key:
| = qtr note beat(1,2,3,4 - got it?)
/ = upbeat (the "and" in "1 and 2 and 3 and 4" - got it?)
(t) = thumb
(x) = muted or not played - yer preference
(#) = optional (# = integer = uh, that's a number, right?)
^ = upstroke chop
e ----3--------------------------
B ----3--------------------------
G ---(4)-------------------------
D ---(3)-------------------------
A (x)-(x)----------5-------7------
E 3-------6---7------------------
| / | / | / |
(t) ^Play this in riff 4 times then move it up the neck 5 frets (so yer starting it on the 8th fret); play it twice. Move it back down to the 3rd fret and play it twice more. Now move it up to the 10th fret (That's 7 frets up from where you started this), play it once; now back down to 8th fret - play it once and then finsish it off with two more reps on the third fret - now start all over again. hey! you just played the blues in g. Hey! you can play the blues in any key now! - It's I-IV-V baby! Start it wherever you want to on the neck and maintain the same intervals. yup - it's that easy. This is a pretty basic lick that, once you're comfortable with, you can embelish greatly. For instance - once you've got this tab down, try adding the uprake on the "and"'s of 4 and 1. Also try usingdifferent patterns and variations on the walking bass line - it's the blues - have fun.
advice for the stiffly fingered: If you find too difficult to barre the upstroke chop, you can get by on this riff by using your index finger on only the the top two strings. If you do this, however, you will lose the implication of a major 7th, which (imho) adds some kohones to this riff. I. e., just barring the top two strings leaves an ambiguity in the chord structure - could be major could be minor - who knows?
A key to this riff is to not be afraid to take your fingers off the fretboard! I.e. don't glue your hand to the root position just because you're gonna need yer thumb back there on the tonic when you reiterate the pattern. move around - have fun! Advice for those who don't want to stay stiffly fingered: once you've mastered this in any manner most comfortable to you - try it sliding your index finger from (notes in the tab) 6 to 7. When that finger starts to bleed and the knuckle feels like there's a pencil stuck in it, try doing the same thing w/your pinky. funfunfun! This won't help you with any extra mastery of this particular phrase, but it will help get into the habit of using all four of them frettin' fingers (you'll need'em later - trust me).
Notice also that this riff also fits nicely around "blues box 1" i.e.:
blues box 1 (in "g")
e --3--------------6------------
B --3--------------6------------
G --3--------5------------------
D --3--------5------------------
A --3--------5------------------
E --3--------------6------------
compare the fingerings of the pentatonic scale in this position to the tabbed riff at the beginning of this lesson. It's all beginning to make sense to you now, isn't it grasshopper? so sneak some sweet short licks in here and there.
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