work with that today
Okay so let’s talk about um how this song opens now so Billy this is Billy Les Paul Bridge pickup um later on we’re going to introduce uh Wawa when we get to the guitar solo but other than that it’s just get an amp turn it up humbucker on the bridge position go
That’s what this song is so all right so this is an A’s and standard tuning um and uh you know really the the blues progression based in a so your chords are a as your one let me turn this down and d and e those
Are your one four and five chords but he never sort of ever plays it like that so let’s talk about what he does do so um you know the song opens with this great riff so the way he’s doing this is he’s leaving the fifth string open because that’s your a string and
Um he’s playing a little line back and forth on the D string at seven and five and he’s sort of maybe not every time hitting that a string but a lot of the time Okay when we listen to this and those of you who are big ZZ Top guitar fans know that especially in the early on those early days what was cool about their sound was he had one guitar pan all the way over here and one guitar pan all the way over here
And he would do sort of multiple take you know this was one take and this was another take um and they’re slightly different um and Legend has it that they’re actually tuned a couple cents off of each other so it sounds a little bigger
Um but uh yeah so one guitar is and it’s and it’s never the same like hardly ever the same but one guitar is mostly doing And the other one is doing a little different variation it’s doing things like Um he’s going down there and he’s not hitting every note And not every time but listen if you haven’t if you haven’t really listened to that it’s going on so one guitar is doing that every once in a while the other one’s mostly doing one of them does you know that twice so just play with it
It’s all around that sort of a minor position And if you’re the only guitar player in your band just do whatever you want foreign Chord your D it’s the same thing you’re just moving it down a string Now your minor is on the sixth fret there Back to your a All right and here’s the great turnaround this is so cool what he does here rather than just playing E7 he does this little riff off of an E7 So it’s just the E note and the and the D note there Maybe he has a low one too [Applause] doesn’t matter don’t do it the same way twice anyway but it’s the E and the D note right that’s your e and then for the D uh I thought he was playing it down here but I watched some live footage and he he slides up here which makes sense for
What happens immediately after so he plays his D like this [Applause] right and you think of a D7 chord like this He’s playing those three notes of it so together One guitar goes and another one goes you know what I mean the right and left but they’re basically playing off of that so after the D he does this Great end of the turn around here Right so it’s So that is five oh and open on your D third on the a string bend it a little bit but you hit your low E it’s not it’s not it’s not the a it’s the E which takes you back to the a right Not cool love that okay so that’s the main verse structure and the turnaround um right before it starts going into the instrumental section it comes out of that again and it goes which is just an a d e and all you’re playing is sort of the root fifth octave or root fifth a
Three stabs on the D and one on the E all right then it goes into the instrumental which is the first instrumental is a harmonica solo what the guitar is doing and the bass together are doing right it’s just just jamming in these sort of palm muting that to keep that
Sort of understated so the harmonica can take over foreign maybe don’t do it the same way all the time you know there you go um and uh so it goes around a couple you know several measures with the A and then it’s going to transition into the guitar solo
The guitar solo is going to happen in G so while it’s doing that all right you’re gonna hear it getting really busy before it gets right to the G bass goes down here The base is going to carry on during the guitar solo here but I wanted to show you where the what the chords are that’s happening um during the guitar solo so it does those measures of G And it goes down to e for four measures Again the guitar is not playing that but the bass is playing right and it closes out after four measures of that it just goes back to a foreign So that’s that’s what happens below the guitar solo so let’s now talk about the guitar solo okay so this is a epic piece of work and um I completely did not appreciate all the greatness that’s happening on this uh there’s a lot of things I learned when picking this one apart okay
So first of all you’re going to have a Wawa Of your choosing I have no idea what he used um I’ve got a basic Dunlop crybaby that I’ve had forever years and years and years um and um it’s going to open up with the wall cocked all the way back right and let me kick this off for a
Second let me just talk about what’s going to happen here so the guitar solo is happening over a g and what’s really cool is he he comes in not going right for the you know the basic sort of Blues Jean you know back which wouldn’t fine if he did that
Because it’s Billy G but um he he does this really cool thing where he comes in on the on the seventh so he just sort of jumps into the solo hitting that seventh note of the G What is that f duh f note anyway but it’s uh the seventh of the G and the way he comes out of that is very different he hits a note that isn’t totally in the traditional pentatonic scale right after that um and uh so let me let me break this
Down and and what I’ll do by the way is I’ll go through each of the parts um and then I’m gonna play it against the track at sort of not quite high speed it’s slower speed so you can get everything sort of visualized that way too okay so the
Song’s in 101 beats per minute and I’ll go over the track at about 80 beats per minute with the whole solo but before that I’m gonna take you through all of this okay all right so you use your Wawa to taste I’m not gonna announce like rocket forward rock it back I
I’m going to try and sort of match where it is but it starts out where it’s walked you know cocked all the way back Oh cool right so the traditional blues scale is Right to that note that notes sort of not ever there but it is today Then you do this I might have hit that too many times let’s see that’s what he does All right so that’s the first phrase the second phrase [Applause] so we’re just moving now from our this sort of G minor pentatonic box up to up to this one right which is sort of where we started Right so we’re just going to live on that g note vibrato the hell out of it and use your wah to taste We’re gonna climb that’s a cool one I’ll kick that off here so you know our normal Blues Right he’s building off of that but he goes up super quick and he does that And comes down the coming out of this is super cool Very cool It hits that open E string [Applause] does one of those right that one’s super cool so you’re coming out of that we’re gonna go up here or our standard Blues choo-choo train [Applause] and this is going to be the end of the G section of the solo right and you hear him pull his fingers off
And he hits the he hits the D and the g note so As he goes up to the E and I love this part because he announces that E before everything moves to the E and you never know if he was off on his timing or if you know he did that on purpose whatever but it’s [Applause] all right and now we’re just going to
Rock out um this is now four measures of e that’s gonna happen and we’re going to alternate during a couple doing uh different moves so the first sort of measure maybe measure and a quarter he’s doing all right it’s just a Bend up Right And then he switches over about sometime in the second measure he’s adding this to go to and that’s just Just that And I go back and forth with my picking motion um and you just carry that on um and it’s really tricky actually to get out of this solo at the right amount of time would you start doing all that so it’s four measures of e he’s doing that
Until about three and a half measures that’s how he’s getting out of it so at the sort of three and a half measure Mark he does the And that’s how he gets out of it and then the fourth measure rolls in and he just does a big foreign pull it down and then you get the and that closes out the solo right so you put all that together let me play it against the track at sort of 80 beats
Per minute and this is what it’s like [Applause] All right then it just goes on to a normal one more verse and uh turn around and then they ended on that sort of uh sort of pull pull off on the turnaround like Foreign Exactly when that comes in but that’s all that’s happening it’s the same And then we all hear Jesus just went to Chicago but that’s another lesson for another day so that was waiting on the bus hope you learned something new today let me know what you think in the comments and if there’s another song you want me to take on and if you haven’t done so already and you
Like what you saw jump down right now and click subscribe and ring the bell the Bell lets you know every time I drop new content which is going to happen every single week okay well now until next week take care everybody foreign
-
Sale!
Wireless WIFI Repeater Extender Amplifier Booster 300Mbps
$29.99$14.99 Add to cartWireless WIFI Repeater Extender Amplifier Booster 300Mbps
Categories: Electronics, Wi-Fi Router, Wireless Wi-Fi Extender Tags: 300Mbps, 802.11N, Amplifier, Booster, Extender, mobile wi-fi booster, Remote, WIFI, Wireless, Wireless WIFI, Wireless WIFI Repeater, Wireless WIFI Repeater Extender, Wireless WIFI Repeater Extender Amplifier, Wireless WIFI Repeater Extender Amplifier Booster, Wireless WIFI Repeater Extender Amplifier Booster 300Mbps$29.99$14.99 -
Sale!
Full RGB Light Design Gaming Headset Headphones with Mic
$24.99$14.99 Add to cartFull RGB Light Design Gaming Headset Headphones with Mic
Categories: Electronics, Gaming, Gaming Headsets Tags: Design, Full, Full RGB Light Design Gaming Headset, Full RGB Light Design Gaming Headset Headphones, Full RGB Light Design Gaming Headset Headphones with Mic, Gamer, Gaming, Gaming Headset Headphones, gaming headset wireless, Headphone, Headphones, Headset, Light, Mic, Package, RGB$24.99$14.99 -
Sale!
Wireless BlueTooth Multi-Device Keyboard Mouse Combo
$39.99$19.99 Add to cartWireless BlueTooth Multi-Device Keyboard Mouse Combo
Categories: Electronics, Gaming, Gaming Keyboards, Keyboard Mouse Combos Tags: Combo, Keyboard, keyboard mouse combos, Mouse, MultiDevice, Set, WireKeyboard Mouse Combo, Wireless, Wireless BlueTooth Keyboard Mouse Combo, Wireless BlueTooth Keyboard Mouse Combos, Wireless BlueTooth Multi-Device Keyboard Mouse Combo, Wireless BlueTooth Multi-Device Keyboard Mouse Combos$39.99$19.99 -
Sale!
High Back Leather Executive Adjustable Swivel Gaming Chair with Headrest and Lumbar
$199.99$139.99 Add to cartHigh Back Leather Executive Adjustable Swivel Gaming Chair with Headrest and Lumbar
Categories: Gaming, Gaming Chairs Tags: Adjustable, Chair, computer chairs, Desk, Executive, Gaming, Girl, Headrest, High, High Back Leather Executive Adjustable Swivel Gaming Chair, High Back Leather Executive Adjustable Swivel Gaming Chair with Headrest, High Back Leather Executive Adjustable Swivel Gaming Chair with Headrest and Lumbar, High Back Leather Executive Adjustable Swivel Gaming Chairs, Leather, Lumbar, Office, Racing, Swivel$199.99$139.99 -
Sale!
Professional LED Light Wired Gaming Headphones with Noise Cancelling Microphone
$29.99$19.99 Select optionsProfessional LED Light Wired Gaming Headphones with Noise Cancelling Microphone
SKU: N/A Categories: Electronics, Gaming, Gaming Headsets Tags: Cancelling, Gaming, Gaming Headphones with Noise Cancelling Microphone, gaming headset, Headphones, Headset, LED, Light, Mic, Microphone, Noise, Professional, Professional LED Light Wired Gaming Headphones, Professional LED Light Wired Gaming Headphones with Noise Cancelling Microphone, Wired, Wired Gaming Headphones, Wired Gaming Headphones with Noise Cancelling Microphone$29.99$19.99 -
Sale!
Gaming Desk with LED Lights USB Power Outlets and Charging Ports
$349.99$249.99 Select optionsGaming Desk with LED Lights USB Power Outlets and Charging Ports
SKU: N/A Categories: Computer Desk, Gaming, Gaming Desk Tags: and Charging Ports, Charging, Desk, Desks, Gaming, gaming desk with led lights, Gaming Desks with LED Lights, Home, LED, Lights, Monitor, Office, Outlets, Port, Power, Room, Stand, USB, USB Power Outlets, White, Workstation$349.99$249.99 -
Sale!
Wired Mixed Backlit Anti-Ghosting Gaming Keyboard
$99.99$79.99 Add to cartWired Mixed Backlit Anti-Ghosting Gaming Keyboard
Categories: Electronics, Gaming, Gaming Keyboards Tags: Antighosting, Backlit, Blue, brown, Gaming, Gaming Keyboard, gaming keyboards, gaming keyboards and mouse, Keyboard, Laptop, Switch, Wired, Wired Mixed Backlit Anti-Ghosting Gaming Keyboard, Wired Mixed Backlit Anti-Ghosting Gaming Keyboards, Wired Mixed Backlit Gaming Keyboard$99.99$79.99 -
Sale!
Wireless Bluetooth 5.3 ANC Noise Cancellation Hi-Res Over the Ear Headphones Headset
$119.99$59.99 Add to cartWireless Bluetooth 5.3 ANC Noise Cancellation Hi-Res Over the Ear Headphones Headset
Categories: Electronics, Gaming, Gaming Headsets Tags: 5.3 ANC Noise Cancellation Hi-Res Over the Ear Headphones Headset, ANC, Audio, Bluetooth, Cancellation, Ear, Earphone, gaming headset, Headphones, Headset, Hi-Res Over the Ear Headphones Headset, HiRes, Noise, Wireless, Wireless Bluetooth 5.3 ANC Noise Cancellation Hi-Res Headphones, Wireless Bluetooth 5.3 ANC Noise Cancellation Hi-Res Over the Ear Headphones Headset, Wireless Bluetooth 5.3 ANC Noise Cancellation Hi-Res Over the Ear Headphones Headsets$119.99$59.99 -
Sale!
Wired Sports Gaming Headset Earbuds with Microphone
$19.99$9.99 Select optionsWired Sports Gaming Headset Earbuds with Microphone
SKU: N/A Categories: Gaming, Gaming Headsets Tags: Accessories, Earbud, Earphone, Earphones, Gaming, gaming headset with microphone, Headphones, Headset, IOS, Microphone, Sports, Wired, Wired Sports Gaming Headset Earbuds, Wired Sports Gaming Headset Earbuds with Microphone, Wired Sports Headset Earbuds$19.99$9.99 -
Sale!
150W Universal Multi USB Fast Charger 16 Port MAX Charging Station
$49.99$29.99 Add to cart150W Universal Multi USB Fast Charger 16 Port MAX Charging Station
Categories: Charging Stations, Electronics Tags: 150W, 150W Charging Station, 150W Universal Multi USB Charging Station, 150W Universal Multi USB Fast Charger 16 Port MAX Charging Station, 150W Universal Multi USB Fast Charger 16 Port MAX Charging Stations, 150W Universal Multi USB MAX Charging Station, 16 Port MAX Charging Station, 3.5A, Charger, Charging, Fast, laptop charging stations, Max, Multi, Port, Stand, Station, Universal, USB$49.99$29.99
Really cool…
F'ckn brilliant
I cant play the guitar but I bet I listened to this everyday while I stood at a bus stop on Admiral boulevard in the River Quay, so good.
It's cold gin time again, such a fantastic tone
Just discovered this channel- good stuff I feel like I’m siting getting a private lesson.
buenisimo
Do you mean TRES HOMBRE as in .”tray ombray”
As in “Three friends” ?
Love your tone too.
That is some little PA!! Damn
Classic Texas blues from the masters ZZ Top & Billy Gibbons. grew up in Texas hearing ZZ Top everywhere. For sure one of the best to have rocked the music scene!
That amp is sick 🙈 I want one so much 👍🏻 thanks once again. 👍🏻
The people from Dubai don't like the Flintstones, but the people from Abu Dubai Do!!!
Enjoying the heck out of your presentations/lessons. Just discovered you Oct 30 2023. I went to see Ten Years After in Oklahoma City Nov 1972. The Top was the second band to play that night before Alvin Lee came out. They rocked the house so hard, people were going nuts. I mean it. It was just as awesome as seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan that first time in 64. The Top was precise as a laser and loud as hell. And the sound guy was mixing everything perfectly, which can make or break a show. The only bling on stage was Billy Gibbons sequin guitar strap. They had their cowboy hats and boots on. I had never heard of ZZ Top. Rio Grande Mud had just been released. Been a fan ever since. Just saw them last week at a casino, the first show I saw in 72 is still my favorite. Thanks for showing us all Billys bag of tricks.
God, great lesson. Subbing, and hoping to see Jesus Just Left Chicago!!
Dude ur badass I don't think Billy could have done it any better it's easy to learn from you nice Les Paul too.
Dude ur badass I don't think Billy could have done it any better it's easy to learn from you nice Les Paul too.
Great work man – very good interpretation of that song – really enjoying these
Into super bad! I envy your talent. Fell in love with Fandango in '74.
Great job. Huge Top fan ever since seeing them as the opening act for Mountain. You capture the feel, as you know Billy's tone is in his hands. I would love to see you pick apart his cover of "Tramp" from Mescalero.
Great job man! Rock on!
Have mercy.
NAILED IT. This is by far the best Waitin on the Bus Lesson I have seen so far. You have excellent teaching style.. so many like to talk you have just enough of an explanation not over worded.. I think you found your skill set besides playing of course thanks for sharing!
Spot on lesson. Been playing for many years and your lessons are great! Thank you!
Wicked track 4 sure
Great lesson! Thank you!
Daaaaayum! Hell Farrrrr!
Means I dig the hell out of it. Seriously this is Outstanding and thanks for sharing.
Moooom, Dad’s upstairs Rockin’ the House again…
Totally cool great explanation on turn around super cool thank you sir!
🎵r0ck0n with ya bad self 🎵
Thanks!
Every single lesson you demo is POINT ON! You are the very best at articulating exact interpretations of classics. I LOVE this channel.
Great job sir!! New subscriber.✌️
Still have it on vinyl. Such a great recording. That change straight into Jesus Just Left Chicago is brilliant.
For early Billy Gibbons tone I use my 1947 Magnatone/MEC Troubadour M-192 amp, guitar straight in and the amp cranked.
The little Troubadour puts out about 13 Watts with a single 12" field-effect speaker.
Great Lesson, thanks for the content.
excellent lesson – great job -thanks
Well Done, WHAT I learned is I've been playing it WRONG for years !! Good stuff
Man.. I need a wa-wa, and bunch of more brains n stuff.
Your right about the tone . Make a person want to see play . Awesome song , great lesson . 👍
Really like this. Other tabs for this song really miss the mark. I’m from Oklahoma, so a big fan of ZZTop. They used to play in OKC once or twice a year.
One I’d like to see you do is ‘Keep Your Hands to Yourself’ by the Georgia Satellites. Really, a double stop masterpiece.
I’ve been a Patreon member for 2-3 months, and really have learned a lot from your work.
Love this tune….thanks for posting!!!!! You know you'll have to do 'Jesus Just Left Chicago' next!
very cool …what strings are those, gauge and brand?
When it comes to my practicing breaking down songs, I've been on a ZZ Top binge for the past 6 months or so. Thanks for the vid!!
And, Master Of Sparks, is almost Blues Prog!!
If you do Waiting For The Bus, you got to follow with Jesus Just Left Chicago!!
Thanks!! That Whole Album is PURE MAGIC!!!! Move It On Down The Line!!!
I learned how to play can’t get there from here by R.E.M on electric guitar it’s really good song to play
Ever heard of Bill Nelson from Be-Bop Deluxe? A massively underestimated guitarist, and wrote some absolute crackers!
I think Billy would have used Magnatone amps, not Fenders. 🤷♂️
I love your lessons and you're a great teacher but you could you give a lesson on a straight, simple Blues , please? Something like Key To The Highway perhaps?
love me some ZZ. This was great
ON FIRE!!
Great tone, man.
I'm gonna go dig out my 55 Gibson GA-20 and plug a Les Paul into it and see if I can keep up 😄
Now I have a reason to pop my REAL Mcoy Vox pedals Cherry! This and Needle Damage Done Skynerd on my bucket list …love ur stuff br'r !