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Chapter 7: Musical Riffs: Bedrock of the Blues
125
Track 32, 0:32
Figure 7-6:
An eighthnote
riff
featuring
common
syncopation
figures.
T
A
B
Em
0 3
0 2 2 2 2 0 3
0 2 2 3 2 0
0 3 3
If you’re practicing the syncopation in Figure 7-6 and it gives you trouble at
first, try practicing the line without the tie (so you’re playing both notes in
the tie). Then, when you’re confident with the figure, practice the tie by letting
the note ring through.
Double the Strings, Double the Fun:
Two-Note Riffs (or Double-Stops)
Riffs aren’t restricted to single notes. In this section, I explore double-stops,
a technique that doesn’t strictly involve single notes. The term double-stop
means two strings.
A double-stop applies to all string instruments when two notes are stopped
or played together. Even when guitarists don’t have to fret a string, they
still refer to simultaneous two-string playing as double-stops. But more
than just playing two strings (like in the Jimmy Reed figure in the next
section), double-stop playing implies moving in lock step — and even
performing bends, slurs, and vibrato (discussed in Chapter 10) on two
strings at once.
Part of the versatility of a two-note figure is that it can be played on any two
strings — low, high, and in the middle — all for a slightly different effect.
When you get tired of playing chords and single-note leads, a two-note riff
can be just the ticket to give your playing (and your listeners) a much-needed
dose of dual-string diversity!
TEAM LinG