Danfan3
09-07-2004, 04:27 PM
"Guitar Licks" Installment 2: Eric Clapton
by: Danfan3
Welcome to the second installment of "Guitar Licks." Today we will be looking at the licks of one of the most famous guitarists of all time- Eric Clapton. Eric Clapton started out by playing in the band The Yardbirds before moving onto one of the most influential rock bands of all time, Cream. Cream wrote such rock classics like "Strange Brew", "White Room", and "Sunshine of Your Love." After Cream, he went on to form a band called Derek and the Dominos, which only produced one studio album, but it was one of the most influential rock albums of all time. He played guitar alongside Duane Allman in Derek and the Dominos, and the album ("Layla and other Assorted Love Songs") turned out to be a classic. He then went on to start solo work which lead up to what some people call his greatest album from 1977, "Slowhand." This album had many classics including "Cocaine", "Lay Down Sally", and "Wonderful Tonight." Today we will be looking at some of his licks from Cream, Derek and the Dominos, and some of his solo work from the album "Slowhand."
TONE:
Eric Clapton's tone was always a raw, bluesy tone which came from his playing of mostly Fender Strat guitars but he also played Gibson Les Pauls around the Cream-era. I would set your treble to around 5 or 6, middle to around 4 or 5, and the bass to around 2 or 3. The gain is determined by how much distortion you want but sometimes he would leave the guitar clean to get a twangy sound especially on the solo for "Cocaine."
SCALES:
Eric Clapton was mostly influenced by blues music, so he tends to use the pentatonic and blues scales. You might notice some similarities between his and Jimmy Page's guitar playing, since they both were influenced by blues music but they also wanted to play rock. Below are the same two scale shapes we used for our last installment on Jimmy Page. If you want to be able to make your own rock-blues solos then you must learn these two scale shapes. He might add more notes to these scales but we will go over those when we talk about the licks.
Pentatonic Minor Scale/Blues Scale
|---X----|-----------|----------|-----0----|
|---0----|-----------|----------|-----0----|
|---0----|-----------|----0-----|-----#----|
|---0----|---------- |----X-----|----------|
|---0----|----#------|----0-----|----------|
|---X----|-----------|----------|-----0----|
X=Root Note
0=Scale Notes
# = Blues Note
Pentatonic Minor Scale/Blues Scale (Version #2)
|---0----|----------|----------|-----0-----|----------|
|--------|----0-----|----------|-----0-----|----#-----|
|---0----|----------|----X-----|-----------|----------|
|---0----|----#-----|----0-----|-----------|----------|
|---X----|----------|----------|-----0-----|----------|
|--------|----------|----------|-----------|----------|
X = Root Note
0 = Scale Note
# = Blues Note
LICKS:
Lick #1: "Sunshine of Your Love"
For our first lick today, we will be looking at the first few measures from the solo of the Cream song "Sunshine of Your Love."
|----------------------|-------------------------------------------|---------------------|---------------|
|----------------------|------------12-----------------------------|----------------9b10-|---------------|
|-12b14-12b14vvvvvvvv--|--12-12b14------12b14-12b14--12-12b14vvvvv-|-9b11r7---9--7--9b11-|--7vvvvv-------|
|----------------------|-------------------------------------------|---------------------|---------------|
|----------------------|-------------------------------------------|---------------------|---------------|
|----------------------|-------------------------------------------|---------------------|---------------|
The solo is at first played with the main riff played behind it:
Main Riff of "Sunshine of Your Love"
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-12-12--10--12-----------|-------------------------|
|-----------------12---11-|-10--------8vvv----------|
|-------------------------|-----10----------10-10---|
The main riff of this song is based around the key of D minor except for the chromatic Ab note in the 2nd measure (11 in tab). This is used as a passing note which could also serve as the b5th in the key of D minor which gives the riff a bluesy feel.
Clapton centers the opening of the solo around the D minor pentatonic/blues scale version 1. Once again we see another great solo start off by bending the 4th of the scale up to the 5th of the scale (G to A, 12b14 in tab). This is a tip that we covered when we went over the solo techniques of Jimmy Page. Clapton starts the solo off by bending the 12 to the 14 once really quickly before bending it again and adding some vibrato, while sustaining the note. This is a common bluesy phrasing that many guitarists use where you bend up to a note, bend back down, and bend up again, but you usually only pluck the string once at the beginning of this phrasing, but here Clapton picks the 12 in tab, 2 separate times. Here is an example of the technique I am talking about:
|--------------|
|--------------|
|-5b7r5b7------|
|--------------|
|--------------|
|--------------|
In this example of this blues technique, you pluck the 5 in tab and bend it up to 7 and then the release it back down to the 5th string (r stands for release) and then without plucking it, bend it back up to the 7. You need to have sustain to do this technique and let the note ring throughout the whole bend.
In the next measure of this lick he does a similar technique with plucking the 12 in tab and then plucking it again and bending it up to the 14th fret. Clapton is trying to emphasize this bend, since he is playing it a lot. He then plucks a note outside of the D minor pentatonic/blues scale which is the B note or the 6th note of the scale (12 in tab). The 6th note is a common note that many guitarists use. He then goes back into some similar bends with the 12 and 14 in tab. Clapton uses bending a lot in his guitar playing to get a crying effect out of the guitar. In the third measure he plays in an extended version of the D minor pentatonic/blues scale version 2. When I say extended I mean the scale stretches a few more frets (this time to the 9th fret). He does a common bend from the E note (9 in tab) to a note that is not in the D minor scale which is the F# note. Clapton might of used this note to get a major sound since he is playing in D minor and an F# note would make a D minor chord, a D major chord. He then releases this bend and pulls off to the D string (7 in tab) to resolve the lick. He then plays an E note and then another D note to emphasize that the lick is resolved. He then creates tension again by going away from the D note and bending the E note up to the F# note again, and at the same time he bends a G# note up to an A note. This is to create some tension but end the bend on a chord tone, and the A note is the 5th note of a D minor chord. He then resolves the lick by playing a D note in the next measure.
LICK #2: "Bell Bottom Blues"
After Cream, Eric Clapton went on to form the band Derek and the Dominos. First we look at a lick from the beginning of the song "Bell Bottom Blues."
F G7
|13-------------10---------|
|--13-11------------11-----|
|--------12b14-------------|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|
This is the lick that plays right after the finger-picked intro and before the verse starts. It is used to create some tension before going into the verse. The lick is a great fast blues lick and it is based mostly around the D minor pentatonic/blues scale version 1. It is a great scale to use since many of the notes in D minor pentatonic fit the F and G7 chords being played behind the lick. The lick starts off by first playing the F and C note which are both notes of the F chord (both 13's in tab). Then Clapton plays a Bb note (11 in tab) which is an added 6th note to the D minor pentatonic scale and is used as the 4th of the F major scale, since it is played on top of an F chord. He then plays an emotional bend from the 4th to the 5th which helps lead into the G7 chord (the 4th in this case is a G bending up to the 5th which is an A). He then plays two notes, a D (10 in tab) and a Bb (11 in tab). This creates a minor feel over a major chord since the Bb acts like the b3rd note in a G minor chord. It is always good to sometimes play notes outside of the scale so it fits the song more like how Clapton used the Bb note in this lick to create a minor feel. The contrast between the minor and major sound creates an emotional lick.
by: Danfan3
Welcome to the second installment of "Guitar Licks." Today we will be looking at the licks of one of the most famous guitarists of all time- Eric Clapton. Eric Clapton started out by playing in the band The Yardbirds before moving onto one of the most influential rock bands of all time, Cream. Cream wrote such rock classics like "Strange Brew", "White Room", and "Sunshine of Your Love." After Cream, he went on to form a band called Derek and the Dominos, which only produced one studio album, but it was one of the most influential rock albums of all time. He played guitar alongside Duane Allman in Derek and the Dominos, and the album ("Layla and other Assorted Love Songs") turned out to be a classic. He then went on to start solo work which lead up to what some people call his greatest album from 1977, "Slowhand." This album had many classics including "Cocaine", "Lay Down Sally", and "Wonderful Tonight." Today we will be looking at some of his licks from Cream, Derek and the Dominos, and some of his solo work from the album "Slowhand."
TONE:
Eric Clapton's tone was always a raw, bluesy tone which came from his playing of mostly Fender Strat guitars but he also played Gibson Les Pauls around the Cream-era. I would set your treble to around 5 or 6, middle to around 4 or 5, and the bass to around 2 or 3. The gain is determined by how much distortion you want but sometimes he would leave the guitar clean to get a twangy sound especially on the solo for "Cocaine."
SCALES:
Eric Clapton was mostly influenced by blues music, so he tends to use the pentatonic and blues scales. You might notice some similarities between his and Jimmy Page's guitar playing, since they both were influenced by blues music but they also wanted to play rock. Below are the same two scale shapes we used for our last installment on Jimmy Page. If you want to be able to make your own rock-blues solos then you must learn these two scale shapes. He might add more notes to these scales but we will go over those when we talk about the licks.
Pentatonic Minor Scale/Blues Scale
|---X----|-----------|----------|-----0----|
|---0----|-----------|----------|-----0----|
|---0----|-----------|----0-----|-----#----|
|---0----|---------- |----X-----|----------|
|---0----|----#------|----0-----|----------|
|---X----|-----------|----------|-----0----|
X=Root Note
0=Scale Notes
# = Blues Note
Pentatonic Minor Scale/Blues Scale (Version #2)
|---0----|----------|----------|-----0-----|----------|
|--------|----0-----|----------|-----0-----|----#-----|
|---0----|----------|----X-----|-----------|----------|
|---0----|----#-----|----0-----|-----------|----------|
|---X----|----------|----------|-----0-----|----------|
|--------|----------|----------|-----------|----------|
X = Root Note
0 = Scale Note
# = Blues Note
LICKS:
Lick #1: "Sunshine of Your Love"
For our first lick today, we will be looking at the first few measures from the solo of the Cream song "Sunshine of Your Love."
|----------------------|-------------------------------------------|---------------------|---------------|
|----------------------|------------12-----------------------------|----------------9b10-|---------------|
|-12b14-12b14vvvvvvvv--|--12-12b14------12b14-12b14--12-12b14vvvvv-|-9b11r7---9--7--9b11-|--7vvvvv-------|
|----------------------|-------------------------------------------|---------------------|---------------|
|----------------------|-------------------------------------------|---------------------|---------------|
|----------------------|-------------------------------------------|---------------------|---------------|
The solo is at first played with the main riff played behind it:
Main Riff of "Sunshine of Your Love"
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-12-12--10--12-----------|-------------------------|
|-----------------12---11-|-10--------8vvv----------|
|-------------------------|-----10----------10-10---|
The main riff of this song is based around the key of D minor except for the chromatic Ab note in the 2nd measure (11 in tab). This is used as a passing note which could also serve as the b5th in the key of D minor which gives the riff a bluesy feel.
Clapton centers the opening of the solo around the D minor pentatonic/blues scale version 1. Once again we see another great solo start off by bending the 4th of the scale up to the 5th of the scale (G to A, 12b14 in tab). This is a tip that we covered when we went over the solo techniques of Jimmy Page. Clapton starts the solo off by bending the 12 to the 14 once really quickly before bending it again and adding some vibrato, while sustaining the note. This is a common bluesy phrasing that many guitarists use where you bend up to a note, bend back down, and bend up again, but you usually only pluck the string once at the beginning of this phrasing, but here Clapton picks the 12 in tab, 2 separate times. Here is an example of the technique I am talking about:
|--------------|
|--------------|
|-5b7r5b7------|
|--------------|
|--------------|
|--------------|
In this example of this blues technique, you pluck the 5 in tab and bend it up to 7 and then the release it back down to the 5th string (r stands for release) and then without plucking it, bend it back up to the 7. You need to have sustain to do this technique and let the note ring throughout the whole bend.
In the next measure of this lick he does a similar technique with plucking the 12 in tab and then plucking it again and bending it up to the 14th fret. Clapton is trying to emphasize this bend, since he is playing it a lot. He then plucks a note outside of the D minor pentatonic/blues scale which is the B note or the 6th note of the scale (12 in tab). The 6th note is a common note that many guitarists use. He then goes back into some similar bends with the 12 and 14 in tab. Clapton uses bending a lot in his guitar playing to get a crying effect out of the guitar. In the third measure he plays in an extended version of the D minor pentatonic/blues scale version 2. When I say extended I mean the scale stretches a few more frets (this time to the 9th fret). He does a common bend from the E note (9 in tab) to a note that is not in the D minor scale which is the F# note. Clapton might of used this note to get a major sound since he is playing in D minor and an F# note would make a D minor chord, a D major chord. He then releases this bend and pulls off to the D string (7 in tab) to resolve the lick. He then plays an E note and then another D note to emphasize that the lick is resolved. He then creates tension again by going away from the D note and bending the E note up to the F# note again, and at the same time he bends a G# note up to an A note. This is to create some tension but end the bend on a chord tone, and the A note is the 5th note of a D minor chord. He then resolves the lick by playing a D note in the next measure.
LICK #2: "Bell Bottom Blues"
After Cream, Eric Clapton went on to form the band Derek and the Dominos. First we look at a lick from the beginning of the song "Bell Bottom Blues."
F G7
|13-------------10---------|
|--13-11------------11-----|
|--------12b14-------------|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|
This is the lick that plays right after the finger-picked intro and before the verse starts. It is used to create some tension before going into the verse. The lick is a great fast blues lick and it is based mostly around the D minor pentatonic/blues scale version 1. It is a great scale to use since many of the notes in D minor pentatonic fit the F and G7 chords being played behind the lick. The lick starts off by first playing the F and C note which are both notes of the F chord (both 13's in tab). Then Clapton plays a Bb note (11 in tab) which is an added 6th note to the D minor pentatonic scale and is used as the 4th of the F major scale, since it is played on top of an F chord. He then plays an emotional bend from the 4th to the 5th which helps lead into the G7 chord (the 4th in this case is a G bending up to the 5th which is an A). He then plays two notes, a D (10 in tab) and a Bb (11 in tab). This creates a minor feel over a major chord since the Bb acts like the b3rd note in a G minor chord. It is always good to sometimes play notes outside of the scale so it fits the song more like how Clapton used the Bb note in this lick to create a minor feel. The contrast between the minor and major sound creates an emotional lick.