Home ❯ Songs ❯ John Prine ❯

Hello in There

by John Prine • Lesson #295 • Apr 5, 2020

Add to My Favorites

Adding to my favorites…

Added (View All Favorites | Remove)

Added (removing…)

Video lesson

Song Sheet with Lyrics 5 pages

A printed arrangement with the lyrics, chords, and other guitar parts taught in my video lesson. Available for purchase through Musicnotes.com.

Have questions? Read this help page to learn how buying & printing works, with answers to many common questions about my song sheets.

Buy at Musicnotes.com

Editor’s notes

Hey friends! Here’s a lesson showing you how to fingerpick the intro to “Hello In There” by John Prine, as heard on his fantastic self-titled debut album from 1971. This tutorial will get deep into the travis picking technique that Prine uses in this song, which is defined by the right thumb playing alternating strings (bass notes) while the right index & middle fingers play the melody notes independently. This fingerstyle technique can be tricky to learn, but as with all my lessons – I’ll break things down step by step for you, guiding you along the way. And of course, my PDF chord sheet will give you the tabs, explanations, and diagrams you’ll need to learn the necessary skills.

Here’s the timestamps for this video, jump ahead if you know what you’re looking for:

0:00 Lesson overview
1:56 Capo 5th Fret & Chord Shapes
4:01 Chord progression & counting
5:25 Travis picking: right-thumb technique
9:33 Travis picking: adding the melody notes
15:44 Full intro playthrough with tab
17:12 Farewell & parting advice

And be sure to check out my other John Prine lessons if you’re a fan of his music!

Clay Pigeons (full song lesson) - http://playsongnotes.com/lessons/294/
My Old Kentucky Home, Goodnight - http://playsongnotes.com/lessons/238/
Travis Picking basics (using Clay Pigeons) - http://playsongnotes.com/lessons/173/

Browse Related Lessons

Click any tag below to view other lessons I've made in that category:

Enjoy My Lessons? Show Your Support!

Most of the lessons on my website are 100% free. If you have the means, please show your support with a tip jar contribution. I put many hours into every lesson — but it only takes you a minute to make a donation. You have my thanks!

Donate

Looking for More Song Lessons?

Recently Added

Featured Courses

Travis Picking Essentials

An overview of all techniques needed to get started with Travis-style fingerpicking! Alternating Bass notes, filler notes, melody, the "pinch", and more.

13 lessons

View

Practical Music Theory

A general overview of must-know theory concepts. The goal here is practical, easy-to-understand explanations — all of which provide clarity to your everyday guitar playing.

14 lessons

View

Guitar for Beginners

A guide to getting started with guitar! Everything you need to know to begin your journey. Choosing a guitar, other gear you'll need, fretting notes & chords, learning your first songs, and more.

14 lessons

View

Beginner Chord Guide

A guide to the must-know chords you'll need when getting started with guitar! The quickest way to learn major chords, minor chords, the chords in each key, and more.

22 lessons

View

Blues Starter Kit

A guide to must-know elements of beginner blues guitar! I'll walk you through the essential topics, showing you fun things to play along the way.

18 lessons

View

Reading Music for Guitarists

Learn to read tabs, chord charts, fretboard diagrams, strumming patterns, and more! This course explains how to understand all of these must-know notation styles.

6 lessons

Walk Ups & Walk Downs

Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

Fret Monster

Interactive fretboard map! See the patterns behind every scale in any key.

View

JamBox

Play-along practice tracks, showing chord changes on screen, to help make practice more fun!

View

Key Master

See and hear the notes, chords, scales used in each of the most common keys.

View

Capo Captain

An easy way to calculate key & chord combinations, for any capo location!

View

Blank Tabs

Free PDF templates to download, print, and write out your own guitar tabs!

View

Coming soon is Jambox – which shows all the video jam tracks I've made. It's note quite ready for the spotlight, but check it out if you like!

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Be sure to never miss a lesson by subscribing on YouTube. I put out 2-3 new videos every week. These include full song lessons, as well as covers, practice tips, behind-the-scenes updates. Thanks!

Recent Lessons

August 28, 2026

Learn Riffs Faster with Chunking (ft. Johnny Cash)

Here's a must-know technique that will help you learn any riff, solo, or extended tab much more quickly! The secret is breaking things into manageable chunks. I demonstrate using Johnny Cash's classic I Walk The Line.
August 20, 2026

[Updated] Chord Changes & Learning New Chords

Over in my Beginner Chord Guide, I've updated the Chord Changes lesson page to include a ton of new written detail giving context to my video lesson. If you struggle with learning new chords or changing chords smoothly, check it out!
August 19, 2026

Practice Guide for "I Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash

Check out my brand new visual companion to help you learn Johnny Cash's 1956 classic! 6 pages, including step-by-step tips for chords, strumming, walking bass lines, and more.
August 14, 2026

Strum & Sing "Runaway" by Del Shannon

Learn to play this #1 hit from 1961! This song is a blast to play, as it features a fun key change and plenty of strumming flourishes to include. I teach it all, step by step!
August 7, 2026

Practice Guide for "Brown Eyed Girl"

I've created a brand new Practice Guide to accompany my popular Brown Eyed Girl lesson! Enjoy an updated visual companion helping you with chord shape finger positions, various ways to play the melodic intro riff, strumming, and much more.
July 31, 2026

"Ohio" by Crosby Stills Nash & Young

Learn to play this CSNY protest classic from 1970! Features an iconic rock riff, which I'll teach you to play a few different ways. I also include strumming tips for the chorus, along with options for standard and Drop-D tunings.
July 17, 2026

Travis Picking Essentials: 10 New Pages of PDF Guides!

This week I finished a batch of 5 new PDF guides for my in-progress Travis Picking Essentials course... and they're ready for you to download and print!
July 16, 2026

[Updated] How I Learned to Travis Pick with John Prine ft. Clay Pigeons

I totally overhauled my 7 page PDF guide for this lesson! Plus, I recorded six zoomed videos showing the step-by-step exercises I recommend.
July 3, 2026

"Ramble On" by Led Zeppelin (full song lesson)

Learn to play each seciton of Led Zeppelin's 1969 classic! For each section, I teach several easier ways to play things – allowing you to strum & sing without worrying about copying Jimmy Page in all cases.

Browse All Recent Lessons →

← back to homepage

Hello in There

Video lesson

Song Sheet with Lyrics 5 pages

Editor’s notes

Unlock My Secret Stash!

Browse Related Lessons

Enjoy My Lessons? Show Your Support!

Looking for More Song Lessons?

Featured Courses

Travis Picking Essentials

Practical Music Theory

Guitar for Beginners

Beginner Chord Guide

Blues Starter Kit

Reading Music for Guitarists

Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

Fret Monster

JamBox

Key Master

Capo Captain

Blank Tabs

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Recent Lessons