How To Play Twisting The Night Away
by Sam Cooke

On this page I'd like to explain to you how to play Twisting The Night Away by Sam Cooke. Check out my acoustic demo clip and grab some free tabs in the lower right hand menu.

Sam Cooke released this song in 1962 and it peaked #1 on the R and B charts and #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also hit #6 in the UK.

Rod Stewart did a cover and released his version in 1973 but it never made it into the top 40. It was also re-releaseed again in 1987.

Cooke had 29 songs in the top 40 during his short musical career. He also became a record label owner and founded a publishing company, something that was a first for a black artist in the 1960's.

Cooke was shot to death at the age of 33 by a hotel manager in Dec of 1964. The circumstances of the death are still a bit sketchy.

This is a great dance song from Cooke and was originally recorded in A. As you'll notice from my version below, Im in the key of A but using a capo and playing in G.

I did this to allow for some walking bass to be put into the song and makes the lead break (vice horn break) a bit easier to manage in G vice A.



This song is played with 5 chords and they are as follows: G, Em, C, D and D7 if you play with a capo on the 2nd to stay in the original key of A. I put a walking bass line in this one along with a lead picking break which simply follows the melody of the song ... as well as a quick horn intro picking pattern.

This picking is fully explained in the full instructional tutorial from the link below.

                 

Free Tab Available


-- $3.25 --

Full Tutorial - .wmv format - 12 min 00 sec

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As I explain in the full tutorial, the right hand is playing a steady dn-up-dn-up-dn-up-dn-up all thru the song and the left hand is playing some walking bass notes using the A and D strings for the G chord, the A and E strings for the Em and chords and the D and A string for the D chord.

While picking the lead break in this one you'll notice Im playing all down strokes. It's an improvised lead break because the original has horns playing two searate breaks along with the intro.

Check out the classic video in the right hand menu and grab the free lyrics and tab as well.

I hope you found this How To Play Twisting The Night Away by Sam Cooke useful and informative.

Feel free to tweet about it (bottom of the page) or like it on Facebook from the "Like" button above or below as that is also most welcomed.

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