Ever since Jimmy Buffet hit paydirt with his immortal “Margaritaville” in 1977, many artists have tried to knock it out of the number one slot of the “beach/booze/bikini” category. Whether intentional or not, that goal may just have been achieved by the Atlanta-based country group, the Zac Brown Band, with their mega hit, “Toes.”

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THE TUNING

To play along with the recording, you’ll need to tune all your strings down a half-step—(low to high) E♭–A♭–D♭–G♭–B♭–E♭.

THE ACOUSTIC GUITAR
Zak opens the tune, playing a nylon-string acoustic guitar (Gtr. 1). Although the part may look intimidating, it’s really just a handful of open- position chords (C, F/C, G5, Gsus4, C/B, and Am) that are arpeggiated. The extra notes that are not part of the chord shapes are played by the finger that’s free. Put away your pick because this part is meant to be played with the thumb and fingers. As a general rule, pluck down on the low strings (low-E, A, and D) with your thumb, and up on the top strings (G, B, and high-E) with your index, middle, and ring fingers. Go through each measure very slowly at first, and the part should eventually fall into place. Regarding the move on beat 3 of the second measure, the F note on the D string is the only note picked. Hammer-on to the C note from the previous open B-string attack. The A note on the G string is a “hammer-on from nowhere”—or, from mid-air. Following the C note at the top of the Verse, the acoustic guitar goes tacet (doesn’t play), and remains so until the Fiddle Solo. In this section, the acoustic plays the eight-bar rhythm figure established in the Intro, goes tacet for the first half of the second verse, then plays sustained chords for the second half. At this point it’s out again (for the return to the Refrain), only to return briefly for the Interlude in Coda 1, and the Outro-Refrain (Coda 2).

THE ELECTRIC PARTS
The electric-guitar rhythm chores are shared by Gtr. 2 and Gtr. 3. Gtr. 2 enters first, providing sustained chords, enhanced with volume swells, for the Verse. (Gtr. 2 only appears in the verse sections.) If you don’t own a volume pedal, you can use your guitar’s volume control to perform the swells. With the control knob rolled all the way off, strike the chord, then reach down and gradually twist the knob to its full-on position. Just before the next chord attack, mute the strings, quickly twist the knob to the off position, and start the process over again for the new chord.

Gtr. 3 performs the lion’s share of the electric work, inserting finger- picked fills, arpeggios, and chord passages. First up is a pedal-steel lick in measure 4 of the first verse. As this is a standard, country-guitar technique, it warrants a full description. Hold the high-E and B strings at the 8th fret with your pinky, and use your ring finger to fret the D note on the G string. Line up your middle and index fingers (directly behind your ring finger) on the G string, to provide reinforcement and to help control the bend. (As an alternative, you can use your ring finger to fret the top two strings, and bend the G string with your middle and index fingers.) As with the majority of Gtr. 3’s licks, this one is performed using hybrid picking (combination of pick and fingers). For this particular move, pluck up on the high-E and B strings with your ring and middle fingers (respectively), and use your pick to pluck down on the G string. In the latter part of the Chorus and Coda 1, there are some tremolo-picked passages. Use just the pick for these figures, strumming down-and-up, in rapid succession, across the string pairs.

THE FIDDLE SOLO
Fiddle Solo? Zac’s fiddle player doesn’t play this song in the traditional fiddle style with a bow, nor does he hold the instrument in typical fiddle fashion. Instead he opts to hold it like a guitar (or more appropri- ately, a mandolin), then strums or plucks the strings. Here it is arranged for guitar. Use your thumb and index finger to pluck the strings in the area where the neck meets the body of the guitar. This will provide a mellower tone, simulating the sound of the plucked fiddle.

STRUM-ALONG CHORDS
It’s been said that the mark of a good song is if it goes over well in a living-room setting, performed solo by a singing guitarist. If you want to give it a try, Figs. 1 & 2 provide all the chords you’ll need to strum along.

Want more? Check out these cool links at guitaredge.com

•    Download “Toes (Live from Bonnaroo)” on iTunes
•    Check out the band online at zacbrownband.com

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