Even without the melody and words, the guitar parts sound like songs. As with every aspect of his music, Prine managed to make simple guitar patterns distinctive. This lesson takes a tour of Prine’s music by way of his guitar style, using examples drawn from some of his most-loved songs.
Prine was known most of all for his lyrical gifts, but the foundation of all his music was his flattop guitar, which he strummed and fingerpicked with a few classic styles that provided everything he needed to accompany a lifetime of songs. “Here’s why he rests on my heart’s mountaintop: Because he cared enough to look-at me, you, all of us-until he saw what was noble, and then he wrapped us up in melodies and sung us back to ourselves.
“John Prine was, without a doubt, one of the greatest songwriters this world will ever know,” DeMent wrote on Facebook. The words that stuck with me most came from country/folk singer-songwriter Iris DeMent, Prine’s long-time friend and frequent collaborator. In the weeks following his death, tributes poured in from generations of artists: Bonnie Raitt, Roger Waters, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Brandi Carlile, Dave Matthews, Jeff Tweedy, Kacey Musgraves, and on and on. His health had long been poor, as he endured multiple bouts with cancer, but Prine had delivered the warm and wise album The Tree of Forgiveness in 2018-the highest-charting release of his career-followed by triumphant touring, and it seemed like his music would keep coming. Prine’s place in the pantheon of American songwriting became clear when the hard news hit in April that he’d passed away, at 73, due to complications from the coronavirus. With the simplest ingredients-a handful of chords, a rough-hewn voice with limited range-Prine created evocative stories-in-song that could be poignant, profound, and funny as hell. From “Paradise” to “Angel from Montgomery” to “In Spite of Ourselves,” Prine’s songs are essential repertoire in the country/folk/Americana songbook, because they are both accessible and unforgettable. From the November/December 2020 issue of Acoustic Guitar | By Jeffrey Pepper RodgersĪt any given song circle, open mic, or other gathering of guitar pickers and singers, it usually won’t be long until someone breaks into a John Prine song.
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