Premium
VIP
Beta Tester
All The Best
by John Prine • Lesson #585 • Mar 12, 2025
About This Lesson
In today’s lesson I’ll teach you how to play John Prine’s classic All The Best. Typical of Prine songs, he uses just three chords — but somehow manages to create an arrangement that’s catchy, fun to play, and never gets boring. I’ll walk you through the fingerstyle-specific chord voicings, introduce the Travs-picking fingerstyle technique he uses, and show a few suggested exercises to learn the main riff. From there, you’ll be set… learning the intro and verse sections will feel like you’re riding a bike down hill. Let’s get into it!
- 0:00 Lesson Overview
- 1:29 Travis Picking Basics
- 6:22 Intro, Part 1
- 8:58 Intro, Part 2
- 13:50 Verse, Part 1
- 15:33 Verse, Part 2
Quick Links
- Recommended lyric & chord sheet
- Album Wikipedia page
- All The Best Album Recording
- All The Best Live in 1992
Practice Notes 6 pages
Lesson Discussion
Additional Video Tutorials
Here’s a few extra video lessons for this song, made in thanks to those supporting me with Premium membership here on my Song Notes website. To those showing your support, you have my true thanks and appreciation — and I hope you find these additional videos helpful!
Part 2 - Playthrough (with Tabs & No Singing)
Part 3 - Playthrough (with Lyrics & Singing)
Part 4 - My “Secret Stash” Intro Riff
This shows the slightly modified arrangement of the intro sequence, where I make a few small changes to suit my own tastes. I’m sharing this as an example of what’s possible when it comes to interpreting songs you’re learning as your own… if you want, you’re allowed to change things! Don’t feel boxed in by every last detail the artist plays, if it doesn’t vibe with you. You can hear me using some of these fingerstyle tweaks in my “Part 3” video just above.
Part 5 - Strumming Tutorial
Want to strum this song instead of using fingerpicking? Here’s how I’d go about it. Your mileage may vary, but I’m glad to share in case this gives you any ideas.
Need Help with Travis Picking or Strumming?
If Travis-style fingerpicking is new to you, these two lessons will help get you started. I’ve also included the strumming tutorial I mention in my strumming video above, which helps explain the concept of accenting notes on up-strums.
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!
Looking for More Song Lessons?
Featured Courses
Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made
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
-
Feb 13, 2026
[New] Save Your Favorite Lessons!
-
February 4, 2026
Sing & Strum "Piano Man" by Billy Joel
-
Jan 26, 2026
Member Q&A: January 2026
-
Jan 16, 2026
Melodic Fingerstyle Fun with "Piano Man"
-
Jan 8, 2026
2025: All My Lessons in One Place!
-
Dec 19, 2025
"Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues
-
Dec 12, 2025
"The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole
-
Dec 4, 2025
"If I Needed You" by Emmylou Harris & Don Williams
-
Nov 21, 2025
Learn to Play "Hey Joe", Step-by-Step
