Amarillo B or B7

Hey Mike,
Love the Amarillo tutorial. When I googled vids of George Strait live, he and backing guys seem to be playing B7 not B after the key change. Personally B is a bear for me so I decided to take this opportunity to get over it but was wondering if B7 could be substituted in your opinion.
To me B sounds more correct, so I was surprised when the pros weren't playing it. Also, all the tab sites I found used B7.
You have a very clear way of teaching.
Thanks,
Ron

Hey Ron! Glad you're digging the lessons.

B7 is absolutely a great substitution here. It's a very common choice for country songs that feature a progression that uses Imajor, IVmajor, and Vmajor chords. Substituting a V7 instead of the straight V chord is very common.

I taught the lessons on the site based on what I was hearing off the recorded version. After the key change, you'll notice sometimes I teach a straight B chord, and other times an A/B chord, which is an A chord with a B note as the root. The A/B is another common substitution that can be used, and I was hearing it clearly on the recorded version.

But of course, everything is open to personal interpretation, so I welcome any embellishment or any substitutions that you think sound good. Clearly, George and his band have no problem using the B7, so go for it!!

thanks!!
Mike

Thanks Mike,
Yeah, I noticed some of the tabs list an A7 instead of A in the first progressions. Again, I think the A sounds better. It probably matters more when you have one solo guitar. I counted at least four in his band.
You definitely have an ear for the details.

One another note: When playing the B I have trouble not sounding the 1st string. One of my bars seems to accidentally fret it. Do you mute it with your index or other bar finger? And even when muted, I still get a faint unappealing tonal thud from it. Is it best to just try to avoid it with the pick?
Thanks,
Ron

PS there is probably a whole thread on B chord here somewhere if I look for it yes?

Regarding fretting the B chord, when you say the 1st string, do you mean the high E string or the low E string?

If it's the high E string, you actually could bar your index finger all the way down the 2nd fret so that F# note could ring. But usually, you are barring the 4th fret with your middle or ring finger, so you could curl that finger so that it dampens the high E.

If it's the low E string, use the tip of your index finger to dampen it. Yes, you will still get that slight thud when you use full strums, but practising to not even pick that string really helps too. After awhile, you won't even have to think about it!

Thanks for the great questions Ron ... keep pickin'!!
Mike

Mike,
I meant the high E string. I guess it's more of a "tink" than a thud. The thud would be the 6th string which sometimes happens also.
Great to know I can index finger bar the 1st. I'll have to avoid it with my other bar. I'm still trying to decide if I should go for ring or pinkie for that one. I see advantages to both. It's probably more about personal finger anatomy than anything else. There's always something to work on!
Thanks,
Ron