116
The Ultimate Blues Course Stage #4: SOLOS All About Creating Guitar Solos - Course Supplement - By Colin Daniel RiffNinja.com This book may not be copied in any form. It is for personal use only. © 2018 Riff Ninja Productions

Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    168

  • Download
    43

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

The Ultimate Blues Course

Stage #4: SOLOS All About Creating Guitar Solos

- Course Supplement -

ByColinDanielRiffNinja.comThisbookmaynotbecopiedinanyform.Itisforpersonaluseonly.©2018RiffNinjaProductions

Page 2: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 1

TableofContents

1.Knockin’..............................................................................................................................3TheScales...........................................................................................................................5RiffPrimer..........................................................................................................................8Some“Knockin’”Riffs.......................................................................................................13SoloTabFor“Knockin’”....................................................................................................28

2.Flood................................................................................................................................30SoloTabfor“Flood”..........................................................................................................45

3.Thrill.................................................................................................................................46SoloTabFor“Thrill”..........................................................................................................62

4.TexasJoy..........................................................................................................................63SoloTabfor“TexasJoy”....................................................................................................75

5.MyBlueJeans...................................................................................................................76SoloTabfor“MyBlueJeans”............................................................................................89

6.LoveU..............................................................................................................................90SoloTabFor“LoveU.”......................................................................................................95

BonusSolo“PlaythePockets”..............................................................................................96LoveU.Solo–“Playin’thePockets”................................................................................101

RiffIndex............................................................................................................................102

Page 3: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 2

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos

Soyou’rereadytolearnsomeriffs–thefirststepofyourjourneytosoloing!Allsolosarebuiltbytakingriffsandusingthemasbuildingblockstocreatecompletesolos.Weusetherelatedscalestolinktheriffstogether–allriffsarerelatedtoscales.Youneedtoknowyourscalesfairlywell,especiallytheonesincludedinthiscourse.

YoumustbereallyclearonthechordprogressionsItaughtyouinUltimateBluesStage3–theonesthatrelatetothebackingtrackswespenttimestudying.

TransposingtheoryandagoodknowledgeofI-IV-Vrelativemajorandminor,bothforapplicationtochordsandscalesarenecessary.

Ifyouhavedoneyourhomework,thenyouarereadytotakethisstep!

Let’sgetstarted!

Page 4: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 3

1.Knockin’Wearegoingtostartwiththisprogressionbecauseitisfairlystraightforwardandisastraight1/8rhythm.Moststudentsseemtohaveaneasiertimecatchingontotherhythmofstraight1/8whenlearningtosolo.

Forsomeofyou,thefirstfewriffexamplesIteachyoumightbeabittoobasic,butyoushouldstillcheckouttheideasbecauseIusethatasthefoundationtobuildmorecomplexriffsfromthere.

Asaprimerbeforeyoustartyourfirstriffsforthe“Knockin’”progression,youcanplayyourscalesoverbackingtrackstohelpyouadjustyourearsandfingerstotheprogression.

Dependingonyourlevelofability,thereareseveralapproachesyoushouldtry.Forthisprogression,wewillbeusing“E”pentatonicminorscalesonly;diatonicscalesdonotfitverywellintothisparticularsituation.Thiswouldinclude“E”pentatonicminorcombinationsusingtheonepositionandthe3positionsoloscaleinbothoctaves.Don’tforgetyoucanalsouseyourchromaticpassingnotes.

Towarmup,justrunthebackgroundtrack,andmakesureyourguitarisintuneproperly.Allofmytrackrecordingsusestandard“E”tuning(E,A,D,G,B,E).Notricks.Justplayanyofthe“E”pentatonicminorscalesovertheprogressionintimewiththerhythm.Thiswillgetyoustartedifyouhaveneversoloedbefore.

Youcanactuallyplayanynoteinthe“E”pentatonicminorscaleovertherecorded“Knockin’”progressionanditwillsoundmusicallycorrect.Youwilldiscoverthatsomenotessoundbetterthanothersovertheprogression.Someofthisisjustpersonaltaste,andsomeofthiscanbeinthenotechoicesinparticularchangesthatarehappeningasyouplayyourscaleovertheprogression.

Don’tforgettostopwheretheprogressionstopsatthe12thbar,thirdbeat.Getintothehabitofdoingthisasitwillhelpyoulearnhowtostopattherightbeat.Don’tjustplaymindlesslyoveraprogression–listencarefullyforanyscalesectionsyouplaythatsoundgoodtoyouorappealtoyourearinsomeway.Whenyoufindagroupofnoteslikethis,experimentwiththeidea.Ifitsoundsgood,thereisatechnicalortheoreticalexplanationwhy.

UseyourearandalittleintuitionandapplythetheoryIhavegivenyoutohelpcompletethepicture.It’saboutquality,notquantity!

Inthe“Knockin’”progression,youcouldlearntofolloweachchange,butthisdoesnotworkforeveryprogression.Moreonthisinafewminutes!

Page 5: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 4

Youcan“noodle”withanyofthenotesinyour“E”pentatonicminorscaleoverthejamtrack.“Noodle”isatermthatwascoinedbyEdwardVanHalenintheeighties–itmeanstoexperimentwiththescalesbychangingtheorderofthenotesandmixingthemup.Anycombinationofyournotescalescanwork,sinceallofthenotesarerelatedtothekeyprogression.

Youdon’thavetoplaythescalestraditionallyfromlowtohighandhightolow.Createyourowngroupsofnotesoutofthescale–trythem,andwhenyoufindsomethingyoulike,repeatit.Thisishowriffsarecreated.

Makesureyouplayyournotegroupsintimewiththerhythmoftheparticulartrack.Becreative–yourscalehasthenotesthatarepossibleforthatparticularprogressionandkey!!

Thiscanbeappliedtoallsixofthebackgroundtracks.Makesureyouplaythecorrectscalekeysforthechordprogressions.Moreonthisaswemoveon.

Page 6: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 5

TheScalesYoushouldknowthesescalesalready.Ihavegoneoverfingeringsearlieroninstage#2.Thesescalesshouldbeapartofyourvocabularyandpracticeroutine,sojustateacher’sreminder!

Notalltherecordedtracksareinthesamekeys.Youshouldbeabletomovethescales(transpose)toanykeyorfretpositionneeded.

“E”pentatonicminorisaverypopularkeyfortheguitar.So“Knockin’”isinthekeyof“E”pentatonic.Youcanuseany“E”pentatonicminorscale,plusthethreechromaticpassingnotes:IV-V,VII-VIII,andIII-IV.

Onthenextpagearethebasicscales.

Page 7: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 6

Page 8: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 7

Openposition

Octave

Page 9: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 8

RiffPrimerHereisasimpleapproachthatisverygoodpracticetogetyoustarted.Usingtheupperoctaveofthescale,youcanfollowthechordchangesforthe“Knockin’”progression.Youcanuseanyofthescalestofollowthechordprogression–Icouldhaveabookwrittenjustonthat.

Iwillapplythistotheonepositionpentatonicminor,andapplytothechangesperbar.Hopefullyyouwillstarttoseehowthescaleorscalescanbeturnedintoriffs.Youhavetoknowyourscalefairlywelltogetthis,butitisgreatpractice.

Wewillusetheupperoctaveonepositionfromhightonic“E”tooneoctavelower“E”.youcanapplythisapproachtoallyourscalepatterns–it’smorefunpracticingyourscaleslikethisanyways!

Page 10: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 9

Thisistheupperoctaveoftheonepositionscalewewilluse.For“E”,youhaveachoiceofthe12thfretoctave,whichiswhatIwouldstartwith,ortheopenposition.

Hereishowwewillapplythis:

Using1/8notetiminglinesupwiththe“Knockin’”tracknicely.Thisisaonebarphrase,soyoucanplaythisforeverybaroftheprogression.Ifyouarealittleslowatthis,Ihaveanothersolutionforyou–play1/4notesovera2-barphraseuntilyourfingerslimberup:

Withtheonebarphrase,youhavetheextra1/4notethat’stied.Youcaneitherholdontothislast“E”notetofinishbeat#4inthebar,orifyouneedthetimetogetyourfingersbacktothefirststringtostartagain,thencutoutalittleearlybycuttingthenotealittleshortattheend.Thisbuysyouthetimeyouneedsoyoucanstartintimeonthefirstbeatofthenextbar.

Whateveryoudo,donotmissthefirstnoteofthefirstbeatofthebar.Thisisimportantasitdevelopsbettertiming.Thisisespeciallytruewhenyouhavetogotothenextchangeandmoveyourhandposition–especiallyifyouarestrugglingwiththis.

Thesameruleappliestothe2-barphrase,using1/4notes.Inthesecondbarafteryourlastnote,youstillhavetwobeatstogobeforeyouneedtostartthenextbar.Ifyouhavetocutthenoteattheendalittleshort,thendosotomakesurethatyoustartthenext2-barphraseonthefirstnoteofthefirstbeat.

Page 11: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 10

Usethesameapproachforthe“A”and“B”changesinthe“Knockin’”track.

The“A”change:

The“B”change,bar#11:

Sincethe“B”changeonlyhasonefullbar,Icreatedanotherscaleprimerexerciseforbar#12wherewehavetostoponthethirdbeat:

Page 12: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 11

Mutethefourthbeatusingyourrightpalmtokillthelastnoterightonthefourthbeat.Themuteshouldbeintimewiththerhythmbeat.

Forthoseofyouthatareusingthe1/4notetwobarphraseexercise,Ihavethissolution:

Makesureyoumuteyourlastnoterightontimewiththefourthbeatofbar#12.Youshouldhavethebasic“Knockin’”chordprogressionmemorizedbynow.Ifyoudon’t,hereisthelayoutfortheprogression:

“Knockin’”QuickChart

Boththeonebarandtwobarphrasesworkwellinthisprogression.Theonebarphraseisaverygoodstartingpoint.

Noticethateachchangehasatleast2-barstime,leavingplentyoftimeinbetweenchordchanges.Thatmakesitmucheasiertolineyourscalesupwiththechanges.

Page 13: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 12

Noticehowallthesescale/riffexercisesstartandendonthetonicorkeynoteofthescale.Toresolveorendasoloorriff,thisisyourbestnote.Thehumanearhearsthisastheendofthephrase.Thiswillfinalizemusicallywhatyouweredoing.Thisappliestoanykey;allkeysreacttothetonicasabeginningorresolve(ending),sothisnowappliestoallyourscales.

Thetoniccanapplytoeachchordchange.Youcouldchangetonics/keysforeachchangeintheprogression.Ifyourchangesgettoofast,changingkeysforeachchordintheprogressionbecomesmoredifficult,butthe“Knockin’”progressionworkswellchangingkeys.

Sothisbringsustoourfirstriff.

Page 14: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 13

Some“Knockin’”RiffsHere’sawaytodevelopyourpositionchangeseasilyandestablisharootfoundation.Thisisdefinitelyforbeginners–ifyouseethisandgetitrightaway,justmoveon.

Theriffsareprogressivelybuiltfromthisoutlinefromeasytodifficult.Thiswillhelpyougetusedtothefretpositionchangesinthisprogression,andtheyarethefoundationalintervalharmoniesusedfortherestofthe“Knockin’”riffsandothers.

Theslideisreallyyourownfeel,whenyouslideuptothepitch,youstartalittlebeforethefirstbeat.Youshouldendyourslideuptothepitchontimewiththefirstbeatofthebar.Idon’tcountthis–it’smoreafeelthing,andthat’swhattheslideupis–youfeelit.However,makesurethatthepitchyouareslidinguptoisonthefirstbeatofthebar.

Riff#1“E”change

Alright,here’stheriffforthe“E”changebars.A2-fretslideisagoodchoice,becauseifyou’reslidinguptothetonicorroot,thentwofretsbelowistechnicallyaflattedseventh(♭7)or(♭VII),theminorseventh,soifyou’reinaminorkey,that’sagreatplacetostartaslideup.

Nowwewillapplythisideatoour“Knockin’”chordprogression“A”change.Remember,thisisa1-barphrase–the1/4noterestattheendofthebarshouldgiveyouenoughtimetoadjusttothenextchange.

ThemostdifficultchangewouldhavetobefromtheE=ItoA=IV.Paymoreattentiontothedifficultchangesinaprogression.

Page 15: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 14

Riff#2“A”change

Asyougetmoreconfidentwiththechanges,holdthethirdbeatnotedownrighttotheendofthebar,butdon’tmissthefirstbeatofthenextbar.

Riff#3“B”change

Learntoplayoneoftheseriffsforeachbarofeachchangeintheprogression,oreverytwobarsinstead.Referbacktothe“Knockin’”quickchartforyourbasicoutline.Makeyourslidesrelaxed,butmakesureyouarerightontimewiththebeat–itisthenoteyouareslidingtothatshouldbeonbeat.Theslidemovementstartsalittlebeforethefirstbeat.

Whenyoupracticethisideawiththerecordedtrack,makesureyourvolumebalancesaregood,soyoucanheareverything.Tooloudandyourliveguitarburiesthebackgroundtrack.Notloudenoughandyourliveguitarisbacktoofarinthemixandthebackgroundtracksarethedominantsound.

Rememberyourleadguitarriffsareactuallythemusicalvoiceofyourguitar.Whenyousingasongwithyourvoice,itshouldsitmoreontopofthebackgroundtracksthanunderneathit.Soifyourguitarisyourvoice,treatitsimilarly.

Page 16: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 15

Riff#4(added-3harmony)

Fromyour12thfret,firstandsecondstringswhichistherootforthisriff,tothe15thfretfirstandsecondstrings,youhaveaveryimportantnotedistance.ThisisoneofthemostimportantharmoniesinyourarsenalbesidesI–IV–V.Thisisbasedonthekeyofthe“E”pentatonicminor,andthefirststringoutofthetwonotesistherootnote.

Thisisnottechnicallycorrect,butthatisthewaywearerelatingtoitmusically.Itisarootinversionoftheinterval(2-noteharmony).Wearetakingtherootfromthehighestnote.

Youcanaddtheminorthirdintervalharmonyforanychordchange–threefretshigherfromtherootnote,(minorthird(-3)).Thisisanimportantintervalasabuildingtooltosomegreatriffs.

Theminorthirdintervalin“A”minor”:

“A”diatonicminor

“A”pentatonicminor”

Ineitherpentatonicordiatonic,thesetwominorthird(-3)choicesareagoodbetforchoiceharmonynotesintheBlues.

Page 17: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 16

Inthisriff,bothfirstandsecondstringnotesareaminorthird(-3)apart.

Forthe“E”stringorfirststring,youhave12thand15thfretnotes:

12thfret = “E” STT =1½tones15thfret = “G” E-F-G =3letters

Forthe“B”stringorsecondstring:

12thfret = “B” STT =1½tones15thfret = “D” B-C-D =3letters

Thiscanapplytoallchangesinaprogressionaslongasyoukeepthecorrectdistanceofaminorthird(-3).Thiscomesdirectlyoutoftheminor,diatonic,orpentatonicscales.

Soinourexampleriff#4,youcouldtakethe“E”riffandtransposeit,ormoveittocovertheIVandVchanges(AandB).Takethe“E”riffthatstartsatthe12thfret,andstartthesamepatternatthe5thfret,andthiswillgiveyouthe“A”riff.Movetheriffsothatitstartsatthe7thfretforthe“B”riff.Thisisareallygoodwaytodevelopsomesoloingideas.

Ifyouhaveadifficulttimeplayingtheriffoverthejamtracksforeachbar,splititupandplayariffeverytwobarstillyougetbetteratthechanges.Tryplayingtheriffforbar#1,thenrestforbar#2,whichbuysyoutimetogetreadyforthenextchange.

Youcanexperimentwithwhereyoustartyourriffwithineach2-barphraseifyoulike.

Howdoyouhearthis?Maybeyouhaveanotheridea?

Yourchoice–becreative,butmakeitsoundgood!!

Page 18: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 17

Alternatebars:

Ifyoudecidetoplayoneriffforeachbaroftheprogression,thenuseRiff#5forbar#12.Remember,bar#12hastherestonthelastbeat.

Riff#512thbar“B”change=V

Useyourrighthandedgeofthepalmtomutetheringingstringsoutatthe4thbeat,intimewiththeactualrhythmofthejamtrack.Youcouldusetheseriffstocreatea2-barphrasecombiningeitherriff#1,#4,or#5tocreatea2-barphrase.

Page 19: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 18

Riff#6

Soriff#6isacomboofriff#1and#4,creatinga2-barphrase.Youcouldcombinedifferentvariationsof2-barphraseswhichintheendwouldbeagreatideaforacompletesolo.

Ofcourseyoushouldknowthatyoucantransposetheseideasintoanykeyorchangethatisneeded.Remembertogetyourchangesdownintimetothejamtracks.

Youcaneitherplanouteach2-barphrase,makesomenotesontheorder,orwriteortabitout.Youcanjust“wingit”too,tryingdifferentvariationsasyougo.

Ihavenotreallymentionedthisyet,butyoucouldjustplaytheriffsinthekeyof“E”pentatonicminorfortheentireprogression,andthatwouldworktoo,ratherthanfollowingthechordchangewithariffpositionchange.

WhatIamtellingyouisfortheentireprogression–youcouldusejustonescale,“E”pentatonicminor.Iliketomixupmyoptions–someprogressioncyclesIwillusedoublestopriffslikewearestudyingnowandfolloweachchordchangeintheprogressionwithariffinitsrelatedscale.Thenthenextcyclewouldbemoresinglenotes,keepingitwithinabasicpentatonicscaleposition,anddrawingriffsfromthedifferentcombinationsofnotesinthescale.

Theideaistoslowlycollectupsomeriffsyoulikeandlearntoapplythemindifferentpositionsandkeys.Justafewideaswithalittlecreativitycantakeyoualongwaymusically.

Let’stakealookatsomemoredoublestopinspiredriffsfromthethemewehavebeenworkingon.

Page 20: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 19

Riff#7“E”pentatonicminor

ThisisagroupofnotesthatChuckBerrylikedtouseinalotofhissolos.Therearemanycombinationsusingdifferentrhythmicfeelandnotechoices.Thisriffsoundsawesomeinthe“A”position–tryittheretoo!!

Makesurethatyouplaytheexacttwostringsthatarerequiredforanyofthe2-noteinterval/doublestops.Especiallyonthesecondandthirdstringdoublestops.Thereshouldbenoextrastringsringingout–itcanaffectthewaytheriffwillfitintoasolo.Dependingonthesituation,someopenstringsorringingoutstringscancausesomereallybadsoundingharmonies.Usetheflatsofyourfingerstoplaythisstyleofriff.

OneofthebiggestissuesIhavehadwithstudentsworkingthesetypesofriffsarethedoublestopnotesusedonthesecondandthirdstrings.Thefirststringtendstowanttoringout,whichisnotthewaythisriffwaswrittenout.WhateverfingersIamusingtoplaythedoublestopswithonthesecondandthirdstring,Imakesurethatthefirststringismuted,justbytouchingthestringwiththesamefingerIamfrettingthesecondandthirdstringswith.Justraiseupthefingerenoughoffthefirststringtomuteit,makingsureyoursecondandthirdstringdoublestopissoundingoutbothnotes.Thiscanhappenveryfast,butyouneedtofirstbeawareofitbecausethiscan’tbeaconscioustechnique.

Youneedtolistentowhatyousoundliketomakesuretherearenoextrastrings/notessoundingout.Thiscancauseasloppysoundingriff,whichyoudon’twant.Usethesuppliedjamtrackstohoneinonyourriffs.

Page 21: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 20

Riff#8“E”pentatonicminor

Forthisriffweusetheveryimportantintervalharmonyknownastheminorthird(-3).Ihaveitwrittenoutfor“E”pentatonicminor,butthisriffcanalsobemovedtootherkeysandpositions.The(-3)intervalappearsonthetransitionfromthesecondpositiontothethirdpositioninthe3-positionpentatonicclimb.Takealookatthediagramonthefollowingpage.

Page 22: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 21

“E”Pentatonicminor3-positionclimb Thisminorthirdintervalisvery important.Learntorecognizethis particularintervalinthescale. Thisiswhatweareusingforriff#8.

B-3(“B”minorthird)

Page 23: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 22

Useyoursecondandthirdfingersforthisinterval,anditwillsetyouupforthenextriff(3rdfinger15thfret3rdstring;2ndfinger14thfret2ndstring).

Youneedtolearntomovethis-3intervaltothepositionsneededforthechangesinthe“Knockin’”progression.Forsomeofmystudents,theyhaveadifficulttimenailingdownthe-3intervalpositionchanges,andsincethisintervalwillbeusedtocreatemoreriffs,youneedtolearntoplaythisriffinthepositionsneededfortheprogression.

Tounderstandhowtorelatethis-3intervalinotherpositions,youneedtousesomekindofreferencesystemsothatyougetthechangeseverytime.Ittakestheguessworkout.Oneoftheeasiestreferencesonaguitarareyourfretpositionmarkers.Forexample,inthe“E”positionscale,theminorthirdintervalisfoundonthe15thand16thfrets.Iusethethirdstringnoteonthe16thfret(the“B”)asareferenceagainstthefretpositionmarkers.Remember,youactuallystarttwofretslowerandslideup,butIammoreinterestedinwhereIamslidingto.The“B”noteonthethirdstringistechnicallytherootnote,anditisaB-3intervalfoundinthe3-position“E”pentatonicminorscale.Sincethe“B”rootnoteisfoundonthethirdstring16thfret,thisbecomesmyreference.

Mostguitarshavepositionmarkersatthe12thand15thfrets.The12thfretiseasy–it’sthedoubledotpositionmarker.Usuallythe15thfrethasasingledotmarkerwhichisthreefretsabovethe12thfret.

Sonowyoucanfindthethirdstring16thfret“B”realeasy.The16thfretisonehigherthanwhereyour15thfretpositionmarkeris.

Remembertouseyourthirdfingeronthethirdstringrootnote–thiswillsetyouupbetterformoreriffoptionsandeasierpositionchanges.

Nowwhatabouttheotherchangesusingthe-3interval?KnowingyourI-IV-Vherecanreallyhelp.Sinceweplaythe“E”riffminorthirdharmonyatthe16thfret,and“A”isthenextchangewewillneed,Iwouldgolowerforthe“A”change.“A”=IVchangeofthekeyof“E”,butwearegoinginreversefromhightonicpositiontoalowerposition.Thisistermedinversion.WeareusingahigheroctaveasthetonicandaloweroctavefortheIVchange.

STTT =2½tonesE-F-G-A =4letters

Ifwegofromlow“E”toahigher“A”,thetechnicaldistancewouldbeaperfect4th,butwearegoinginreversefromhightolow.

TTSTT =3½tonesE-D-C-B-A =5letters

Page 24: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 23

NOTE:

I–IV=perfect4thI–V=perfect5th

Technicallywehavetomovethe-3intervalfromthe“E”scalepositiontothe“A”scalepositionlowerbythedistanceofaperfect5thwhichis3½tones=7frets.Togetfromthe“E”position-3tothe“A”position-3,weneedadistanceof7frets.

Sincewefretthe16thfretthirdstringwithourthirdfingerfortherootforthe“E”pentatonicminorposition,16thfretsubtract7frets(whichisthedistancetogettothe“A”position),youhavethe9thfretthirdstring,whichusuallyhasapositionmarker.Thiswillbeyourrootnoteforthe-3intervalinthe“A”pentatonicminorposition.

Remember,youstarttwofretslowerthanyourrootonthethirdstringsoyoucanslideuptotheactualintervalharmonyyouwant,soyouslideupfromthe7thfretthirdstringtothe9thfretthirdstringwhereyourrootnoteforthe“A”positionisfound.

Ofcourseyoursecondfingershouldjustdropdownonthesecondstringonefretbelowyourtonicfretposition.Thisshouldbeano-brainer,thatyoursecondfingeronthesecondstringcanfindtherightfretaslongasyouknowwheretherootnoteonthethirdstringispositioned.

Sochangingbacktothe“E”positionshouldbenoproblemafteryougetthe“A”position,andallthat’sleftforthisprogressionisthe“B”positionorVchange.

RememberIV-V=onetone(twofrets).Thatmeansyouwillfindtherootforthe“B”positiontwofretshigheronthethirdstringwhichwouldbethe11thfretthirdstring.Thisisaneasymark,sincethedoubledot12thfretpositionmarkerisonefretaboveyourrootnotefretpositionforthe“B”position.

WorkthisminorthirdintervalusingthereferencepointersIhavegivenyouoverthe“Knockin’”jamtracksbeforeyoumoveontothenextriff.Ifyoufindthetwofretslidefortheriffisdifficult,leaveouttheslideandlearnyourchangesfirst.Addtheslidelater.

Herearethethreerootnotepositionsweneedforthe“Knockin’”progression.Youwillnoticeeach-3intervalcanbefoundinsidetherelatedchangesscalepatterin3-positionpentatonicminor.

Page 25: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 24

Learntoseehowthe-3intervalweareusingfitsintoeachscalepositionthatweneedforthechangesinaprogression.Thiswillmakeitmucheasiertoseewherethenextexamplescamefrom.

Page 26: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 25

Riff#9“E”pentatonicminor

Nowifyoucomparethenotesyouplayinriff#9withthenotesthatareavailablein“E”pentatonicminor,youwillfindone“outside”notethatdoesnottechnicallyfitintothe“E”pentatonicminorscalesnotechoices(seediagramonnextpage).Ifyoulookclosely,youwillnoticethattheA+3intervalplayedonthesecondandthirdstring14thfrethasaC♯onthesecondstring,andthisistechnicallyanoutsidenote.IncomparisontoEm,theC♯noteisconsideredamajor6thwhichisaraised6thincomparisontotheminor6thintervalwhichisfoundinthekeyofEm.

Thisfallsundertheoldclassicaltheoryofthemelodicminorscalewhichraisedthe6thand7thnotesofthenaturalminorscale.Thisisafoundationalriffthatisusedalotandisverycommon.ItreallygoesbacktoChuckBerry’s“NoParticularPlaceToGo”.

Page 27: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 26

Ifyouhaveyourthreechangesdownusingthe-3intervalinriff#8,playingriff#9willbeeasytoplaceforthechanges.Thisisreallyhowyougettoknowyourguitarfingerboardbetter.Memorizingisnotaseffectiveasapiecebypiecestepprocesstogetmorefamiliarwithyourguitarfingerboard.

Learntomoveriff#9forallchangesinthe“Knockin’”progression.AsIhavesaidbefore,ifyoufindrepeatingriff#9foreachbaristoodifficult,tryoneriffpertwobarsintheprogressionuntilyougetmorecomfortablewiththechanges.Thisisagroupofintervalsyoureallyneedtoknow.

Justtomakemypoint,IamgoingtousetheG+3(Geemajorthird)intervalfoundinthediagramabovetocreateriff#10.

Page 28: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 27

Riff#10“E”pentatonicminor

Thisintervalideaworksreallywell,coupledtogethertocreatea2-barphraseusingriff#1,#4,and#7tocombinewith.

Okay,solet’sputthisalltogether.Iamgoingtotakethefirsttenriffideasandcreateasoloforone12-barphraseofthe“Knockin’”progression.Iamgoingtousethesoloapproachandfolloweachchangewiththeappropriatescalepositionriff.ThismeansthatIamgoingtotakethesetenriffsandtransposethemfortheneededchangesintheprogression.

Withthatinmind,letshavealookatourchartandworkthroughthebars.Trya2-baror4-bargroupuntilyoucancompletethesolobyjoiningtheriffstogethertofollowtheprogressionchanges.

Page 29: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 28

SoloTabFor“Knockin’”

Page 30: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 29

Don’tforgetthatmostofthefirsttenriffsarewrittenin“E”pentatonicminorpositionoctave.ItransposedtheriffswhereIneededtoforthecorrectchordchanges.

Forthe“E”changeinbars#7and#8,Itransposedriff#9,whichwasoriginallywrittenatthe12thfretoctave“E”position,totheopen“E”pentatonicminorpositionloweroctave.Theyarethesamenotes,justoneoctavelower,butvisuallytheydonotlookthesame.Don’tletthisthrowyouoff–itisthesameriff!!

“E”pentatonicminoropenpositionisaveryimportantscaleontheguitar,andmanyfamousriffshavebeendrawnfromthatposition.NoticethatwhenIappliedriff#9forbars#6,#7,and#8,Idroppedthetonicnote(thelastnoteintheriff)andleftitout.Originallyriff#9waswrittentoresolvebyusingthetonic,butatthispointintheprogressionIdidnotwanttodothis.Iwantedtoleaveitfeelingalittlemoreunfinished,likethereisstillmoretocome.

Sothisconcludesourstudyofdoublestops(doublenoteharmonies)appliedtothe“Knockin’”progression.Youshouldbeabletoapplytheseideasnowinother12-barprogressions.

Page 31: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 30

2.FloodThisisacommon12-barbluesprogressionusingthefencesittingdominant7thandthe9thchord.The9thchordisactuallyadominant7thchordwiththescale’s“II”oneoctavehigher.IuseaC7thadd9inthe“Flood”rhythm.C=IorVIII,thenIIoneoctavehigheris“9”.

C9th= C-E-G-B♭-D I+IIIV♭VII9th

Inthe“Flood”progression,IliketouseG7(6),C9(5),andD9(5),butthechordsarefencesitterchordsbecausetheycanleantoaminortonalityoramajortonality,dependingonhowtheyareapplied.

Technically,somechordscanhaveseverallabels(names)forthesamechord,dependingonhowitisused,anditdependsonyourmusicaltraining.IfyoureallywantedanaccuratelabelforthethreechordsIusein“Flood”,insteadofmyshortcut,heretheyare:

G7(6) = “G”dominantseventh = IC9(5) = “C”dominant7thadd9th = IVD9(5) = “D”dominant7thadd9th = V

Youseethereasonwhythesechordscansitoneitherside,minorormajor,isbecausetheyhaveahybridblendofmajorandminorintervals(notes)inthechord.Allthreechords(G7(6),C9(5),andD9(5))haveadominant7thchordinsidethenotegroup.Sodominant7this:

I+IIIV♭VII=dominant7th/blues7th

Wenowhaveamajorthird(+3)fromthetonic(root),theperfectfifthorV,whichisneutral,andtheflattedseventh(♭VII),whichistechnicallyminor7th.

Sonowwehavethemajortriad,combinedwiththe♭VIIwhichisminor,theIIor9thisneutral.Itisthemajorthird(+3)thatpushesittoleantothemajorside,whiletheminor7th(-7)inthechordcanhelppushitoverthelinetotheminorside.Itisuptothewriteroftheprogressionorsongtowhichwayitwilllean.

InBlues,thedominantseventhchordisheavilyusedasaminorsubstitution.Inthecaseofthe“Flood”progression,IamgoingtousethepentatonicminorscalealongwiththethreecommonchromaticpassingnoteswhicharefoundinthepentatonicminorscalebetweenIV-V,VII-VIII,andIII-IV.

Page 32: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 31

Thisprogressionisleaningheavilytotheminorside,butdiatonicminorforsolosoritsdiatonicrelativemajordonotworkwell–there’stoomuchnoteconflict.Icouldwriteabookonthisparticularsubject,butIwon’tgotherethistime.

Youaregoingtorunintomanybluessongs/progressionthatusethesetypesofchords,andsincethisisabluesbasedcourse,wewilltreatitlikeblues.

Youwillfindthesefencesittingchordsinmanyfamoussongs,andtheycanbeusedtoapplytobothamajororminorchordsubstitution.

Ourfoundationscaleforthesolowillbe“G”pentatonicminor,keepingthediatonicscalesoutofthepicture,andusingthethreechromaticpassingnotestoaddcolourandtensiontooursolos.Thisisatripletbasedgrooveorrhythmicfeel,andcanalsorelateto6/8timesignaturetoo.Ichosetofeelitmoreasatripletcount.Thisisagoodprogressiontolearntosolooversincethespeedortempoisabitslower.

Page 33: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 32

TheStringStretch

Wearegoingtolearnhowtostretchstringsinascaleorkeytoaddtoourexpressioninourriffsandsolos.Usuallyastringstretchisgoingtothenextavailablenoteinyourscale,andpitchisveryimportant.Youhavetolearntolistentothepitchthatyou’restretchingtoandrecognizewhenit’satthecorrectpitch.Sometimesthisisnottrue–somestretchesanddoublestopstretchesarenotreallyrightonpitchpurposelytocreateheightandtensioninasolo.Butfirstyouneedtolearntostretchonpitch.

Ihaveaonetonebendonthethirdstringanditsunisonpitchonthesecondstring.Unison=samepitch.Youwillfindthecorrectpitchforyouronetonebendonthethirdstring,twofretsloweronthesecondstring.

Theideaistostretchthethirdstringuptothepitchofthesecondstringnote.Ifyouhavethecorrectfingerandfretrelationship,youcanmovethisonetonebendexercisehigherorloweronthefretboard.Iliketoplaytheonetonebendforeachnoteinascale,bothpentatonicanddiatonicminorworkwellwiththeonetonebend.

Isayit’sabitofanexercisetotuneyoureartowhereyourstretchshouldbeinpitch.Intheendyou’llfindmanyfamousriffsusingthisonetonebend,alongwithotherscalenotestocreatemanydifferentvariations.Thisinitselfcouldbringyoumanydifferentoptionsbyaddingtheonetonebend.

Sowearestretchingthethirdstringexactlyonetonehigherinpitchtomatchourpitchthatweplayonoursecondstring.

Wearegoingtolearnthislittlebendingriffdirectlyrelatedtothe“G”pentatonicminorscales,eitheronepositionor3-positionclimb.

Page 34: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 33

Wewillbedrawingourriffsfromthesetwoscales,butyoucouldalsogooneoctavehigherandplaythesamesolo12fretshigher.Thistransposesyouoneoctavehigher;youarestillin“G”pentatonicminor.

Page 35: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 34

Riff#11GPentatonicMinor

Hereistheonetonebend:

Sotherealtricktohelpingyougetthepitchcorrectonyourstringstretchisthenoteonthesecondstring.Byusingyourthirdfingeronthethirdstringfifthfret,getunderneaththethirdstringandpushthestringupasyoupickthestring.Youcanuseyoursecondfingerunderneathyourthirdfingeronthethirdstringtohelpyougetthestringtopitch.

Dependingonyourguitar,stringgauges,andfingerstrength,youmayneedtousethatsecondfingertohelpthestretch.Thefirstfingerstaysonthesecondstringthirdfret.Thisisyourreferencepitchwhengettingthethirdstringstretchpitchdown.

Don’trushyourstretch–makeitanicesmoothtransitionofaone-tonebend.Youcanbenduptothenoteandthenstrikethesecondstringthirdfrettocheckyourpitch.Youcanstrikeboththirdandsecondstringstogetherasyoustartyourthirdstringstretch.Thiscancreateaverycooleffectbetweenthenotethatisbeingstretchedtothereferencepitchandthereferencepitchringingoutatthesametime.

Thisisusedinmanyfamoussolos.Whatabonus!!

ChuckBerrylikedtotakethethirdstringtopitchwithadownstroke,thenmuteitandupstrokethesecondstringreferencepitch.Hewoulddo1/4notetimeframestretchesinarow.Thenotesarestaccato(shortinnoteduration),andtheycreateaveryrhythmicstringbendriff.

Nowlet’slookatwaystoapplytheonetonethirdstringbend.Riff#12willbeyourfirstbarofyour“Flood”progression,12-barsolo.

“Flood”isslowerintempoandisagoodprogressionfordevelopingyournewriffs.ThewayItabbedriff#12,Istartabeatearlybeforethefirstbarof“Flood”.Ifyouwanttostartthesoloonthefirstcycle,youcanhearmecountinonthedrums.Startonthefourthbeatofthecountinandyou’llbeintherightspot.

Page 36: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 35

Icallthisoverlappingbars,betweenthebar’stimingorstaggeredbars.WhatImeanisthatwestartinalittleearlyonthebarbeforethefirstbarofthe12-barcycle,sotheriffcoversatimeframeoftwobars,whichcreatessomespacebetweenchordchangesandyoursoloriffs.Thiswillbethethemeforthisparticularprogression’ssolo.

Useyourguitar’snotesustainingabilitytogiveyouthefullbarcoverage,ormuteitearlyandbuytimetochangetothenextriffinyoursolo.Iusethisforexpressionortosetupformynextmoveinthesolo.

Ifyoustartyoursoloriff#12beforethesecondcycleof12-barinthe“Flood”progression,youmightfinditalittleeasiertogetstartedinontimeratherthanthecountinbeforethefirstbarofthe“Flood”track,becauseitisonlya1-barcountinandmightbeabittoofastforyou.

Justcounttwobarsbeforeyouneedtostartyourriff.Soforexample,youcouldcountbars#11and#12ofthefirst12-barfor“Flood”,comeinwithyourslidejustbeforethefourthbeatofbar#12.

Remembertheslideisagracenotejustbeforethefirstnoteofbeat#4ofthe12thbar.Itisthefifthfretfourthstringpitchthatyouslidetothatshouldsoundonthe4thbeat12thbar.

Riff#12“G”pentatonicminor

Ifyouarestrugglingatallwiththisriff,learntocountthebarbefore,becauseyouwanttostartonthefourthbeat.Thisisarhythmicfeelyouneedtodevelop;listentoStevieRayVaughan’sstudiorecordingof“TexasFlood”tohearhowhestartshisintroriffonthefourthbeatofthecountinbar.Youdon’thearthecountinbecausethatwaseditedoutinthemixdown,buthestartsinearlyonthebeatbeforetheonebeatofthefirstbar.

P = pick S = slide R = ring Rel = release Str = stretch 1

Page 37: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 36

Riff#13“G”pentatonicminor

Nowwehavemovedthestringbendtothesecondstringtobringituponetone.Wearestilldrawingournotesfromthe“G”pentatonicminoronepositionatthispoint.

Thisriffwillstartonthesecondbeatofbar#2andcrossoverintobar#3ofour“Flood”progression.Noticehowforbothriff#12and#13Iendedontheoctavetonicfifthfretfourthstring.Thetonicinwhateveroctaveyoudecidetouseisalwaysagoodchoicetoendonephraseofyoursolosoyoucanmovetothenextphrase.

Sostartingonthesecondbeatinbar#2,ourfirstthreenotesarealldownstrokes.Usingaslightrighthandpalmmute,orgentlyliftingyourfingersoffthefretboardsothestringisslightlymutedasyouhitthefirstthreenotes.Iusemythirdfingerforthethirdstringfifthfretandmyfirstfingerlaysoverthesecondandfirststringnotes,againslightlymuted.

Youliterallydragthetipofyourpickoverthefirstthreenotes,allinadownwardmotionwhileyougentlymutethestrings.Thisisatechniquecalledrakepicking.

Agoodexampleisfoundintheintrosolofor“SultansofSwing”.ThisisaveryfamoussignaturerifffromthefabulousMarkKnopflerwhofounded“DireStraits”.Beforethefirsttennotesoftheintroriffareplayed,ifyoulistencarefully,thereisarakepickingtechniqueusedintheriff.Thisisfoundontheoriginalstudiorecordingof“SultansofSwing”.

Soifyouhavetoseparatetherakepickednotegroupfromthestretchinordertonailitdown,byallmeans.Startbyplayingthefirstfournotes,workingoutyourmutefortherakepick.Onceyou’vegotthatgoing,startworkingonthestringstretchonthesecondstring.Thisstringstretchyouwillfindabitmoredifficultthanthethirdstringstretch.

Tokeepyourfingersinthecorrectfretpositionforyourscale,youneedtouseyourpinkieforthestretch.Useyoursecondandthirdfingerstoassistyouinstretchingyoursecondstringnotethefulltone.Thenoteyou’restretchingthesecondstringuptoisthenext

Page 38: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 37

highestnoteinyourscale(firststring,thirdfretifyouneedapitchreferencetogetfamiliarwiththepitch).

YoucanusethesametechniquesandideasIshowedyouearlieron,exceptnowyou’restretchingthesecondstring,sixthfrettothesamenotepitchasthefirststring,thirdfret.

Riff#14Onetonebendusingsecondstringin“G”pentatonicminoroneposition

Tryandkeepyourpinkieatthesixthfretevenifyoufindthatyourpinkieisweak.Youcoulduseyourthirdfingerforthestretchinstead,butthiswilltakeyououtofyourfinger-fretposition,andcanlimityouwhenyouwantcertainnotecombinationsoryouwanttoadvanceasaplayer.Youneedtodevelopyourpinkie–useoneortwootherfingerstoassistwiththestretch,butkeepthatpinkieonthesixthfretsoyougetintoagoodhabit.

Onceyou’vegotthestretchdown,puttherakepickednotegrouptogetherwiththesecondstringstretch.Afterthattherestofthenotesarestraightforwardandjustdescendinthescaletothetonic.Youcanplayanyoftheriffpartsseparately,learningtoworkthemoverthe“Flood”progression.UsethejamtracksIsuppliedtogetthefeelofhoweachpartoftheriffshouldbe.

Youdon’thavetocopyme,orplayexactlythesametiming,butyou’vegottofititintothe2-bartimesegment.

Iliketoleavealittlebreathaftereachriff,soattheendofbothriff#12and#13Ileavesomeroomattheendoftheriff.ThisiswhyIstaggerthebars–itgivesitamorerelaxedrhythmicfeel.

Thistakescareofthefirstthreebarsofourfull12-barsoloforthe“Flood”progression–ontothe4thbar!!

Page 39: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 38

Thefourthbarisatransitionalbarthathelpspushtobar#5withtheIVchangebybuildingupalittleinthemusicdynamics.Youcanespeciallyhearthisattheendofbar#4inthesecond12-barcycleof“Flood”whereeventhedrumsgetinonittoo.

I’mfavouring12-barcycle#2asthe12-barsolofor“Flood”,sothenextriffiseffectedbythedynamicbuild.

Thisriffusesthe(-3)intervalin“G”pentatonicminor3-positionclimb.Weactuallyusedthe(-3)riffideaearlieroninriff#8in“E”pentatonicminor.Justrememberourpositionhaschangedbecausewearenowin“G”pentatonicminor.Butitisfoundinthesamenotepositioninthescale,justnowitisappliedto“G”pentatonicminor.

Riff#15(-3)interval“G”pentatonicminor3-positionscale

ThisbringsustothetwobarsoftheIVchangeforbars#5and#6.IwantedtoemphasizetheIVchangeinmysolo,soIwentbacktothatstretchweusedinbar#2usingthesecondstring.It’sactuallyaonebarphraserepeated,andIhavemanytimingvariationsforthis.

IwroteoutabasicframeworkthatyoucouldplayinthefeelIhavewrittenoutor,ifyouwant,playitinadifferenttimingusingthesamestretchandnotegroupingsandkeepingeachnotegroupwithinthebar.

Ifyoudonothavequitethephysicalabilitytoplaythatfast,thenwestaggerthetwobarsandthestringstretchriffisplayedslower(asfarasnotespeedisconcerned),overthemiddleofbars#5and#6.Thisgivesyoumoretimeandcanbejustaseffective.

Playtoyourability–ifyoucan’tplaythatfast,don’tworryaboutit.There’slotsofgreatleadguitariststhatneverplayedfast,suchasBBKing,AlbertKing,orDavidGilmour.Youdon’thavetoplayalotofnotes–afewintherightplacecanmakejustasastrongastatement.It’snotquantitywewant,butquality!

4

Page 40: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 39

Riff#16aOnetonebendonsecondstringin“G”pentatonicminor

Ifyoufindthistoodifficult,thentakeyourriffandplayinbetweenthetwobars.Therearelotsofdifferenttimingapproaches.I’llgiveaneasiertimingapproachthatworksjustaswell.Remember,playitlikeyoufeelorhearit.

Riff#16bOverbars#5and#6

Sothistakescareofthefirsthalfofthe12-barandwearenowgoingtoreturntotwobarsofthe“I”changeforbars#7and#8.

Thisbringsustomynextriff.Thisgoesbacktothedoublestopterritoryweworkedonin“Knockin’”,especiallyriff#9.

Iamgoingtogiveyoutwooptions–oneusesaslidemovementwhichisusuallyeasier,andtheotherincorporatestheuseofadoublestringstretch.

Let’sstartbyusingtheslide.

5 6

5 6

Page 41: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 40

Riff#17a

Thisisaonesemitoneslide(onefret),andthenoteyouslidetoistheevilflattedfifth(♭Vor♭5),the“Bluesnote”.ThisisthesamenotethatisusedasachromaticpassingnotebetweentheIV-V.

BecauseIwantedtoworkthe“G”changeonbars#7and#8andmakethatchangestandout,you’llnoticeattheendofriff#17thatIemphasizethetonic“G”byplayingittwice.Theslideworksreallywell,butIinsteadprefertostretchthetwostringsa½step/semitone(onefret)higher.It’sabittricky;youdon’twanttooverbend.It’sonlymeanttosoundclosetothecorrectpitch.

Sinceyouaredealingwithtwostrings,thethirdandsecondstringcannotbestretchupwherebothstringsareaccuratelyonpitch.Butyoucangetrealclose.Itcreatestensionintheriffandgivesusabitofabluesnoteemphasisforbothbars#7and#8.

Ichosetorepeatriff#17aforbothbarsintabsolo,butyoucouldmixandmatch,playonebarusingtheslideapproach,andonebarusingthestringstretch.

Riff#17bWithsemitonestringstretch

NoticehowIaddedthedoublestoponthelast1/8noteofbar#8,inbetweenthetwotonicnotes,justforalittleextrapush.

7 8

Page 42: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 41

Forthisparticularstringstretch,wearestretchingtwodifferentgaugesofstringsatthesametime.Youneedtofindthathappyspotwhereeventhoughit’snotquiteexact,itstillsoundsgood.

Usethethirdstringnoteasapitchreference.WhatImeanbythatisthethirdstringisreallythestringthatneedstobeexactlyasemitonehigherinthestretch.Ifthesecondstringisoutabit,that’sokay–it’saquickmovementdoneinonebeatusingtriplet1/8notes.

Forthisstretch,useyourthirdfingerandpulldownonyoursecondandthirdstrings,stretchingthetwostringsapproximatelyonesemitonehigher.Holdthestretchandcomebackdowntotheoriginalpitch;allthreeareequal1/8notedurations.

Makesureyoudon’trushthestretchmovement.Makeitsoundlikeyouhaveplayedthreedifferentnotes.Ithappensreallyquickly,butyouneedtogetallthreenotesassmoothandevenintransitionasyoucan.Irarelystretchstringsinadownwardmotionbecauseit’snotthebesttechniqueforalotofthestringstretchesusingsinglenotes,especiallyifIhavetostretchthepitchonetonehigher.SomostofthetimeIampushingthestringsinanupwardmotiontowardsthe6thand5thstrings,butthistimeforthisdoublestopstretchIgiveitaquickpulldown.

Remember,wearedoingaquick1/8notestretch,onesemitonehigher.Trypracticingthisstretchmotion(thethreenotes)veryslowlybeforeyoutrytobringituptospeed.Thesecretisanice,smoothstretchuptopitch,thenwhilehangingonthestretchednote,soundingoutthetwostringsasyouletthestringscomebackdowntopitch.Allinthreeevenpitchesintriplettime.

Riff#18

Herewearecombiningthe(-3)intervalandusingittomovetotheupperpositionofthe“G”pentatonicminorclimbwherewedoaonetonebendandreturnforbar#9.Makesureyouletthetwonotesforthe(-3)intervalringtogether–thetrickistokeeptheseventh

9

Page 43: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 42

fretthirdstringnoteringingoutaftertheslidefromthefifthfret.Donotpickthenoteagain–itshouldringoutasyoupickthesixthfretsecondstringnote,andtheyshouldsoundtogetherforthatmomentintheriff.

Riff#19Thedevil’snote–chromaticpassingnote/♭V

Thisriffisajoiningrifffrombar#9to#10andmorphsbeautifullyintobar#10whileincorporatingour♭Vpassingnote.Really,wearemovingfromtheupperregisterofthe3-positionscaletothesecondpositionscale.Youhavetowatchthefingeringonthisone.Youcouldhavedifferentfingeringapproachesdependingonwhatyouplayedbefore,butIreallywrotethisrifftocreateaseamlesstransitionfrombar#9to#10.Notsayingthatyoucan’tusethiselsewhere,Ijustpurposelyusedthetwobarstocreateanicemovementcombiningthe(-3)interval,astringstretch,andachromaticpassingnotetocompletethetwobars.Butyoucouldusetheseideasinanothercontextwithina1-barphraseorovera2-barphrase.Wewillgobacktothisideaagaininanotherprogressionwithafreshapproach.

Page 44: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 43

Riff#20

Hereweuseourrakepickingtechniquefromriff#13andaddaonetonestretchonthethirdstring.Makesureyouletthelasttwonotesofyourtripletstretchrakepickmovementringtogetherforthefulleffect.

ThisisaStevieRayVaughanclassicriffliftedfromBuddyGuyandAlbertKingandnowtheRiffNinja.Soyougottapassitonfromgenerationtogeneration,eachtimeslightmodificationsoftimingandnotegroupingsareadded,dependingontheinterpretationofeachindividualplayer’scharacter.Thisisonemightynotegroupandisusedbyvirtuallyeverygreatbluesguitaristinthelast70yearsinsomevariationofsortstofitintoasoloriff.

Riff#21

Hereweareusingthe♭VagaintochromaticallypassfromIV-V.Inriff#19,weusedthesamenotegrouptodescendintheriffoneoctavehigher.Nowweareoneoctavelower,andweascendusingthesameidea,whichnowbecomesaveryrecognizabletraditionalturnaroundorclosingriff.

Iwroteriff#20tojoinriff#21,andthatiswhythefirstnoteofriff#21isonanupstroke.Riff#20and#21becomebars#11and#12forthe12-bar“Flood”solochartcomingup.

11

12

Page 45: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 44

AscendingusingthechromaticpassingnotebetweentheIV-Vistechnicallyaraised4th,augmented4th,or♯4,whereasdescendingwouldbeflatted5thordiminished5th.Thesearethesamenotes,theyjusthaveadifferentlabelwhenascendingvsdescending.Ascendingyouraisethenote,anddescendingyoulowerthenote,butit’sthesamenote.ThereforeitisusedtopasschromaticallyfromIV-VascendingandV-IVdescending.

Therearemanyfamousriffsthatusethisparticularideainmanystylesofmusic.Onceyougettoknowthis,Iamsureyouwillbegintorecognizethesameideainotherkeysandapplications.

Page 46: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 45

SoloTabfor“Flood”

Page 47: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 46

3.ThrillUpnextisaveryoldandverycoolprogressionthatweneedtostudyalittlebit.It’sreallyareviewofwhatIhavetaughtinStage#3,soifyouunderstandthat,wearegoodtogo.ThisprogressionisinspiredbyBBKing’s“TheThrillisGone”.

Theactualchordprogressiongoesbacktothevaudvilledaysofthe30’s.TheoriginalrecordingofBBKing’s“TheThrillisGone”wasplayedinthekeyofBm,andmyversionoftheprogressionisinthekeyofAm,whichisakeyyoureallyneedtoknowsinceit’ssopopular.

Thisisa12-barprogressionwithanunexpectedtwistinthechangesinthelastfourbarsofeachcycleof12-bar.

Let’stakealookatthechordprogression(foundonpage48).Ifyou’rereallysharp,youwillnoticethatthefirsteightbarsarestandard12-barchangeformat,usingminorchords,notdominant7thchordslikewewereusinginourlastprogression(Flood).Soweareusingastrongminorinfluenceinthisprogression.

Let’sputthechordchangesintothetheoryperspectiveofthekeyorscale.ThisisdefinitelyinthekeyofAm.Sevenandahalfbarsoutofthe12-barprogressionusetheAmchord–Amisthetonicorrootofthekeywearein.

“A”minor’sI–IV–V=Am,Dm,Em

Dowehaveallthreechordsinthisprogression???

Well,yes,wedo.Dm7isacorrectharmonysubstitutionforastandardDmandthesamewiththeEm7.WecansaythatinthekeyofAmthatDm7=IV,andEm7=V.WeareobviouslyinthekeyofAm,butwhatabouttherestofthechanges?WheredoestheF+,G+,andG♯+ fitintothepicture,harmonywise?

Here’sthescoop:C+=therelativemajorforAmwhichisthekeywe’rein.“C”major’sI–IV–V=C+,F+,G+.C+isrelativetoAm–remembereverymajorkeyorchordhasarelativeminorandeveryminorkeyorchordwillhavearelativemajor(key/chord).

Therelativemajorwillhavethesamenotesasitsrelativeminor,onlystartingonadifferenttonic.Thisalonewillexpandyoursolopossibilitiesjustalittlefurtheron,whenweputoursolotogetherforthisprogression.

Allright,youshouldbeabletoseehowthisprogressionfitstogether.

Page 48: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 47

Am =IDm7 =IVEm7 =V KeyofAmF+ =VIG+ =VIIG♯ =raisedVII

RememberhowImentionedbeforeinStage#3thatinclassicalmusictheyliketoraisetheVIIintheminorkeytocreateaharmonicormelodicminor.

ConclusionistheG♯+ istheraisedVIIof“A”minor.

TheG♯+ chordisusedtocreateachromaticrunascendingbacktothetonicbyplayingaG+-G♯+thenbacktoAm.Thishappensinthelasttwobeatsofthe“Thrill”progressionwheretheG+-G♯+ changesare.

Assoonaswestartagain,itsoundslikeitisresolvedandyoucaneitherendtheprogressionlikethatorcontinueonforanother12-barcycle.

InmyStage#2scalesection,Imentionedthethreemostcommonchromaticpassingnotesandwheretheyareplacedinrelationtoyourkeyscalenotes.

REMINDER:

#1=IV–V(joinedbyachromaticpassingnote)

#2=VII–VIII(joinedbyachromaticpassingnote)

#3=III–IV(joinedbyachromaticpassingnote)

Sointhe“Thrill”progression,wecouldalsorelatetheG♯+ chordasbeingthechromaticpassingnotefromtheVII–VIII.Insteadofsinglenotesnow,weusefullchords.Butthesametheorystillappliesanditworksverywelltobringyoubacktoyourtonicchordof“Am”everytime.

Page 49: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 48

ThrillProgression

Whatdoesthisallmeanandhowdoesthisrelatetolearninghowtoplayagreatsolo?Herearesomepointerstowhatstudyingthechordprogressionforthisexamplecandoforyou:

1 Youshouldknowthatthisprogressionispureminorandisnotatrickprogressioninanyway.Itisstraightoutofthe“Am”scaleexceptfortheG♯+ chordchangeontheverylastbeatoftheprogression.Beingthatithasnorealchordtrickmodificationsanditisnotusingthefencesitterdominant7thblueschords,weareinapurediatonicminorkey.

2 Sinceweareinapureminorkey(diatonic),wehavemanyoptionsthatrelatetothisparticularchordprogressioninsoloscales.

3 Wecanusethediatonicandpentatonicscalesinbothrelativemajorandminorkeys.

4 Don’tforget,ifyouwantamorebluessoundingsolooverthisprogression,usethepentatonicminorscalesandyourchromaticpassingnotes!

5 Ifyouwanttoleanyoursolomoretothejazzyendofblues,youcanmorphbothminorandmajorrelativescalestocreatecoolnewsolooptions.

Page 50: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 49

6 Anotheroptionistojustblendthem–sometimesleaningalittlemoretothejazzendandthenatapointinyoursolo,workbacktowardsthebluesusingthepentatonicscales.

7 Thisisagreatprogressiontoexercisethediatonicscalesandraisethebarforyourchoiceofsolooptions.Andthatisexactlywhatwearegoingtodointhisprogression.IfyouknowthescalesfrommyStage#2ofthiscourse,youaregoingtoreapthebenefitsofyourgoodstudy.

Here’sthelist:

Thesearethescaleswearegoingtodrawfromtocreateoursoloideasforthe“Thrill”progression:

Amdiatonic–root6pattern(2options)C+diatonic–root6pattern(relativemajor)Ampentatonic–root6(1-positionpattern)Ampentatonic–root6(3-positionscale)

Anddon’tforgetyouhavethethreechromaticpassingnoteoptions.Thechromaticpassingnoteisusedtojointwonotesthatbelonginthescale/keywithatechnicallyoutside,oroutofkeynote.Byjoiningtwonotesinascale/keywithanoteinbetweenthemcreatesachromaticseriesofatleast3notes:3noteseachonefretoronesemitoneapartcreatesa3-notechromaticrun.Therearemanyoptionsfornewsoloideasusingallourscalepossibilities.

Page 51: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 50

Allright,sinceIamateacherIliketoremindyouaboutwhatIamtalkingabout,herearethescalesbothingraphandtab/notationforyourteachertoremindyou!!!!

“A”PentatonicMinor

Page 52: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 51

Remember“C”majorisrelativeto“Am”–checkoutthenotesinboththesescales–theyarethesame.Thisisrelative.

Page 53: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 52

UtilizingchromaticpassingnotesfromIV–V,VII–VIII,andIII–IV:theseareyourbestoptionsinthesetwoscales.Youcouldusethemallinonerifforsolo,orjustselectandmixyouroptionsusingdifferentcombinationsindifferentoctaves.

“A”pentatonicminor1-position

Page 54: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 53

“A”pentatonicminor3-position

“A”diatonicminor,fingeringoption#1

Page 55: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 54

“A”diatonicminor,fingeringoption#2

“C”diatonicmajor(relative)

YouwillnoticethatIdidnottabandnotatethechromaticpassingnotescaleoptions,andtherearemany.Ifyouknowthepentatonicminorscales,1-positionand3-positionclimb,thenitshouldbeclearwhereyourchromaticpassingnoteoptionsare,orIwillsendyoubacktoStage#2.

Nowwearegoingtowriteasolobarbybarforthe“Thrill”progression,applyingsomeofthesescaleoptions,andgetalittlebitmorejazzyforthisparticularprogression.

Page 56: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 55

Riff#22

Thesetworiffscombinedmakethefirsttwobarsofour“Thrill”solotogiveitamorerelaxedfeel.Westartonthethirdbeatofthefirstbarandplayoverthebarline.Bar#1takesalittlebitfromriff#19,andbar#2usesthe“G”stringstretchwhichiscommon,butdoesnotgotothesecondstringlike,say,inriff#11.Instead,youskipastringandusethefirststring,fifthfret.Makesureyouletthesetwonotesringtogether.

Nowwewillrepeatthefirstbarofriff#22,andcreateavariation,stillusingthethemeofthethirdstringstretch,thiswillberiff#23forbars#3and4.

Iamgoingtotaketherakepickingriffin“G”minor(riff#20),andmoveitto“A”minor,andjoinitfora2-barphraseusingthefirstbarofriff#22.Thiscreatesacallandanswerresponsebetweenriff#22and#23.Inriff#20westretchthe3rdstring,butforriff#23,we’llleavethe3rdstringstretchoutandjustrakepickthethird,second,andfirststringswhichcreateabasic3-note“Am”chordinthefirstthreerakednotes.

Riff#23

Bothriff#22and#23canbevariedinmanydifferenttimingfeels,stillusingthesamegroupingbecauseitfallsovertwobars.

Nextuparebars#5and#6,andIamgoingtoplayintothehigherregistertomusicallysuggestachange.Riff#24startsonthetonicofthekeybyslidinguptothe10thfretsecond

Page 57: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 56

string.Donecorrectly,theriffworksverywellintotheIVchange.Youneedtobeawareofyourchordprogression.

Riff#24

Youcanletyourendnoteringintobar#6ifyoulike,orleavealittlespacebeforeriff#25,whichstartsonthe3-beatofbar#6.Sametiming,sameriff,withaslightresolvetotakeusbacktothe“I”change.Theresolvedoesnothappenuntilthefirstbeatofbar#7forriff#25.Itoverlapsattheendofriff#25intothenextbar(bar#7).

Ifyouarepayingattention,youwillnoticethatIplaythe7thfret4thstring,whichisatonicnoteforourkey.Byfinishingriff#25onthefirstbeatofbar#7ofthe“I”change,itautomaticallygivesthemusicalimpressionithasendedorresolvedrightintothenextchange.

Iwillgivethissoloalittlemorespacebyleavingoutnotesforabeatortwo,andoverlappingbetweenthebarstogiveitsomerhythmicbreath.Thisisamorelaidbacksong,soletthenotesfromyourriffsbreathe–it’snothowmanynotesyoucanplay,it’swhereyouplaythenotesandthenotechoiceforeachriff.

Riff#25

Againforthelastnote,whichisthestartofbar#7(the“I”change),youhaveaslongastwobeatstoholdthenote,untilournextriffstartsfortheoverlapofbars#7and#8onbeat#3.Youcaneitherletthatnoteringoutaslongasyoulike,orkillitsomewhereinbetweentoleavealittle“breath”beforeyournextriff–yourpersonalchoiceorinterpretation.

Page 58: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 57

Thisgivesyoualittlemorethinkingtimetomakeyournextmove.Learntopicturewhereyournextriffisbeforeyouhavetoplayit.Byusingthemusicalspacebetweenournotegroupings(riffs)tomentallyprepareourselvesforthenextriffinoursolobuysyoualittlephysicaltimetosetupyourlefthandfingersforyournextriff!!

YouwillnoticethatIaddedthechromaticpassingnotebetweentheIV–Vonthe3rdstring!

Riff#26

Riff#27takesustothehighestpartofourchordprogressioninbar#9fortheVIchordin“A”minorwhichisF+.AndwhatisthelastnoteIplayinriff#26thattakesustotheF+changeinbar#9?Well,it’san“E”noteonthe7thfret5thstring.AndwhywouldIplayan“E”singlenotejustbeforethe9thbarchangetoF+?Thisgivesyouthemusicalimpressionthatwearegoingup,whichwearefromthe“E”note(whichistheVin“Am”)totheF+chordbasedonthe“F”rootnote.

OfcourseI’msettingupforourbigriffofthesolo–thisisthesummitofoursolobeforewestarttodescendandgobacktoourtonicinthelasttwobarsofourprogression.

Andnowwearegoingtotakesomenotesfromourdiatonicrelativemajorscalediagramsandcreateamorejazzinfluencedriffforbar#9(F+)andbar#10(Em).

Riff#27

Hereweareindiatonicland,workingthenotesfromour“C”majorscale.Inthisriff,wehavetheappearanceoftwonewtriadicnotemovementsinourriff.Whattheheckis

Page 59: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 58

triadic???Well,it’smywordforusingthenotesoutoftherelatedscaletocreatetriadnotegroupingsthatfitinandrelatetothechordprogression.

Wehavealittlestudyhere:

Noticeinthediagramthatthenotesoutofthe“D”minortriadandthe“E”minortriadcanbefoundrightinsideofthe“C”majordiatonicscalenotepattern.

Inriff#27,IstartbyrakepickingtheDmtriadovertheF+changeinbar#9ofourprogression.Why??BecauseDmisrelativeto“F”major,andmyriffstartsonthethirdstringtenthfretwhichisthe“F”notewhichistherootnoteofourchordchangeforbar#9.FmajorandDminorarerelativetoeachotherandtechnicallyhavetwooutofthreebasictriadnotesthatarethesame.Thisisagoodreasonwhytheyarerelativemajorandminor.

Yousee,ifyoustudiedStage#1ofthiscourse,youshouldbeabletoseehowIgottheideaforthisguitarsoloriffbyusingmychordknowledgetolineupwithmychordprogression.

Here:

Page 60: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 59

Tocreatethe“F”majorchord,Ineedthenotes:

F–A–C

TocreatetheDmchord,Ineedthenotes:

D–F–A

Thesetwochordsarerelative.Getit??

Thegreatestguitarsolosarealwaysrelativetowherethechordprogressionisgoing.

Inthisexample(riff#27),weusetheDmchordtriadrakepickedoverour“F”majorbar#9chordchangeandthenattheendweintroducethenotestothenextchangeinbar#10.IplaytheEmtriadinthelastthreenotesofriff#27andthishelpstomusicallyhinttoournextchangeforbar#10whichwillbetheVchordinAm(Em).

Forriff#28,Iusethesame1/8noteresttrickIdidinriff#27,creatingalittlemoreofanaturalfeel.TherearemanyslightlyalteredtimingstoalmostanyofmyriffideasIhavegivenyousofar.Don’tfightthetimingasmuchaslearntofiteachriffnotegroupingintoyourbarspacemusically.Inotherwords,youcouldplaythesenotegroupswithdifferentfeels,andtheywillstillsoundgreataslongasyouarerelatingthemtothechangeinyourprogression.

YouwillnoticethatIcapitalizedontheEmchordbyascendinganddescendingthethreebasicnotesfromtheEmchord,andthisbecamemyrifffortheEmchangeinbar#10.

Riff#28

Justacoupleofpointersbeforewemoveontothelasttwobarsofour“Thrill”solo.Noticeinriff#27whenIusetheEmtriadattheendofthebar,Iaskedyoutoletthenotesringoutovereachother.That’smoreofapersonalchoiceonwhatyouwouldliketohear.Asyougetbetter,youcanusetheseideaswithslightlydifferentapproachestochangeupthesoundofyoursolos:keepitinteresting,becreative.

Page 61: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 60

Thiscouldbeappliedtoriff#28whereinsteadofrakingthenoteswithmutednotes,youcouldjustletthemallringouttogether.

NowIamgoingtotakeyoubacktoadoublenotestringstretchwelearnedinriff#17-B,adoublenotestringstretchofa1/2stepuptothedevil’snoteandbackdown.Thedevil’snote/bluesnote=♭V.Ofcourseriff#17-Bwasplayedin“G”pentatonicminor.SoImoveditto“A”minor,andIamgoingtobringusbacktotheclosingriffinbar#12.

Riff#29a(riff#17-B)

Noticeattheendofriff#28,bar#10overlapsandendsonthefirstbeatofbar#11.Halfwaythroughbar#11,weactuallystartriff#29whichoverlapsintobar#12,andthenweclosewiththechromaticpassingnotefromVII–VIII,ortheraised7thofAminorifyoulike.Theeffectisthemusicalclosureofour12-bar.

Inthelastbaronthethirdbeat,weplaya“G”noteonthefourthstring,fifthfret.Thisistechnicallytheminor7thor(-7)of“A”minor.

Thelastbeatofbar#12isplayedonthefourthstring,sixthfret.ThisisaG♯whichisconsideredtheraisedseventhof“A”minor. WhenwemovefromG-G♯ - A,remember“A”isourtonicandourverynextnoteupinpitchfromG♯. ThiscreatesathreenotechromaticrunfromG–A,and“A”isourkeyortonic!Thismusicallycreatesthesoundofclosure,orgoingbacktothestartandusingitasaturnaround.Eitherway,itmusicallysoundslikeyou’redonewithacycleof12-bar.

IliketovaryhowIcomebackintothe12-barprogressionusingthechromaticideafromVII–VIII.Youcouldusefullchordsifyoulikeinsteadofsinglenotes.Ifyouusesinglenotes,youcouldtrydifferentoctaves,higherorlower.

IliketousetwomajorthirdintervalstosubstituteG+andG♯ changes.

Page 62: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 61

HereisanexampleoftheloweroctaveGandG♯ notesonthesixthstring.Don’tforget,youcouldalsoplayfullG+andG♯+ barchordsinsteadofthesinglebassnotes.

Riff#29b(loweroctavesinglenotes)

Myfavtrickistouseinvertedthirds.Well,thatwouldbeanothertheorylesson,soinsteadtakealookathowIskipthesecondstringandusethefirststringwiththethirdstringtogethertocreateaverychordalsound,butit’snotachord.

Islideuprandomly,approximatelytwofretsbelowmystartingnote,sofortheslidetothefourthfretthirdstringusingyoursecondfinger,startonthesecondfretthirdstring.

Pick–slide–ring,andnowwhilethethirdstringfourthfretnoteisringingout,fretthethirdfretfirststringusingyourfirstfinger,andletbothstringsringovereachothertogetabigsound.SameprocedurefortheG♯+invertedthirdforthelastbeatofthebar.AndthislastG♯+intervalpushestheprogressionbackintothe“A”minortonicorkeynotewhereyoueitherendorstartthe12-barcycleagain.

Riff#29c

WatchyourfingeringsforyourinvertedG+3and3intervalsonthelasttwobeatsofbar#12.Useyoursecondfingeronthethirdstringandthefirstfingeronthefirststring.LearningtoplaytheG+3and3withthisfingeringwillhelpyoulateron,astherewillbemoreuseofthisstyleofintervalslateron.

H = Hammer PO = Pull Off

Page 63: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 62

SoloTabFor“Thrill”

Page 64: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 63

4.TexasJoyAtipofthehattoTexasbluesandStevieRayVaughan,thisprogressionisinspiredby“PrideandJoy”.Stevieplayedthisstraightaheadshufflerhythm12-barwithhisguitartunedtoE♭standard,foryourinformation–ofcourseyouknowthatthiscourseisinstandardtuning.

WhentuningdowntoE♭standard,youcanstillusethesamechordforms,likeyourE7,A7,andB9openchordcombothatIcoveredinStage#3ofthiscourse.Ifeelthatthesechordsworkthebestforthissituation.

IusethebarstyleA7andthekinkbarB9insteadofyourbasicopenA7chordandB7chordforthistrack.TomeitsoundsmorelikethevoicingsStevieRayVaughanusedin“Prideand“Joy”.

Page 65: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 64

Weareinthekeyof“E”pentatonicminorforoursoloscales.Stayawayfromdiatonic“E”minor,andifyouwanttoaddtoyourscale,usethechromaticsemitonesfromIV–V,VII–VIII,andIII–IVinyourpentatonicminorscales.

Thetwoextranotesthatmakeupthe“E”minorscale(diatonic)clashsoundwisewiththisprogression,sinceweareusingfencesitterchords.

“E”Pentatonicminor “E”Pentatonicminor “E”Pentatonicminoroneposition 2-position 3-positionclimb

open open

Page 66: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 65

Okay,ourfirstfourbarsofoursolofor“TexasJoy”usestheminorthirdintervalasathemetobuildthefirstfourbarsup.Westartwithaverytraditionalblueschoiceoftheminorthird(-3),startingonthethirdandfourthfretsusingthesecondandthirdstrings.Thiscomesdirectlyoutofthe“E”pentatonicminor2-positionopenscale.

Theinspirationforthisideacomesfromthestudiorecordingof“PrideandJoy”whereStevieusedtheideaofthe(-3)tobuilduphissolointhefirsttwobarsofthe12-bar.Itookthisideaalittlefurtherbyusingthisideatotakemeuptotheoctaveattheendofthefourthbar,whichsetsmeupforthenextpartofmysolo.

ThisisnotatranscriptionofStevie’soriginalsoloonthestudiorecording.Therearemanyversionsofthissong,allofthemgreat,allofthemrecognizableasthe“PrideandJoy”song,yettheyarequitedifferentinsomeways.Stevielikedtochangethingsupdependingonhowheheardandfeltthingsatthatmoment.Hissoloswereneverquitethesame,buthekeptthesong’scharacterandqualityintactnonetheless.Arealtruebluesmanneverplaysthesolothesameway,heplaysinthemomentofeachsituationthatheperformsin.StevieRayVaughan’sbrother,JimmyVaughan,saidthatStevieneverplayedthesamenotetwice,nevermindthefirsttime.

ImustadmitthatthiscoursehasbeenarealchallengeformebecauseIcomefromtheStevieRayVaughanschoolofguitar–IlovetoimproviseandplaythesolohowIfeelatthatmoment.ThismadeitdifficultformetodisciplinemyselftosticktotheprogramandkeepitconsistenttowhatIhavewrittenoutinthiscourse.

Thisissuchagoodkeyandchordprogressiontoreallyletyour“bluesflag”fly.Iamsorelytemptedtounleashadifferentideaforeverysolointhisprogression.Forthesakeofyoudearstudentswhoreallywanttolearn,Iamgoingtorestrainmyselfsothatyoucanlearnsomeofthesenotegroupingsandtricks,andthenyoucanletloosetoo.

SomewhereinmyvideodemothoughIamgoingtoletitfly,soyou’dbetterpayattentiontothenotegroupingsIamteachingyoubecauseyouneedtorecognizethemindifferentsituationsasIweavethemintomyimprovisedsolos.

Really,thesecrettotrueimprovisingcomesfromlearningdifferentnotegroupsorriffs,andbeingabletoplaytheseideasindifferentkeysandrhythmictimings,meldingthemtogetherwithyourknowledgeofscales.Thisisagoodplacetostarttobeginyourjourneyasarealbluesman/woman.

Thisprogressionusesafastshufflebeat,ordotted1/8notefeel,andistripletbasedintime.Thismeansthatalotofoursologroupingswillbefasttripletnotecombinations,andthisishowwearegoingtogetintothis12-barsoloexampleusingfourdifferent-3interval

Page 67: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 66

positions,movingupthefretboardforeachofthefirstfourbarsofoursolo,endinganoctavehigherin“E”pentatonicminor2-positionoctavescaleposition.

Eachbarusesadifferentminorthirdtoclimbupthefretboardsothatweendupintheoctavescalepositionof“E”pentatonicminor.Iamgoingtokeepitinstraight1/8tripletforeachofthefirstfourbars.

Let’stakealookathowIusedtheminorthirdonthesecondandthirdstringandinspirationfromStevieRayVaughantocreatethefirstfourbarsofour“TexasJoy”solo.Ifyoulistentothestudioversionof“PrideandJoy”,IamsureyouwillhearwhereIgotmyinspirationfrom.

#1 #2 #3

4

9

13

Page 68: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 67

Foreachbar,weuseoneminorthirdpositionusingastraight1/8notetriplettiming.Youstrumthisalittlemorethanpickingtomakeitchordalsounding.

#4

16

Page 69: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 68

Riff#30bar#1,usingtheB-3intervalistakendirectlyoutofthe“E”pentatonicminor2-positionopenscalethatwasdiagrammedpreviouslyinthissection.Thisisthesameintervalthatisusedforthe2-barturnaroundriffwhichyoushouldbefamiliarwithifyouhavedoneyourstudiesofStage#3ofthiscourse.Manyfamousguitarriffshavebeencreatedusingthisminorthirdandscalepositioncombo.

Checkout:

TubeSnakeBoogie–ZZTopBillyGibbonsusesthis-3intervalmovementforhisintro,andthenusesitaspartofarhythmriffthroughouttheverses,answeringeachvocallinewiththeuseofthe-3interval.

GreenRiver–CCRFogertyusestheB-3intervalasanucleusandstartingpointforhisintroriffandhisfillsinbetweenhisvoicelinesintheverse.

FortunateSon–CCRJohnFogertyusesthe-3intervalexclusivelyforhissolo.

SuzieQ–CCRThistime,MrFogertyusesthe-3intervalintheSuzieQriffintro,it’sjustmoresubtle.It’sthefirsttwonotesintheintroriff.

TheLastTime–RollingStonesThistimethe-3intervalisthecentreofthethemeriffofthissong.

Bytheway,otherthan“PrideandJoy”,theseexamplesareallin“E”pentatonicminor(standardtuning).Remember,StevieRayVaughantunedhisguitardowna½step,sothatwouldbe:

E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭6 5 4 3 2 1

Page 70: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 69

Riff#30Bar#1(B-3)

Stressthefirstnoteofeachbeatwiththefirstbeatbeingtheloudestorstrongest.Thisisasmoothdownupalternatepicking/strummingmovement.Yourfirstbeatfirstnotestartsonthedownstroke–secondbeatneedstobeemphasizedontheupstroke.Thethirdbeatisonthedownstroke,andthefourthbeatontheupstroke.

Riff#31Bar#2(usingE-3)

ThismakestotalsenseusingtheE-3intervalsinceourprogressionistotally“E”pentatonicminor.That’swhytheE-3=Ichord,andB-3=Vchordworkoverthisprogression.

Page 71: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 70

Riff#32(UsingG#-3)

Thishasalittleconflict,notewise,andcreatesabitoftensioncomparedtothe“E”pentatonicminorscale,whichcontainsthe“G”naturalnote,notaG♯!

Icouldgiveyoua50pagetheorylessonatthispointonwhythisG♯-3fitsintothisprogression,allofitisagainsttraditionalclassicaltheoryrules.Itisreallyaconflict,butitworks.Let’sjustsaythatthetonicis“E”forthisprogressionandsolo,andweuseanE7(dominant7th)inthechordrhythm.Yousee,E7hasE,G♯,B,andDnotestocreatethatchord,sothe“G♯”isintheE7chordtobeginwith,andatthistime,thatiswhyweareplayingthe-3intervaloverthisprogression.Oursoloisbasedon“E”pentatonicminorscale,whichhasaG♮ “Geenatural”noteinit,notthe“G♯”,butthedominant7thchordfor“E”hastheG♯noteinthechord,soitworksandsoundsgreat.Don’tgetmestarted–mybookeditorwon’tbehappywithmeeitherifIgoanyfurtheraboutthistheoryrant!

Riff#33Bar#4octaveB-3

3

4

Page 72: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 71

OkaythisoctaveB-3catapultsusintothenextchange,bar#5whichistheIVchangeinthisprogressionexample.

Allright!TotheIVchangewhichisbar#5.

Forthekeyof“E”,IV=“A”.Thatmeans“A”istheIVofthekeyof“E”,andinthiscase,“E”blues.“A”istheperfectfourthof“E”.Iamgoingtogoallthewaybacktoriff#17-B.The#17-Briffisbasedonadoublestop,ordiadharmony.That’sa2-noteharmony,stretchingahalfstep,usingthethirdandsecondstringstogether.

Thisgroupofnoteshasbeenusedtocreatesomefamousguitarriffsandisveryfoundationaltoagoodbluesrifffoundation.

Ihavenowmovedthegroupnoteideatothe12thfrettothe“E”pentatonicminorscale,andapplieditinthe“TexasJoy”solo.Thisishowriff#34and#35werecreated.Youwillalsonoticethatriff#34endsonthe“A”noteonthe14thfretthirdstring.Thisemphasizesthefactthatwehavethe“A”changeonbars#5and#6.

Thentoclose,thelastnoteattheendofriff#35isonthe“E”note–14thfret,fourthstring.Thissubtlyhintstothenexttwobarswhichreturnbacktothe“E”changeforbars#7and#8.Wegetanicetransitionbacktothe“E”change.Riff#35isreallyarepeatofriff#34,exceptweendthelastnoteonthe“E”.

Riff#34Bar#5withthe“A”resolveroot

Page 73: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 72

Riff#35Bar#6withthe“E”resolveroot

Thistechniqueofemphasizednotesthataretherootnoteofthechangewearesoloingovermakesthatnotegroupfitinwiththechordchangemuchbetter.Byusingthe“A”rootattheendofbar#5(riff#34),youareinthemiddleareaofbars#5and#6,andgivesthe“A”changestrength.Justattheendofbar#6(riff#35),usesthe“E”notetodrawtheearbacktothenextchangeforbars#7and#8whichwillbethe“E”change.Thismakesriff#35weaveitselfrightintothenextchordchange,andofcoursethatmakestherifffitinsound-wisetothehumanear.

Pointslikethiswillmakeyoursolossoundmorepolishedandrefined,andimprovethesoundsofyoursolos.

Wearenowonbars#7and#8forthe“E”change.Wearegoingbacktoriff#11totaketheonetonebendandgiveitalittle“ChuckBerry”flavourwitharighthandpalmmuteonthetriplet1/8restsaftereachonetonestretch.Riff#36isa2-barphrase–wehavetransposedriff#11intothe“E”pentatonicminorscaleposition.Atthispoint,itshouldbeagivenifweareworkingonaparticularprogressionthatIwilltakewhateverriffideathatIamreferencingandtransposeittotheappropriatescale/keyposition.Inriff#11,itwasbasedonthekeyof“G”pentatonicminor–nowwearein“E”pentatonicminor.

Riff#36isa2-barphrasebecauseitdoesnotresolveuntilthemiddleofthesecondbaroftheriffwhichisbar#8ofoursolo.ThisriffsetsusupforthebigchangetotheVchordinbar#9.Thisisthehighestpointofoursolo–it’sthesummitofyourprogression,sotospeak.Bylettingthelastnoteinbar#8whichispartofriff#36(2-barphrase)ringout,youarenowsettotakethenextstepintotheprogression.

Ileftalittlebreathingspaceattheendofbar#8(riff#36)forthebigcrescendoofmysolo,thebigbuild!!!Thisalsobuysyoualittletimetosetupthenextriff.

Page 74: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 73

Riff#362-barphraseforbars#7and#8overthe“E”change

Noticemyuseoftheflattedfifth(♭V)harmony(AKAtheDevil’snote)foundonthethirdstring15thfret.Thisisoutsideofthebasic“E”pentatonicminorscalefingeringandIusemypinkytofretthe♭V(flatfive)onthethirdstring15thfret.Thislinesupwithyourhandpositionandcreatesagoodtechniqueformoreriffandsolopossibilities–learntouseyourpinky!

Riff#372-barphraseforbars#9and#10

Herewehavetakenthenotegroupsfromtheendofthesecondbarinriff#22,andfromriff#20,andmorphedittogethertocreatethisverycool2-barphraseforthepeakofoursolo.ThisfollowstheVandIVchanges,andthisiswhywedescendorgodowninnotepitchinthesecondbarusingthescalenotes.ItleavesuswiththemusicalimpressionofdescendingbacktothefinaltwobarsofourprogressionwhereweusetheclosingriffanoctavehigherinunisonwiththeloweroctaveriffthatIrecorded.

Forthelasttwobars,Igobacktothetraditional2-barclosingphrasethatIusedinStage#3.ThiswasoneofthefirstriffsthatIpresentedtoyouinthisentirecourse.ItisbasedontheoriginalStevieRayVaughanstudiorecordingof“PrideandJoy”,whereheusesthisideatoclosealmostallofhis12-barcycles,usingthe2-barcloseinsteadofanychords.

7 8

9 10

Page 75: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 74

Again,basedonthe2-position“E”pentatonicminorscalefortheoriginalrecordedversion,Idecidedtousetheoctavehigherchoice–samenotes,sametiming,just12fretshigher.Dependingonyourskilllevelandfingerspeed,havingtodropdowntotheloweroctaveisabitofachallengeafterfinishingthelasttwobarsofyoursoloatthe12thfretposition.SoIplayitinthehigheroctave,andalongwithmypre-recordedjamtrack,thisisacoolexampleofhowyoucanuseanoctaveasawaytoembellishcertainriffswhencreatingasolo.Thesamenotes,thesametiming,just12fretshigher.

Iliketoalternate–sometimesIdroptotheloweroctave,othertimesitismoreconvenienttoplaythehigheroctave–personalchoice.

Riff#38HigheroctaveclosingrifftakenfromStage#3loweroctaveexample

Noticetheveryfirstnoteisthelow“E”opensixthstring.It’seasytoreach,andfillsthespacenicely.Althoughithasalreadybeenplayedinthejamtrackrecording,Ifeelthatitjustemphasizesthepushtotheendoftheriffbyplayingthatopen“E”.Itisgoodalsotouseasatimingreferencetoplaceyourclosingriffintimeperspective.

Youcanplayeitherthehigheroctaveortheloweroctave“E”–IhititfairlyaggressivelyandthenchokeitwithamutebeforeslidinguptotheB-3doublestoptripletforbeats#2and#3inbar#11,beforeIclosebar#12usingthetraditionalIV–Vwithchromaticpassingnotes.

Youcanleavetheopen“E”sixthstringbassnoteoutonthefirstbeatofbar#11orreplaceitwiththeoctaveonthefourthstring14thfretwhichisfoundinthe“E”pentatonicminorscaleatthe12thfretposition.

Ijustfindthathittingthe“E”onthefirstbeathelpsgetthetimingandfeeloftheB-3doublestopthatfollowsalittleeasier.Yourchoice,butifyouaregoingtosoloovermyjamtrackorsoloover“PrideandJoy”,youmostdefinitelyhavetousethisriffideatoclose,becauseitisinallthe12-barloopsofmyjamtrackandcancausemusicalnoteconflicttryingtosolooverit.That’sthecharacteroftheprogressionanditisathemethroughout–youhavetoworkwithit,andit’saclassicbluesmovetoo!!

11 12

Page 76: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 75

SoloTabfor“TexasJoy”

Page 77: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 76

5.MyBlueJeansAnawesome10-barprogressionthatwasobviouslyinfluencedbyastandard12-barprogression!MyjamtrackisamorphedinfluenceofboththeZZToporiginalversion“BlueJeanBlues”inthekeyofBm,andmyoldfriend,JeffHealey,thelate,greatCanadianbluesguitaristwhoinfluencedmefortherestofmylifeafterIhadtheopportunitytomeetJeffandwatchhimplaywaybackin1986.

IchosethekeyofAmbecausethefirsttimeIheardJeffplay,hepulled“BlueJeanBlues”outandproceededtofloormewithhisinterpretationof“BlueJeanBlues”.YoushouldabsorbandlistentobothZZTopversionsandtheJeffHealey,bothguitaristshavegreattoneandfeel.BillyGibbons,theguitaristforZZTop,iswhatIcallan“oldsmoothie”anditishissong.

Iamgoingtoreviewjustalittlebithere.IwanttoremindyouofthetheoreticalreasonstothisprogressionwhichIfeelwilldefinitelyhelpyouhaveinsightintohowtosolooverthisprogression.UnderstandingindetailtheprogressiondefinitelygivesmeaworldofoptionswhenIsolooverthisprogression,andinsomewaysisveryuniqueandaverygoodsoloplatform.

Page 78: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 77

MyBlueJeans–Progression

only

Page 79: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 78

InStage#3ofmycourse,westudiedindetailthe“MyBlueJeans”progression,butforthoseofyouwhohavenotstudiedfromtheStage#3course,herearesomeinterestingpointsaboutthisprogression.

1. Thisisa10-barthatwasobviouslytakenfromthebasic12-barprogression.

2. Thefirstninebarsfollowthebasic12-barchanges,withbar#10closingoutinanunusualway.

3. Thischordprogressionispureminor–itdoesnot“fencesit”byusingdominant7thchords(blueschords),andwecanuseallformsofpentatonicanddiatonictobaseoursoloon.

4. Forabluesinfluencedsong,it’sunusualtofindbothgroupsofrelativemajorI–IV–VandrelativeminorI–IV–Vforatotalofsixbasicchordsovera10-barcycle.

5. Thesixchordsare:

KeyofAm KeyofC+(relativetoC+) (relativetoAm)Am=I C+=IDm7=IV F+=IVEm7=V G+=V

6. Theminorchordsinthisprogressionhaveastrongerpresencethanthemajorchords,sotheoveralltonalityoftheprogressionisstillveryminor.

Toconcludeourshortstudy,hereisthecomparisontothebasic12-bar:

Basicfoundational12-barkeyof“A”blues:

Page 80: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 79

Omittherelativemajorchordsinthe“MyBlueJeans”progression,anditrevealsanobviousrelationshiptothebasic12-bar.Themajorchordsareusedmoreaspassingchordstocreateinterestingmovementinthechanges,andtheyaretechnicallycorrectwhenweuserelativeminorbasedchordsratherthanfencesitting“blues7th”chords,whichareusedtosubstitutebothmajorandminorchordsdependingonthechoiceofthewriter.

Ifyoucomparethisroughoutlinetotheofficialtabbedprogressiononpage#76,youcanseehowthisprogressionwasinfluencedbythebasic12-barinaverycreativeway.

Iamgoingtousethisprogressiontogetyouintoyourdiatonicscalesalittlemore.

Bluesisusuallypentatonicminorwithchromaticpassingnotes,butIamgoingtousesomediatonicsinglelinesmorphedwithpentatonicminorandchromatictoopenyourcreativedooronscaleuse.Iamnotattemptingtore-createasacover,theguitarwork,eitherintheoriginalBlueJeanBluesorare-makeofthissong.Rather,Iamgoingtotakethisverycoolprogressionandgooffthetraditionalbluespath.

Iamsotempted–Imayhavetoplayallthreecycleswithmyjamtrackonmyviddemonstrationsofour10-barsolo(not12-bar).

Thisprogressioncanbeinterpretedinmanystylisticways,sowecanusesomescaleoptionsthatarenotalwaysavailableinabluesprogressionusingdominant7thchords.

Okay,Ihavethoughtaboutitenough,andhereiswhatIamgoingtodo.Forthedemonstrationpartofmyvidforthis“BlueJeans”progression,Iamgoingtosoloallthreecycles,withonethatfollowsthestepbystepriffsthatwepiecetogetherintabtocreateourplanned10-barsolo,andtwooffthecuffsolos.

AtthispointIhavenotdecidedwhat10-barcycleofthethreecycleswillbemyplannedsoloandwhichtwosoloswillbeimprovised(offthecuff).Iwillkeepyoupostedonthatchoicelateron,sokeeponreading!!!

Page 81: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 80

Let’stakealookatthescaleoptionsthatwehaveinreferencetowhatIhaveinStage#2ofthebluesstudyinthisfourstagecourse.Iamgoingtousecombinationsofthefollowingscalediagramstogooutsidetheboxofbasicbluesbecausethisprogressionisinapureminorkey,andharmonywisetherearemoresoloideastodrawfromwiththistypeofprogression.Idonotthinkmysoloexamplesarepureblues–IhearjazzandSpanishinfluencemixedintothepurepentatonicminorblues.Butyoucanbethejudgeofthat–it’sjustawaytocreateadifferentsoundingsolooveracoolprogression.

Allright,thefollowingscalediagramscoverthescalesIwillbedrawingfromtocreatemysolosforthe“MyBlueJeans”jamtrack.Again,thisisinthekeyof“A”minor,anditisapureminorprogressionsowearenotlimitedtojustpentatonicminorscales,althoughpentatonicminorworkswelltoo.

Iwillweaveandblendthesescalestocreatevariationsofdiatonicusingbothmajorandminorrelatives,pentatonic,andthethreebasicchromaticpassingnotes–allconnectedtogetherinsomewayorform.

Youdonothavetouseacompletescaleofanykind–youcantakepartsofeachofthesescalestocreateuniquenotecombinations.

Page 82: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 81

Herearethediagrams–youshouldalreadyknowthesescales:

Page 83: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 82

Page 84: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 83

Thesechromaticpassingnoteoptionscanbeappliedinanyorderwithinthescale,ascendingordescending,andyoudonothavetoincludethemallatanytime.Anycombinationispossible.

Page 85: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 84

Riff#39

Herewehaveourfirstbarof“MyBlueJeans”tabbedsolo.Wehavetheuseofchromaticpassingnotesinbeat#2fromIV–Vandinbeat#3fromVII–VIII.Iplaythisideainmanydifferenttimingapproaches–youdonothavetofollowalltheseideasexactlylikeIhavewritten.IliketoplaythesenotegroupshoweverIfeelthesongonaparticularrunthrough.

Iactuallydonotliketoplayoffcharts,butforthesakeofmystudents,Idothissotheycangainfromit.Ibelievethebluesisoneofthemostfreeformsofmusicalexpression,andsinceIdonotfeelthesameeveryday,mysolosdonotinterpretthesamewayeither–onadaybydaybasis.

Bluesistheworkingman’sjazz!!

Don’tbeafraidtoexperiment–youneedtolearntoexpressyourselffreelywhenyousolo–it’sagreatmusicalliberation!!!

Riff#40

Thelastnoteinriff#39canringoutintoriff#40foranice,smoothtransition.Inriff#39Ididnotstarttheactualnotesfortheriffuntilthesecondbeatofthebar.

Idonotstartriff#40tillthesecondbeatofbar#3,keepingwiththerhythmicfeelthatIchosetoapplyinthissoloexample.

Inriff#40,Iaddthesixthnoteoutoftheminordiatonicscaleinthesecondoctave.Ihammerthesixth(VI)note,andcreateaverynicehammeronandpulloffcomboforbeat#3andbeat#4,andahammeronpulloffonthethirdstringinbar#4beat#1.Bothriff

Page 86: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 85

#39and#40resolvebyplayingthetonicnoteofourchangewhichis“A”minor,sooursinglenotetonicisusedtoresolveeachriffandemphasizethe“A”changeorthe“I”change.

Riff#41

Forriff#41,Imoveupinthescale,addingtheoctaveIIonthe7thfretfirststring,thenahammeronpulloffmovementtoemphasizetheII.ThishelpspushthesolotothehigherregisterwhichsuggeststhatIamfollowingthechordprogressionasitmovesuptotheIVchange(Dm7).

Riff#42TheIVChange

Thisisamorestraightforwardpentatonicminor,drawnfromthethirdpositionhigheroctaveofthe“A”pentatonicminor3-positionclimb.Theonetonebendrepeatedinaslowtripletfeellikethiscancreatesomeexciting,emotionaldynamics.Idecidedtousethatstretchtoemphasizethe“D”changebytakingthe“D”noteonthefirststring,10thfret,andstretchingonetonehighertothe“E”pitch.Idothistwiceinarow,andthenletthestretched“E”smoothlyreturnbacktothe“D”byslowlyeasingoffthestretchtobringyouback.Remember,“D”isthetonicoftheIVchangeforbars#5and#6.

ThenwehavetheIV–Vinourstretchinrelationtothekeywearein.Again,A=I,D=IV,E=V.Thisiswhythisstretchsoundssogood–it’sgoodoldI–IV–V.

Page 87: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 86

Thelastnoteinriff#42isahighoctave“A”noteonthe10thfretsecondstringwhichimpliesthatthe“A”changeisnextinbars#7and#8.

Riff#43Thisriffemphasizesthe“A”changeandtogivealittlespaceIleftarestonthefirstbeatorifyoulike,youcanletthe“A”notefromyourlastriff(riff#42)ringintothefirstbeatofbar#7.Ifyougiveitalittlemorespace,thenextriffcanappearmorepowerful,butitisuptoyouhowmuchroomyouwantgoingfromthelastnoteofbar#6intothefirstnoteonthesecondbeatofbar#7forthe“A”change.

Atypicaldoublestopbluesmovewithabitofchallengeonbeat#3withadoublestringhammerontobringusbacktothetonic“A”.ThestringstretchisrelatedtotheIVandVharmoniesof“A”whichwecreatedbyplayingtheseventhfretsecondandthirdstringstogether.Therootendsupbeingthe“D”noteorIVnoteof“A”whichisourtonicorkeynote.

Whenwestretchthe“D”doublestoponetone,itbecomesan“E”whichistheVharmonyof“A”(thetonic).Whenwehitthefifthfretsecondandthirdstrings,thisdoublestopisrelatedtothe“A”tonic’sminorthirdharmony(-3).OtherthanIVandVharmonieswhichareneutral,whenweusethe-3harmony,itnaturallyemphasizesthetonicbecausewearein“A”minorandthe-3harmonyiswhatmakestheminorharmonyandgivesitthatminorcolour.

Iplayoffthatdoublestopfromthe-3totheP4(IV)andthenhammerontheP4offthe-3harmonyinbeat#3andbringtheriffbacktothetonic.Superstrong“A”minorriffusingIVandVharmoniesandcolouringitwiththe-3(♭III)harmony,whichassoonasweendonthe“A”tonicjustbeforebeat#4,itestablishesour“A”minorkey.ItcannotbebetterthanthatanditshowsyouhowpowerfulourIVandVharmoniescanbewhenwearelookingforgoodsoundingharmoniesthatwecantakeoutofourscale.

Thisriffideawasintroducedtoyoubackatriff#17b,butweuseditinthekeyof“G”minorandinsteadofstretchingthedoublestopafulltone,weonlystretchedita1/2step.

Bynowyoushouldhaveenoughstrengthinyourfingerstostretchthatdoublestopafulltone.Useyourthirdfingerandpulldownonthetwostringstowardsthefloor,notupandawayfromthefloorlikeyouusuallydowhenstretchingastring.Thiswillhelpyougetalittlemoreleveragewhichyouneedbecauseyouarestretchingtwostringsatonce.

Itisimpossiblewhenyou’restretchingtwostringsatthesametimetohavebothoftheminexactpitch,onetonehigherthanthenoteyoustretchedfrom.Bothstringsneedslightly

Page 88: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 87

differentdistancesofthestretchtogetitonpitch.Youhavetofindahappymediumbetweenthetwostringswhenyoustretchandthatdecisionisleftuptotheindividualplayer’schoiceandhowheorsheperceivesthecorrectamountofstretchingtobringthetwostringstoitsbestsoundingcompromiseofaonetonebendhigherinpitch,forthetwostrings.

Riff#43

Riff#44

Riff#44heavilyemphasizesthe“A”tonic/keynoteandthiswilltakeustobar#9forthe“E”change(theVchord).(Riff#45and46).Forriff#45,startingfromthe7thfretthirdstring,IslidetotheninthfretthirdstringwhichistherootofmyVchange(“E”),thentothesecondstringeighthfretfora“G”note(theminorthirdof“E”).Thena“C”notewhichisontheeighthfretfirststring(theminor6thof“E”).ThiscreatesaverymelodicjazzyvibetoitandthenIdroponefretlowertothe“B”whichistheVofthe“E”minorchord.

Essentiallyinthefirstsixnotesofmyriffinbar#9,IplaythenoteswhichcreateanEm6thchordifIplayedthemtogether,sothisreallypushestheEmchangeinbar#9.

Nowforbar#10,Istartonbeat#4ofbar#9andeitherplaytheloweroctavechromaticpushorthehigheroctavechromaticpush.Bothhavethesamenotes,justinahigherorloweroctave,yourchoice.

Riff#45isnotatedusingthehigheroctave,andriff#46fortheloweroctave.

Page 89: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 88

Riff#45(Upperoctavepush)

Riff#46(Loweroctavepush)

Therearequiteafewdifferentcombosofsinglenoteandpowerchordorchordoptionswhenwegettothechromaticpushinbeat#4ofbar#9,Iwilldemosomeoftheseideasinmyvidpartofthelesson.

Page 90: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 89

SoloTabfor“MyBlueJeans”

Page 91: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 90

6.LoveU.

Thisisaclassic12-barbassriffrhythminspiredby“LetMeLoveYouBaby”byBuddyGuy.Soloingwillbedoneinthekeyof“C”pentatonicminor;theBuddyGuyversionisin“G”pentatonicminor.

Mybackgroundtrackforjammingincludedinthiscourseisverybusy,sothefirst12-barsoloIplaywillbekindofChuckBerryinfluencedwiththedoublestops.Asabonus,Iwillgooverthe12-barwithaplayingthepocketapproach.Togiveyouonemoreexampleoverthisprogression.

WhenIrecordedthejamtrack,Imadetherhythmtracksinsomeofthe12-barcyclesverybusy.Thisleaveslessroomforaleadguitarsolotofitintothepockets.Wehavetolearntoadaptalittlegoingthrougheach12-barcycledependingontherhythmoftheprogression.

Thefirst12-barsolowillfitinverywellwithjamtrackcycles#1,#2,#5,#6,and#7.Myviddemowillusethefirstcycleofmyjamtack.

Ourfirstriffwillcover#1and#2bars,theriffoverlapstwobarstocompletethephraseandworkswellwithany2-barchange.

Page 92: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 91

Earlieronintheriffexamples#8and#9,weexploredusingthenicelypositioned(-3)interval/doublestopinthekeyof“E”pentatonicminor.The“LoveYou”trackusesashufflebeatrhythm(dotted1/8),andusesatripletrhythmfortheguitarsolo.

Youwillfindthetripletworkswelloverthedotted1/8.

Riff#47Yourfirsttwobars:

Thisraisesthebarforarhythmicriffapplyingtotripletfeel.Youwillnoticethatinthesecondbarthirdbeat,Iusedahammeronemphasizingthetonicusingarhythmgroupof4x1/16notesfortwooutofthethreebeats,andonemore1/8notetofinishthistriplethammeronmove.Don’tstrugglewiththishammeronidea–playithowyouhearandfeelit.Iwillsometimeschangemytimingfractioningofthisideaandfitmorehammeronmovementsintothelasttwobeatsofthesecondbar.Iliketochangemynotechoicesonthefly,butworkwithafamiliarideaandre-arrangethenotegroupswithinit.

Forthefirstbar,Iwillusethefamiliar(-3)minorthirddoublestopandchangeupontheflyforthesecondbar.Thiscreatesthe-3themefortheriff.

Iwillgiveyouanexamplebyusingthe-3doublestopthemeforbar#3,butchangemynotechoiceforbar#4.Istillwanttofeaturethetonicwhichisthe“C”atthesecondstring13thfret.

Page 93: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 92

Riff#48(Bars#3and#4)

Thepointtoallthisistolearnhowtotakeanideayoualreadyknow,andfititintoadifferentkeyandadifferentrhythmsituation.Ican’tstresshowimportantthis-3(minorthird)intervalistoopenthedoortomanynotecombinationstocreatenewriffs.

Onthatnote(punintended),wewillapplythisanddropdowntotheloweroctaveforourIVchange,keepingwiththe-3theme.

Riff#49(Bars#5and#6)

IusedthechromaticpassingnotefromtheIV–Vintheupperoctaveofthe“F”pentatonicminorscaletohelppushbacktothetonic“C”forourkeynote.I–IV–Vscalescanoverlapeachothertofollowachordprogressionforasolo.Youcouldalsoplaythis12fretshigherinsteadoftheloweroctaveriffIchose–thesamepattern,justexactly12fretshigher.

Ifyoustartedthelowoctaveslideonthethirdfret,thirdstring,tofindyouroctavehigherwouldbethreefretsplus12frets(3+12=15).Rememberyourslidestartsatthethirdfret,soanoctavehigheryouwouldstarttheslideatthe15thfretthirdstring.

Ifyouknowyourriffpatternintheloweroctave,youshouldbeabletoapplyitinthehigheroctave.Thefretsareclosertogether,sowatchyourfingerssotheykeepthesamefretpattern.

Page 94: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 93

Riff#50(Bars#7and#8)

HereIusedtheonetonebendonthesecondandfirststringgroupindotted1/8noteorshufflefeel.ThisisthefirsttimeIhaveusedthisbend,althoughinriff#36Iuseasimilarideabutusingthethirdandsecondstrings.Ialsousedthedoublenotestretcha1/2stephigher,whichIusedbackatriff#29,AorB.

ThetimingisalittletrickyinthesecondbarbeforeIdothedoublestringstretch.Toohardtoexplainthisonpaper,butbasicallyIdonotstartthedoublenotestretchuntilIgetintothesecondbeat.Iwantedthatlastonetonebendtoringoutoverthebeatandintobeat#2.

Thisbringsustothepeakofoursolo–playingovertheVandIVchangesforbars#9and#10.Iwantthistobethebusiesttwobarsofmysolo,andsinceeachchangeisonlyonebar,Ihavetoworkmytheme(-3)minorthirdintotwo1-barphrases.Onewillbeforthe“G”change(V),andtheotherwillbeforthe“F”change(IV).

Riff#51Vchange1-barriff(bar#9)

Notimetoresthere–wearegoingtopumpoutthe“G”(V)changeandthe“F”(IV)change.Technicallyspeaking,wearechangingkeyforeachchange,andsotheriffswithdoublestopsarejustmovedtothe“G”and“F”change.

Page 95: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 94

Riff#52IVchange1-barriff(bar#10)

Ifyouwerereallyadventurous,youcouldplaythesetworiffsanoctavehigher(exactly12fretshigher).Iliketoalternatethisidea,lowoctavethenhighoctave,alternatingbetween12-barcyclesolos.

Thisbringsustothelasttwobarsofoursolo,backtothe“I”change.

Riff#53(Forbars#11and12)

Hereweusethedoublestoplikewefoundinriff#17bandstretcha1/2step.Remembertopulldownonthestrings,notpushup.

ForthefirsttwobeatsIusetheonetonebendonthethirdstringandholditforonefullbeat,andthenskiptothefirststringandhitthetoniconanupstrokeonthesecondbeat.Assoonasthatnotesoundsthough,youchokeit.Thiscreatesalittlespace,andthenhitthedoublestopstretchonthethirdbeatofthebar.

Thereisnosoundwithoutsilence–therefore,silencecanbeasoundtoo.Leavinglittlespacesbetweencertainnotesratherthanlettingthenoteringoncreatesdynamicsandhelpsintensifyyourmusicalexpression.

Page 96: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 95

SoloTabFor“LoveU.”

Page 97: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 96

BonusSolo“PlaythePockets”Cheerstoallofmydedicatedstudentswhohavemadeitthisfar!!Itrulywantyoutolearntoplaytheguitarandbecomeabettermusician.Wearegoingtolearntoplaythepocketsandwehavetheperfectsettingforthatifweuse12-barcycle#3fromthejamtrack.(Startsatapproximately49secondsintothejamtrack)

AsIhavesaidbefore,therhythmguitarsinthisjamtrackarebusyandyouneedtoapproachtheminadifferentway.Ichosecycle#3’s12-barbecauseIfeelitisthebusiestofthe12-barcyclesforthisprogression.Ittakesadifferentskilltoworkriffsintothespaceorpocketsleftintherhythmtrack.Theideaistodroptastyguitarriffsinthespaces.Thesameapproachisusedtoplayguitarfillsinbetweenthevoiceinasongtoo!

Eitherway,itisagoodskilltodevelop,andmanygreatartistshavedonethis.TakeBBKingforinstance.Heusuallydoesnotplayrhythmorchords.Hesingsalineandthenplaysaleadlineinthepocket,thenwithoutwalkingoverhisvocalline,hefinishestheriffjustbeforehestartssingingthenextline.

Dependingonthesong,BBwillsometimesbreakuptheideaintodifferentbarfractionstocreatemanyvariationsofplayinginthepocket.

Thecoolthingaboutcycle#3’s12-barrhythmguitaristhatoneguitartrackisasteadypentatonicminorrhythmriffplayedwiththebassguitar,oneoctaveapart,buttheguitarplaysaverystrongsinglenoterhythmriffinthehigheroctaveofthescaleintherhythmofthesecondguitartrack.

Forthefirstfourbarsofcycle#3’s12-bar,wehavealotofroombecauseofthewaytheguitarrhythmriffisplayed.Let’stakealookatwherethepocketis.

Ifyoutakealistentothejamtrackcycle#3,thefirstbaristherhythmriff,withthesecondbarhavingthespaceforourriff.Again,inbar#3,therhythmrifftakesthatspot,butbar#4leavesroomforyourguitarriffagain.Iamgoingtoleanmoretotheuseofsinglenoteguitarlinesusingchromatics,stringbends,andhammeron/pulloffcombinationsforthisexample.

Ifthisseemslikeadifferentlanguagetoyou,thenyouneedtostudyyourscalesmore,likeinStage#2ofthiscourse.

Herearemytwopocketriffsforthefirstfourbars.

Page 98: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 97

Riff#54Bars#1and#2

WeusethechromaticpassingnotefromtheVII–VIIIinbar#2beat#2,thenahammeron/pulloff,endingonthetonicforbeat#4.Thetonicisourmostreliableendingnotebecauseit’sthefoundationalnoteofthescaleorkey!Thetonicsuggestsmusicalresolveorendingofaphrase,orgroupofnotes.

Itisagoodstarttounderstandingyourguitarbetter,byknowingwhereyourtonicnotesappearforthescalepositionyouareusing.

Riff#55Bars#3and#4

Makinguseofourthirdstringstretch!Ithastobethemoststretchedstringwehaveonourguitars.Stretchesandhammeron/pulloffslikethelasttworiffs(#54and#55)addcharactertooursoloriffs,creatingmoreexpression!

Noticeinriff#55howthelastnoteofbar#4isthe10thfretthirdstring.Thisisahigheroctaverootoftheverynextchangeforbar#5.

Forgreatereffect,youcouldletyourlastnote(the“F”10thfretthirdstring)ringoutintothefirstbeatofbar#5asthiswilljusthelpemphasizemusicallythe“F”changeinbar#5.Thisisaformofmodalplayingbyusingarootnoteattheendofarifftopushyoutothenextchange.

Page 99: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 98

Riff#56

Forriff#56Igoforthesurebetandworkmybar#6riffbackintothetonicinbar#7.Sincethechangeforbar#7goesbacktothetonicor“C”change,Iweavedmyguitarrifftorunbackintothetoniconthefirstbeatofbar#7.NowIdonotusuallyanalysemyplayingtothispoint,butI’mawareofthechangecomingupandIknowIwanttonailthat10thfretfourthstringtonic(the“C”pitch)andemphasizethechangebacktothe“I”chordinbar#7.It’smoreintuitive,butit’sfairlyobviousthatifIendmyriffonthe“C”toniconthefirstbeatofthechangeinbar#7thatitwillmagnifythechangetothe“C”andresolveverynicely.

Ithinkyouwillfindthatifyoujustworktowardsanideayouwillhearit–itfeelsandsoundsrighttotheear.Thereisalotoftheorythatcouldsupportthisidea,butforanoffthecuffsolo,it’smoreintuitionofthehumanear.

Riff#57

Alright,Iletthe“C”noteonthefourthstring10thfretringoutinbar#7,andthenstartonthefirstbeatofbar#8withaonetonestretch.ThenIskiptothetoniconthefirststringeighthfret.Thisisaclassicmoveusedbymanybluesguitargreats–alisttoolongtomention.Youwillfindthatwehaveusedthisideaearlieroninourstudiesindifferentkeys.Checkbackonriff#37,thefirsttwobeatsandriff#53onthefirstbeat.

Page 100: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 99

Istressedthe“I”changeformyriffinbar#8becauseIwantedamoredramaticchangeforbars#9and#10whichisreallythepinnacleofoursoloexpression.ThisisbecauseweareontheVandIVchangeswhichwillbringusbacktothe“I”foraresolveorendtothesolo.

WhatIamtryingtosayisthatIfocusedonthe“I”changeforbothbars#7and#8,stressingthe“C”andmakingitrealstrong.NowwechangetotheV=Gwhichisabigmusicalstep–dramatic!

Therearethree“C”notesfoundinriff#57;youhavethetailendofriff#56frombar#6endingona“C”noteforbar#7andlettingitringout.

Forbar#8westartwithaonetonestretchandthesecondnoteinthebarisahigh“C”onthefirststringeighthfret,andthenwedescendbackdowntothelastnoteinbar#8whichisa“C”onthefourthstring10thfret.Sothe“C”ortonicnoteisreallyprominentforbars#7and#8.

NowtoourVandIVchangesforbars#9and#10.

Riff#58Bars#9and#10

Sothisisthehighestpitchpointinthissolo.Iletthe“C”pitchfromriff#59ringoutintobar#9tokeepwiththetheme.Now,eventhoughIplayoverabusyguitarrhythmriffinbar#10,Idon’tplaymuchforthefirsttwobeatsofbar#10,soitleavesroomforthebusyrhythmguitarofftheIVchange(F).

Ithendescendtothetonic,knowingfullwellthatthelasttwobarsinthisprogressionareallaboutthe“I”change.

Endingonthe“C”note,10thfretfourthstringattheendofmydescendingnotesinbar#10,bar#11getsthelastnote,the“C”,theI,thetonic,andI’mgoldenatthispoint.Dependingonhowyoufeel,thiswouldcloseverynicelybecausethetempoisfastandthereisnotrickorturnaroundforthis12-barprogression.Theprogressionjuststayswiththe“I”chordandIletmy“C”noteonthe10thfretfourthstringringout.

Page 101: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 100

DependingonmymoodandwhereIamintheactualsong,i.e.verse,chorus,solo,Imightfeellikeringingoutthe“C”noteforbars#11and#12tobenotquiteenough.Although,aswithallofthis,itisamatterofpersonalpreferenceandinterpretation,sohowdoyouhearit??Doesbar#11or#12needalittlemore?Well,wecanfixthat.

I’llgiveyoualittlebonusattheendandmakethisriff#59forthiscourse!!!

Riff#59Bars#11and#12

HereisasimplehammerongroupthatIdroppedintothefirstbeatofthe12thbar.Itagainfeaturesthe“C”tonicbyhammeringoffofittwiceonlytoreturntoletithangthethirdtimewhenwehitbeat#2ofbar#12.It’saquickmovement,andtherearealotoftiming/rhythmicfeelsforthismovementthatyoucouldapplytothisidea.

Forthatmatter,anyofthe59riffswe’vestudiedcouldbeeasilyreappliedwithadifferenttimingandkeytocomeupwithmoreideasbasedonwhatyoualreadyknow,justwithaslightvariation.Thatisthesecrettobeingagreatbluesguitarist.Learntousewhatyouknowinasmanyvariationsandapplicationsasyoucan.PlaytheriffsIhavetaughtyou–youdon’thavetocopymytimingorfeel,butknowthesenotegroupsandseehowtheyfitintothekeyandthescalesyouneedforaparticularprogression.

Becreative,intuitive,andlistenwithacloseandcarefulearandyouwilldiscovermanyvariationsofthesenotegroupsusedinmanygreatsolos,notjusttheblues.

WhenyoucanactuallyheartheseideasIhavegivenyouinotherplayer’ssolos,that’sasuresignthatyourstudyingispayingoff.Thisishowwellyouneedtoknowthese59riffs,sogooverthemmanytimes,andgooverthiscoursetoo!

Thankyouforallowingmetobeyourteacher,andhaveagreatguitarjourney.

Page 102: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 101

LoveU.Solo–“Playin’thePockets”

Page 103: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 102

RiffIndexRiff#1

Riff#2

Riff#3

Riff#4

Page 104: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 103

Riff#5

Riff#6

Riff#7

Riff#8

Riff#9

Page 105: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 104

Riff#10

Riff#11

Riff#12

Riff#13

Page 106: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 105

Riff#14

Riff#15

Riff#16a

Riff#16b

Page 107: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 106

Riff#17a

Riff#17b

Riff#18

Riff#19

Page 108: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 107

Riff#20

Riff#21

Riff#22

Riff#23

Page 109: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 108

Riff#24

Riff#25

Riff#26

Riff#27

Page 110: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 109

Riff#28

Riff#29a

Riff#29b

Riff#29c

Riff#30

Page 111: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 110

Riff#31

Riff#32

Riff#33

Riff#34

Riff#35

Page 112: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 111

Riff#36

Riff#37

Riff#38

Riff#39

Riff#40

Page 113: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 112

Riff#41

Riff#42

Riff#43

Riff#44

Page 114: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 113

Riff#45

Riff#46

Riff#47

Riff#48

Riff#49

Page 115: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 114

Riff#50

Riff#51

Riff#52

Riff#53

Riff#54

Page 116: Ultimate Blues Stage 4 - Solosrn-blues-4-solos.s3.amazonaws.com/RiffNinja.com_Ultimate_Blues_Solos.pdf · Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos 2 Ultimate Blues Stage 4: Solos So you’re

UltimateBluesStage4:Solos 115

Riff#55

Riff#56

Riff#57

Riff#58

Riff#59

HPO