He's Been Good

[spoon_21]

I love the intro to this song, Im going to try and pick it up, But plz feel free to post the riff befor I work on it. LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXRE_0kzL48

[gtrdave]

My young brother, you need to get yourself immersed in some classic blues guitar.
That's all that riff is.

Learn your minor pentatonic scales, your major pentatonic scales, your blues scales and maybe your major and minor diatonic scales. Practice them, over and over and over again.
While you're doing that, keep listening to the kind of licks in the song that you posted, get REALLY familiar with it and then try to hum it out or try to vocalize it.
That will get you used to both the note pitches and the timing of the notes.

If you can, get some headphones on and listen that way. Block out the noise of the world so that you just hear the music. Then try and speak the notes out.

[SanctifiedGuitar]

spoon_21

I agree with Dave.  If you are playing this style of music, learn your scales and notes.   One or two of the “right” notes is all you need sometimes.

Also, say that the song is in the key of "F”.  To play that lick over and over, you should play an “F” barre chord at the 10th fret (“F” triad chord) and do your riff (scales) from there.

In parenthesis (  ) is the triad chord formula.  The root, “F” is 1 and you may not need the 3 or 5 from this triad when playing the riff.

e--------------                                             
b--------10 (3)       
g--------10 (1)
d--------10 (5)
a--------------
E--------------

The riffs below are similar (not exactly) to what is being played most of the time in the song.  The guitarist uses good timing with string muting and uses a vibrato on the riff’s ending “F” note.

e------------------------------------------------------------
b------------------------------------------------------------
g--------------------10--------13-------------13---10 ~ ~ ~
d-------------------------12----------12---------------------
a-----------11/12--------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------------

and/ or

e----------------------------------------------------------
b----------------------------------------------------------
g--------------------10-x-10--------x-13----10-x-10 ~ ~ ~
d------------------------------12--------------------------
a-----------11/12------------------------------------------
E----------------------------------------------------------

These riffs are common in those types of songs.  They can be played differently to what I have displayed but the theory is the same.

[spoon_21]

I now scales, I can pick up a slow riff, but medium or fast riffs is kinda hard right know for me.

[gtrdave]

I now scales, I can pick up a slow riff, but medium or fast riffs is kinda hard right know for me.

There are a bunch of tried and true blues riffs that guitarists have been using since Robert Johnson sold his soul...and I'd swear that if there are more than 25 known blues riffs then someone is hiding them.
All the fast riffs are are the slow riffs sped up.
Learn the slow riffs...all 25 of them...and then speed them up. 

[JayP5150]

There are a bunch of tried and true blues riffs that guitarists have been using since Robert Johnson sold his soul...and I'd swear that if there are more than 25 known blues riffs then someone is hiding them.
All the fast riffs are are the slow riffs sped up.
Learn the slow riffs...all 25 of them...and then speed them up. 

I'm going to have to bring up the Lego principle again... ah... just search for it lol.

[Gibby]

There are a bunch of tried and true blues riffs that guitarists have been using since Robert Johnson sold his soul...and I'd swear that if there are more than 25 known blues riffs then someone is hiding them.
All the fast riffs are are the slow riffs sped up.
Learn the slow riffs...all 25 of them...and then speed them up. 

He sold his soul???

[JayP5150]

He sold his soul???

What?!?!? You didn't know the story?

Go rent Crossroads (no, not the Britney Spears one...)

Some say it's folklore, personally, I think it happened.

Gibby, just stay away from the crossroads at midnight... well, don't play your guitar there, at least.

[gtrdave]

He sold his soul???

That's the story that Son House allegedly started back in the '60s about RJ.
Don't know if it's true or not.
Jesus knows. 

[Gibby]

You mean he sold his soul to the devil to play better???   

Here I am practicing like a sucker!!!

JUST KIDDING!!!!!!

don't me a heathen or something, I was joking!!!

[SanctifiedGuitar]

...Learn the slow riffs...all 25 of them...and then speed them up...

 

[Rown]

                 Luv that song,and the guitar is SWEEEEET