Wagon Wheel By Old Crow Medicine Show Lesson on Guitar and Harmonica

Wagon Wheel

Easy chords, rhythm and harmonica so you'll be sounding great

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VEGAS108 — Wagon Wheel - Lesson on Guitar and Harmonica

Lesson Info

Difficulty: Start off easy. Add finger picking to increase difficulty.

Lesson Length: 11:48

Instructor: George Goodman

Help File

Help File: The following link supplies the chords, lyrics and harmonica tabs for Wagon Wheel.
Wagon Wheel download pdf link - for educational purposes only.

Recommended Gear

takamine-eg541sc acoustic guitar

Takamine EG541SC
I am playing my black tak in this one.

This is a Takamine G Series EG541SC bought in North Carolina when I was playing in a band called Double Take.
Specs:
Top - Solid Spruce
Back - Nato
Sides - Nato
Finger Board - Rosewood
Electronics - TK40
Finish - Gloss Black
Check out more Takamine G Series Guitars

Hohner Special 20Hohner Special 20 in G

I am playing Wagon Wheel in first position, key of G. So a G harmonica is used here. I like the Hohner Special 20s.

You can grab a Hohner Special 20 in G here:
On Sale Here

Hohner Harmonica HolderHohner Harmonica Holder

The Hohner Harmonica Neck Holder fits harmonicas up to 7-1/2" long.

With a long-lasting nickel-plated finish, this harmonica rack is adjustable and fits any neck shape.

 

Musical Challenges

For Harmonica: All of the melody is within two holes with mostly blows. Single notes not really necessary here.

The Harmonica Cheat Sheets video course demonstrates where all the notes are for every chord in every key on the harmonica.

For Guitar - The chords are easy and the rhythm is pretty straight forward as well but can take some practice to get the accents and swing right.

Chords and strumming and counting rhythms is covered in Guitar Essentials, Guitar Chords and Rhythm Guitar And Strumming.

Finger picking instruction can be found in the Finger Picking course.

Video Timeline

0:18 - Introduction

Hey George here. Welcome to this video where I show you how to play Old Crow Medicine Show's Wagon Wheel on guitar and harmonica.

We will go through the guitar chords and strumming. Then we'll add some finger picking to increase the challenge.

Then we'll pick out a harmonica and tab through the melody.

0:43 - Key, Chords and Progression

Wagon Wheel is in G and the chords are ones you should be familiar with.

G MajorD MajorE minorC Major

 

 

 

 

There are only 4 chords - G, D, Em and C.

G | D | Em | C

G | D | C | C

1:18 - Rhythm

Put the emphasis on beats 2 and 4 plus add a swing feel.

Beats 1 and 3 play bass notes while on 2 and 4 play the full chord.

2:19 - Finger Picking

Use your thumb, first and second fingers alternating thumb, first finger, thumb, second finger playing eighth notes.

So for the chord G, the strings to play order goes like this:

G: 6, 3, 4, 1, 6, 3, 4, 1

D: 4, 2, 3, 1, 4, 2, 3, 1

Em: 6, 3, 4, 2, 6, 3, 4, 2

C: 5, 3, 4, 2, 5 , 3 , 4, 2

4:07 - Harmonica

I'm playing in first position so you'll need a G harmonica for this one.

We'll just stick to the melody line and it all happens on holes 4 and 5.

For the chords in the song, here is where the notes of the chord are on your harmonica.

G = I chord: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

D = V chord: -2 -3 -4 6 -7 -8 9

Em = vi minor: 4 5 -6 7 8 -10

C = IV chord: 4 -5 -6 7 -9 -10

5:46 - Let's Play This

The link for the chords and harmonica tabs is above. Use that to follow along.

Things To Note

This was recorded in Qualicum Beach, British Columbia in May 2019.

Paid members can download the video for offline viewing.

Let me know how it goes, leave a message below.

Peace. Stay in tune my friend.

George

5 Pack Case of Hohner Special 20s

The Hohner Special Case consists of 5 Special 20 harmonicas in the most popular keys: G, A, C, D, and E.
What do I like about the Special 20s?
Great Sound, Smooth Comb, Responsive to Bending - but not loose, Affordable. I play Special 20s more than any other model.

Martin Acoustic Guitar Strings

martin strings

Martin M140 Light Acoustic Guitar Strings have an 80/20 composition for brilliance, clarity, and longevity of sound and Studio-quality performance.
If it's been a while since you've changed your strings, you won't believe the difference in the sound. These are some excellent Martin strings. Need I say more? Totally affordable.

Hohner Harmonica Holder

Hohner Harmonica Holder

The Hohner Harmonica Neck Holder fits harmonicas up to 7-1/2" long, has a nickel plated finish and fits any neck shape.

I have used a similar holder for over 25 years. This no-nonsense holder will work for you.

7 responses to “Old Crow Medicine Show – Wagon Wheel”

  1. John Greaser says:
    June 10, 2019 at 10:47 pm

    Hello George, Thanks for the arrangement, and the explanation on how to integrate harp notes with guitar chords.
    John.

  2. Bruce Green says:
    June 10, 2019 at 10:50 pm

    Super. You are the best

  3. George says:
    June 11, 2019 at 4:00 pm

    Thanks Bruce. Much appreciated.

  4. George says:
    June 11, 2019 at 4:01 pm

    Right on John. You’re welcome.

  5. Graeme K Melbourne says:
    August 5, 2019 at 10:04 am

    Thanks George . Great song and arrangement

  6. John Greaser says:
    January 13, 2022 at 12:31 am

    Hello George, any chance of putting together the harp solos for “I hear them all?”
    jrgreaser@aol.com

  7. David Gallagher says:
    July 23, 2026 at 2:37 am

    Thank you and bless you.

Leave a Reply

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