Angel From Montgomery

by John Prine • Lesson #399 • Nov 13, 2021

Video lesson

Licensed Song Sheet 3 pages

Follow along with my print-friendly guide for this song! It’s available for purchase at Musicnotes.com, the web’s leading provider of licensed sheet music.

On the fence? Here's a guide I made showing the purchase & print process, including answers to common questions about my song sheets.

Buy at Musicnotes.com

Editor’s notes

Hello friends! New lesson today for the John Prine classic “Angel From Montgomery”, from his 1971 debut album. I’ll teach you to play the song exactly like John Prine does, but also include some strumming pattern explanations in case you prefer the Bonnie Raitt version (which is a bit easier to pull off). This song only uses 4 chords, all of which are major – but in typical Prine fashion, he’s able to create a song that adds up to far more than the sum of its parts. I’ll start with a quick crash-course explanation of things, then get into the usual details on chords, progressions, strumming, and show you some licks & fills to round things out. Finally, I’ll end things with a full play-along cover. Thanks to all of you who suggested this song over the past year… I hope you enjoy!

Video timestamps:

0:00 Preview & Lesson Summary
2:12 Quick Explanation of Entire Song
4:03 Chord Shapes Needed
5:47 Chord Progression & Timing
9:26 Strumming (John Prine version)
14:01 Strumming (Bonnie Raitt version)
16:07 Misc Tips! Licks & Fills
21:26 Full play-along cover

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Angel From Montgomery

Video lesson

Licensed Song Sheet 3 pages

Editor’s notes

My Other John Prine Lessons

Clay Pigeons

Hello in There

Souvenirs

My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night

Travis Picking, Step by Step (featuring “In Spite of Ourselves”)

Learning to Travis Pick (featuring “Clay Pigeons”)

Instructional Lessons to Help Learn This Song

F Chord Cheat Sheet (Lesson #392)

Unlock My Secret Stash!

Browse Related Lessons

Enjoy My Lessons? Show Your Support!

Looking for More Song Lessons?

Featured Courses

Strumming & Rhythm

Fingerstyle & Travis Picking

Blues Starter Kit

Reading Music for Guitarists

Learning Lead Guitar

Beginner Chord Guide

Practical Music Theory

Using a Capo

Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

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Capo Captain

Key Master

Blank Tabs

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Recent Lessons