It seems that today much of the world is out trying to emulate the tone of "the great ones". I'm sure some of the more foolhardy have dropped down a few grand on an original Marshall JTM 45 amp so they'll "sound" just like Clapton. The problem is that it does little good to sound like Clapton, when you can't play like Clapton. The very same holds true here. Once you have the basic mechanics down and are playing something with six strings, people will know what you're playing. It's kind of fun never having to go past the first four frets or leave the three bass strings and know you'll elicit more drunken hoops and hollers then if you were bloodying your fingers on some Stevie Ray Vaughn riff.            I have posted a few videos on YouTube, and am frequently asked for tabs, chords, and various other requests for help. The very first piece of advice I can give is learn your chords. You needn't learn any of the fancy ones, A,B7,C,D,E,F,G, will suffice. Next, get your hands on some scales. You'll end up using "E" and "A" more than any. The key of E goes E,F#,G#,A,B,C#,D#. Most of the songs that Johnny Cash wrote use I-IV-V chord progession. So just grab the first, fourth, and fifth notes from that E scale. That would be E, A, and B chords. It sounds a little neater and plays easier if you use a 7th chord on your V (fifth) chord. You could also just ignore this and look at the chords on some sheet music, but it's nice to have a little knowledge.            Now you know what chords to play, you also have to know how to play them. How you play them is the bedrock of the Luther Perkins sound. First take your picking hand and rest it gently on the bridge. You want just enough pressure to deaden the strings, but not enough that they won't even ring. Then all you play is a slighty modified I-V bass pattern (I-V meaning first-fifth). Major chords are built using the first, third, and fifth of the scale of their corresponding key. An E major chord is just E,G#,B and playing I-V means you're only hitting the E and B notes. I know this may sound a little confusing, but just relax and use your ear. Make an E chord and be sure you are muting the strings with your picking hand. Hit the 6th string open to make your "I" note, which is E. Then hit the 4th string, which you are fretting at the second fret which makes another "I", just an octave higher. Then strike the 5th string which will be fretted at the 2nd fret which makes a B note, your "V". Then back up to your 4th string again to your "I" note again, but remember, it's one octave higher. Here is a clip to give you an idea.            This sounds far more confusing then it really is. Just make an E chord, plunk the 6th string, 4th string, 5th string, 4th string, 6th string, 4th string.... It's a VERY simple progression and your ear will catch on. When your song changes to another chord, use your ear and you'll figure out what to do. The man was essentially juggling just two notes at one time in a ratio of 3:1! Occasionally Luther did get a little crazy during chord changes and throw in a bass run.            This brief description by no means applies to every song, but is a good play to start. The best advice I can give on playing solos, is just to sit down and listen! Kids have been doing it for fifty years. I'm sure many a 45 have had the grooves worn out by constantly playing the same part over and over. I was "fortunate" enough to have a tape recorder with a speed control to slow things down. It still wasn't too easy because it brought everything down a few keys. I would be thankful that Window's Media Player can slow things down without changing pitch.            Alright, so those of you that don't know how to play should be extrodinarly confused and those who do are probably laughing at the length I've gone to describe the utterly simple. I have some gear specific things planned for this page, including the build of a'55 Fender Princeton amp!