Dscorcia
Verified buyer
09/29/26
Excellent detail
Song Lesson: Listen to the Music
Learn How to Play "Listen to the Music" by The Doobie Brothers on Guitar with Tab, Video Lessons, and More!
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Dave Isaacs
Educator
Genres
About this course
Learn how to play “Listen to the Music” by The Doobie Brothers with this vibrant, feel-good Song Lesson taught by expert guitarist and TrueFire educator Dave Isaacs. A classic of 1970s rock and a staple of any guitar player’s repertoire, “Listen to the Music” is packed with infectious rhythm, upbeat energy, and layered guitar parts that are as fun to play as they are to listen to. In this step-by-step lesson, you’ll get everything you need to master the song in full—from its signature strumming patterns to the essential groove and chord progressions that define its sound.
Designed for guitarists of all levels, this lesson walks you through every part of the arrangement in detail. Whether you’re just getting started with open-position chords and want to jam along with a strum-along version, or you’re ready to dive into the syncopated rhythmic feel of the full electric guitar parts, Dave breaks it all down in a clear, musical, and approachable way. His instruction is supported by TrueFire’s advanced tools, helping you build confidence and skill while staying connected to the song's musicality.
You’ll begin with an overview of the song structure and a full performance to understand how the parts come together. From there, you’ll work through a complete set of lessons covering two core electric guitar parts—each taught in progressive stages including a breakdown lesson, a guided practice session, and a full-band playalong video. You’ll also learn a simplified easy guitar version so beginners can jump in, strum along with the backing track, and start playing right away.
The backing track features a full band arrangement including vocals, bass, drums, percussion, banjo, and click track, providing a rich musical context for your practice and performance. This allows you to develop your timing, groove, and dynamics while experiencing the feeling of playing with a live band. TrueFire’s learning interface includes synchronized tab and notation, looping, and slow-motion controls, so you can learn at your own pace and revisit any section as many times as needed.
As you move through the lesson, you’ll develop key guitar skills such as rhythmic strumming, dynamic chord transitions, locking in with a groove, and maintaining energy and clarity in a band context. These skills aren’t just essential for playing “Listen to the Music”—they’re foundational for becoming a well-rounded rhythm guitarist in any style.
This Song Lesson is perfect for fans of classic rock, players looking to improve their timing and strumming, or anyone who simply wants to add a joyful, crowd-pleasing tune to their repertoire. With Dave Isaacs as your guide and TrueFire’s interactive system behind you, you’ll be playing “Listen to the Music” with confidence, style, and authentic Doobie Brothers flair.
Start learning today and bring the feel-good energy of this rock classic to life every time you pick up your guitar.
Designed for guitarists of all levels, this lesson walks you through every part of the arrangement in detail. Whether you’re just getting started with open-position chords and want to jam along with a strum-along version, or you’re ready to dive into the syncopated rhythmic feel of the full electric guitar parts, Dave breaks it all down in a clear, musical, and approachable way. His instruction is supported by TrueFire’s advanced tools, helping you build confidence and skill while staying connected to the song's musicality.
You’ll begin with an overview of the song structure and a full performance to understand how the parts come together. From there, you’ll work through a complete set of lessons covering two core electric guitar parts—each taught in progressive stages including a breakdown lesson, a guided practice session, and a full-band playalong video. You’ll also learn a simplified easy guitar version so beginners can jump in, strum along with the backing track, and start playing right away.
The backing track features a full band arrangement including vocals, bass, drums, percussion, banjo, and click track, providing a rich musical context for your practice and performance. This allows you to develop your timing, groove, and dynamics while experiencing the feeling of playing with a live band. TrueFire’s learning interface includes synchronized tab and notation, looping, and slow-motion controls, so you can learn at your own pace and revisit any section as many times as needed.
As you move through the lesson, you’ll develop key guitar skills such as rhythmic strumming, dynamic chord transitions, locking in with a groove, and maintaining energy and clarity in a band context. These skills aren’t just essential for playing “Listen to the Music”—they’re foundational for becoming a well-rounded rhythm guitarist in any style.
This Song Lesson is perfect for fans of classic rock, players looking to improve their timing and strumming, or anyone who simply wants to add a joyful, crowd-pleasing tune to their repertoire. With Dave Isaacs as your guide and TrueFire’s interactive system behind you, you’ll be playing “Listen to the Music” with confidence, style, and authentic Doobie Brothers flair.
Start learning today and bring the feel-good energy of this rock classic to life every time you pick up your guitar.
What you'll learn
- Perform a complete arrangement of 'Listen to the Music'
- Execute transitions between song sections smoothly
- Apply rhythm guitar techniques in a full song context
- Develop barre chord technique and stamina
- Understand song structure and arrangement of a classic rock song
Release date: 03/02/2023 • 1h 27m runtime
Sample lessons
Full Song Performance
Reference Video of All Guitar Parts
What's included
14 lessons • 9 charts • 5 Jam Tracks
Hi! I’m Dave Isaacs and I’m here to teach you the song Listen to the Music by The Doobie Brothers. In this lesson we'll be looking at how to replicate the artists playing on this tune by tackling it in bite size pieces then bringing it all back together at the end. I'll also show you an easy guitar part so that you can strum along to the whole song if you're just getting started. Ready to learn Listen To The Music? Well grab your guitar and let’s get started!
We’ll be starting things off with a full performance of Listen To The Music where you will be able to see and hear the multiple different guitar styles you will be learning in the tune. Keep a close eye on the text on the screen as it will indicate the guitar track currently being played.
In this video we'll be breaking Listen To The Music down into simple guitar chords and patterns that you can play, even if you're a beginner. Everything I'm going to show you here will work well with the accurate guitar parts so that you can play along with the full band. The first will be the easiest version then we'll jump into a second rendition that will add a few more pieces and bring you one step closer to the authentic guitar part. Once you feel comfortable with this easier version, I encourage you to try to tackle some of the more sophisticated techniques in the accurate guitar parts as this is a great way to improve your skills.
In this video we will be practicing the easy guitar for Listen To The Music. Remember to take advantage of tab-sync to ensure you're hitting the proper notes and, if you find the tune is a bit too fast for you, utilize the speed feature to slow things down, get your timing right, and then work your way up to the proper tempo.
In this video we will perform the tune Listen To The Music in its entirety. Join the band and show off your chops using the techniques you've learned along the way.
Now it’s time to tackle the first section of the first guitar part. Remember to take advantage of tab-sync to ensure you're hitting the proper notes and, if you find the tune is a bit too fast for you, utilize the speed feature to slow things down, get your timing right, and then work your way up to the proper tempo.
In this video we will be practicing the first section of the first guitar part for Listen To The Music. Remember to take advantage of tab-sync to ensure you're hitting the proper notes and, if you find the tune is a bit too fast for you, utilize the speed feature to slow things down, get your timing right, and then work your way up to the proper tempo.
+ 7 more lessons
Reviews
5 results
tensity1
03/01/25
Great song and great teacher
Mr. Isaacs is my newest favorite teacher on TrueFire ever since JamPlay merged with them. He does a great job in breaking down the parts and giving you ways to work out how to feel those parts so they sound good and groove. The bridge and outro lead parts ARE included, so no worries there. The song will give both of your hands a workout, so be sure to relax and not tense up over time, but once you get in that pocket and groove, so much fun!
PaulSalsbury
Verified buyer
12/23/24
Good old song from youth
hd1200xlh
Verified buyer
11/28/24
Missing Short lead guitar solo.
This was a great purchase! The instruction was clear and straightforward. Only one issue is that the lead guitar bits were not included or I would have easily given a 5 star rating.
dougbracey
03/01/24
Great Lesson on a great song!
Dave Isaacs breaks down both the rhythm and lead guitar parts on this classic Doobie Bros song. I appreciate the way he really communicates the importance of the feel and groove of the rhythm part, and takes time to clearly teach it. I used the synced tab to focus in on several parts, which helped me really nail it. I used multiple repeats to get all the lead parts memorized pretty quickly. Dave's love of the music comes across in his teaching, and the combination of his enthusiasm, and the great technology and approach makes this and the other Song Lessons here some of the best available. Please keep 'em coming!
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