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Van Morrison

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Brown Eyed Girl - Guitar Lesson

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Artist Overview

Van Morrison is a Belfast-born singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who emerged in the mid-1960s, first with the Irish R&B group Them and then as a solo artist. His music fuses Celtic soul, folk, blues, jazz, and rock into something deeply personal and genre-defying. While Morrison himself is primarily known as a vocalist, saxophonist, and harmonica player, guitar has always been a central voice in his recordings. From the raw garage-rock crunch of Them's "Gloria" to the shimmering acoustic textures of "Astral Weeks" and the breezy strum of "Brown Eyed Girl," Morrison's catalog offers guitarists an incredible education in tasteful accompaniment, rhythm feel, and serving the song above all else. The guitar chairs in Van Morrison's bands have been filled by a rotating cast of seriously skilled players over the decades. Notably, Jay Berliner played the stunning classical and jazz guitar parts on the "Astral Weeks" album. Ronnie Montrose (later of Montrose fame) played on "Tupelo Honey." Other key contributors include Herbie Armstrong, Martin Drover, and Mick Cox. What ties all of Morrison's guitarists together is a shared sense of restraint and musicality. These are players who understood dynamics, knew when to lay back into a gentle fingerpicked arpeggio, and when to push a bluesy lead line forward. If you want to learn how to play rhythm guitar that breathes and supports a vocal performance, Morrison's catalog is essential listening. For guitarists, Van Morrison's music sits in the beginner-to-intermediate range for most of his well-known songs, though there are deeper cuts that demand serious jazz chord knowledge and fingerstyle chops. "Brown Eyed Girl" is one of the most popular beginner songs ever written for guitar, built around a classic two-bar riff and simple open chords. But don't let that simplicity fool you. Getting the feel right, nailing the rhythmic bounce, and making those open G, C, D, and Em chords groove with the right strumming dynamics is a real lesson in what makes a great rhythm guitarist. Beyond the hits, Morrison's music will challenge you with modal explorations, jazz voicings, Celtic-influenced acoustic passages, and blues phrasing that rewards a lighter, more expressive touch.

What Makes Van Morrison Essential for Guitar Players

The iconic intro riff to "Brown Eyed Girl" is built on a simple D-A-G-A progression played with a bright, clean tone and a bouncy shuffle feel. Focus on consistent downstrokes and letting the notes ring clearly. It is one of the best beginner riffs for developing right-hand timing and clean chord transitions.
Acoustic fingerpicking plays a huge role in Morrison's catalog, especially on albums like "Astral Weeks" and "Veedon Fleece." Learning these parts will develop your Travis picking, arpeggiated chord work, and ability to play independently moving bass lines under melody notes.
Morrison's music is a masterclass in dynamic strumming. Many of his songs build from whisper-quiet verses to passionate climaxes, so learning to control your strumming intensity (ghost strums, accented upstrokes, muted scratches) is essential to capturing the feel of his arrangements.
Blues and jazz chord voicings pop up frequently across Morrison's recordings. Songs like "Moondance" use minor seventh and major seventh chords with smooth voice leading. If you are used to playing only open cowboy chords, Morrison's repertoire is a great gateway into more sophisticated harmonic vocabulary.
Morrison's guitarists often employ a call-and-response approach, filling in gaps around the vocal melody with short, melodic licks rather than continuous shredding. This teaches you one of the most valuable skills in a band context: knowing when NOT to play and how to complement a singer rather than compete with them.

Did You Know?

Jay Berliner, the guitarist on "Astral Weeks," was a classical and jazz session player who had worked with Charles Mingus. He played a nylon-string classical guitar on the album, giving it that uniquely warm, intimate tone that no steel-string could replicate.

"Brown Eyed Girl" was originally titled "Brown Skinned Girl" and has been covered and learned by more beginner guitarists than almost any other song in rock history. Its two-bar intro riff is often the second or third thing a new guitarist learns after basic open chords.

Ronnie Montrose, who would go on to become a hard rock legend with his band Montrose, played guitar on "Tupelo Honey." Listening to his restrained, soulful playing on that record versus his later high-gain shredding is a fascinating study in versatility.

Van Morrison himself occasionally plays rhythm guitar live, typically on an acoustic. He favors a no-frills approach, strumming basic open chords and letting his voice and band do the heavy lifting.

The recording of "Astral Weeks" was done almost entirely live in the studio with minimal overdubs. The guitar parts were improvised in real time alongside upright bass, drums, and strings, making it one of the most organic-sounding records in rock history.

Morrison's long-time guitarist Herbie Armstrong, who played with him throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, was known for using a warm, slightly overdriven Stratocaster tone that blended seamlessly into the horn and keyboard arrangements without ever dominating the mix.

"Moondance" is frequently used in jazz guitar education to teach swing rhythm comping, minor seventh chord shapes, and the II-V-I progression in a pop-accessible context. It is one of the best bridges between rock and jazz guitar playing.

Essential Albums for Guitarists

Moondance 1970

This is the most guitar-friendly Van Morrison album for learners. The title track "Moondance" teaches jazz-influenced minor seventh comping with a swing feel, "Crazy Love" is a beautiful acoustic ballad for practicing gentle fingerpicking dynamics, and "Into the Mystic" features a gorgeous clean electric tone with tasteful fills between vocal lines. Great for developing your sense of groove and restraint.

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Astral Weeks 1968

A must-study album for any guitarist interested in fingerstyle, jazz voicings, and improvised accompaniment. Jay Berliner's nylon-string work is ethereal and harmonically adventurous. Songs like "Astral Weeks" and "Cyprus Avenue" will push you into modal territory and teach you how to create atmosphere with minimal notes. Not easy, but incredibly rewarding.

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Tupelo Honey 1971

Ronnie Montrose's guitar work here is warm, bluesy, and perfectly supportive. The title track is an excellent study in country-inflected clean tone playing and melodic fills. "Wild Night" features a punchy, rhythmic guitar part that teaches you how to lock in with a horn section. This album bridges folk, country, and blues guitar styles beautifully.

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His Band and the Street Choir album cover

His Band and the Street Choir 1970

Often overlooked, this album has some of Morrison's most straightforward rock and roll guitar work. "Domino" is a high-energy rocker with a driving rhythm guitar part perfect for practicing consistent strumming at tempo. "Blue Money" features funky, clipped rhythm playing that teaches muting technique and syncopation.

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Tone & Gear

Guitar

Van Morrison's guitarists have used a wide variety of instruments across eras. Jay Berliner played a nylon-string classical guitar on "Astral Weeks." Herbie Armstrong favored Fender Stratocasters for their bright, articulate clean tones. Ronnie Montrose used a Gibson Les Paul and ES-style guitars on "Tupelo Honey." For "Brown Eyed Girl," the original recording features a bright, snappy electric tone that sounds like a Stratocaster or Telecaster on the bridge/middle pickup position. If you are learning Morrison's catalog, a versatile guitar with both single-coil brightness and humbucker warmth will cover most of the ground.

Amp

Most of Morrison's recordings feature clean to lightly overdriven amp tones. Think Fender-style tube amps (Deluxe Reverb, Twin Reverb) set clean with a touch of natural breakup when you dig in. The emphasis is on warmth, clarity, and dynamic response rather than high gain. A Fender-style amp set around 4-5 on the volume with the treble around 6 and bass around 5 will get you in the ballpark for most of his catalog.

Pickups

Single-coil pickups (Fender-style) are the go-to for most of Morrison's brighter, jangly tones like "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Wild Night." For warmer, jazzier tones on tracks like "Moondance" or "Astral Weeks" style playing, a neck-position humbucker or a hollow/semi-hollow body guitar with PAF-style pickups in the 7-8k output range works well. The key is moderate output that preserves dynamics and clarity, never anything too hot or compressed.

Effects & Chain

Morrison's guitar sound is remarkably effect-free. The tone comes from fingers, good guitar-to-amp interaction, and a touch of natural spring reverb from the amp. Occasionally you will hear a subtle chorus or tremolo effect on later recordings, but the vast majority of his catalog is straight guitar into a clean tube amp. If you want to add anything, a light reverb and maybe a transparent overdrive pedal (like a Tube Screamer with the gain set low) for slight grit on bluesy passages is all you need. Less is absolutely more here.

Recommended Gear

Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Herbie Armstrong's weapon of choice for Van Morrison's bright, articulate clean tones, the Stratocaster's single-coil pickups deliver the jangly sparkle that defines songs like 'Brown Eyed Girl' and 'Wild Night.'

Guitar

Fender Telecaster

The original 'Brown Eyed Girl' recording likely featured a Telecaster's snappy bridge pickup tone, capturing that punchy, cutting clarity that sits perfectly in Morrison's folk-soul arrangements.

Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Ronnie Montrose wielded this guitar on 'Tupelo Honey,' using the Les Paul's warmth and sustain to add soulful body to Morrison's more jazz-influenced material without sacrificing dynamic response.

Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Les Paul's PAF-style pickups provide the moderate-output, warm humbucker tones Morrison uses on jazz-tinged ballads like 'Moondance,' preserving clarity while adding sophisticated depth.

Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

This legendary amp's pristine clean headroom and lush spring reverb create the spacious, warm foundation that defines Van Morrison's studio sound across decades of recordings.

Amp

Fender Deluxe Reverb

A more intimate version of Morrison's Fender formula, the Deluxe Reverb delivers the same tube warmth and natural breakup in a player-friendly package ideal for his dynamic touch-sensitive approach.

How to Practice Van Morrison on GuitarZone

Every Van Morrison song page on GuitarZone includes a built-in Practice Toolbar. No app to download, no account needed. Open any song, then use the toolbar to slow the video to 0.5× speed, set an A/B loop around the exact riff you're working on, and jump between song sections instantly.

The toolbar appears automatically on every guitar tab, lesson, and cover page. Pick a song below, hit play, and start practicing at your own pace.

Practice Brown Eyed Girl - Guitar Lesson