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Here is a collection of 10 great blues riffs by author and guitar teacher Adam St. James.
Adam has written numerous instructional books for music publisher Hal Leonard, including "101 Guitar Tips: Stuff All The Pros Know And Use," and has interviewed hundreds of celebrity guitarists during his 20 year music journalism career, including B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Lonnie Brooks, Robben Ford, Taj Mahal, and many other blues greats.
The 10 riffs Adam created specifically for the Summer Guitar Party II include some great blues moves Adam learned directly from some of the blues legends themselves.
Riff #1:
This is a great opening statement, in the style of T-Bone Walker.
E|-------------5--5--|
B|-------5--7--------|
G|--5h6--------------|
D|-------------------|
A|-------------------|
E|-------------------|
Riff #2:
Here's a similar move as demonstrated in Riff #1, and something you might hear from B.B. King:
E|-----------------|-----
B|-------5--7/10v--|-----
G|--5h6------------|-----
D|-----------------|-----
A|-----------------|-----
E|-----------------|-----
Riff#3
Riff #3 works well over either the I or IV chord.
E|--8p5-----8p5-----5--------5--|-----
B|-------7-------7-------5--7---|-----
G|------------------------------|-----
D|------------------------------|-----
A|------------------------------|-----
E|------------------------------|-----
Riff #4:
This is a riff played in the famous "B.B.'s Box," because B.B. King (not to mention every other blues player in the world) uses this area of the pentatonic scale extensively – especially in slow blues. Bend the fourth note a whole step up to E and hold it a bit, before continuing back down to your root note.
E|------8--10--10b|--8-------|------
B|--10------------|-----10v--|-----
G|----------------|----------|------
D|----------------|----------|------
A|----------------|----------|------
E|----------------|----------|------
Riff #5:
Riff #5 is a tension building take off on a Chuck Berry riff, very common to many blues solos.
Bend the final note a whole step and add vibrato.
E|--5---------|-----
B|-----8p5----|------
G|----------7b|------
D|------------|------
A|------------|------
E|------------|------
Riff #6:
Wiggle the initial double-stop (two notes played at one time) for a bit with your first finger before aggressively attacking the remainder of this riff.
E|------------------------|-----
B|--5---------------------|-----
G|--5v--------------------|-----
D|------7p5-----7—7-------|-----
A|-----------7------------|-----
E|------------------------|-----
Riff #7:
Play these familiar sounding double-stops in groups of three, sliding into the first of each group, before playing the 7th fret and 5th fret double-stops with third and first finger barres (respectively).
E|--------------|-------------|-------------|-
B|--/8--8--8----|--/8--8--8---|--/8--8--8---|-
G|--/9--9--9----|--/9--9--9---|--/9--9--9---|-
D|--------------|-------------|-------------|-
A|--------------|-------------|-------------|-
E|--------------|-------------|-------------|-
E|--------------------|------
B|----7--5------------|------
G|----7--5h6----------|------
D|-------------7------|------
A|--------------------|------
E|--------------------|------
Riff #8:
I learned this cool jazz-blues turnaround or solo opener from Charlie Baty of Little Charlie and the Nightcats – one of Adam's favorite modern blues players.
Try following this up with Riff #1, then take off from there.
E|--5--5--5--5--5--|-----
B|--5--4--3--4--5--|-----
G|--6--5--4--5--6--|-----
D|--4--4--2--4--4--|-----
A|-----------------|-----
E|-----------------|-----
Riff #9:
Here's a classic blues riff for which you might want to use hybrid picking – plucking the high E string with the second or third finger of your pick hand, while simultaneously using the pick to sound the lowest notes. Let the high string ring throughout this whole riff.
E|--5--------5--5--5--5-----|------
B|--3h4p3-----3-------------|------
G|-----------5-----5--2-----|------
D|--------------------------|------
A|--------------------------|------
E|--------------------------|------
Riff #10:
Riff #10 goes for the style of Dickey Betts and the Allman Brothers, one of my favorite bands – along with a great Albert King-inspired lick at the end.
E|------10------8--10p8-------|-10------8--10p8-------|-
B|--10------10-----------10---|-----10-------------10-|-
G|----------------------------|-----------------------|-
D|----------------------------|-----------------------|-
A|----------------------------|-----------------------|-
E|----------------------------|-----------------------|-
Third BAR
E---8--12b-12r-11-10----------------------|
B|------------------------13--10--10v-----|
G|----------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------|
Another Blues Riff Lesson
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