The Housefire

by Turnpike Troubadours • Lesson #412 • Jan 23, 2022

Video lesson

Licensed Song Sheet 2 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.

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Editor’s notes

Hey friends! New lesson today teaching you how to play The Housefire by Turnpike Troubadours, from their 2017 album “A Long Way From Your Heart.” Turnpike is one of the biggest bands in the Red Dirt country rock scene over the past 20 years, and many of you have requested I teach their songs over the last few years. Honestly, they never really caught my ear until the past few weeks – all thanks to this song, which 40+ listens later I’m still can’t get enough of. The songwriting, vocal delivery, instrumentation, and more all combine for something truly wonderful, far greater than the sum of all its parts. Guitar-wise, it’s a rather straightforward song… though I do include tabs for an 8-measure riff letting you imitate the fiddle & harmonica sound heard in the intro. I’ll also give some practical strumming tips to help you work up to the “full strum” heard in the album version of this song. Let’s get into it, and I hope you enjoy!

Video timestamps:

0:00 Lesson Overview
2:29 Chord Shapes
5:06 Chord Progressions
9:07 Strumming Patterns
12:39 Intro Riff (w/ tab)
18:41 Full Playthrough

Listen to the Turnpike Troubadours perform this song

Album version:

Live @ Paste Magazine:

Live @ Austin City Limits:

Grady Smith’s Turnpike Troubadours overview

One of my favorite music YouTubers is Grady Smith, who made this video giving an overview of Turnpike Troubadours at the end of 2021 – when they just announced they’d be returning after an “indefinite hiatus” dating back to 2019. If you’re like me and crave context when getting into a new band, you’re in luck! Grady’s got you covered.

Here’s a warm-up exercise (Lesson #290) I made showing you an acoustic riff inspired by Diamonds and Gasoline, also by Turnpike Troubadours. While I don’t teach that entire song, this may scratch your itch if you’re looking for more Turnpike lessons! This lesson includes an instructional PDF available to members of Song Notes Premium.

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The Housefire

Video lesson

Licensed Song Sheet 2 pages

Editor’s notes

Listen to the Turnpike Troubadours perform this song

Grady Smith’s Turnpike Troubadours overview

Related lesson inspired by “Diamonds & Gasoline”

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

Walk Ups & Walk Downs

CAGED Essentials

Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

Fret Monster

Capo Captain

Key Master

Blank Tabs

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Recent Lessons