3 Songs Guitar Lesson
3 Songs
It's finally time to learn some more fun songs! In this lesson Brad walks you through the main riffs for the songs "Smoke on the Water", "Cat Scratch Fever", and "Sweet Home Alabama."
Taught by Brad Henecke in Rock Guitar with Brad Henecke seriesLength: 28:28Difficulty: 2.5 of 5
Just because these riffs are relatively easier to play does not mean that they are lower in quality. Most great riffs tend to be relatively simple and catchy. A riff’s ability to lodge itself in a listener’s brain is its most important quality. Brad demonstrates three great riffs that have achieved this goal for decades. Chapter 3: (4:43) Smoke on the Water Tablature Review
Tablature is a short hand method of writing guitar notation. Each of the 6 horizontal lines correspond to a string on the guitar. The lowest tablature line corresponds to the lowest (or fattest) string on the guitar. Thus, the other five lines correspond to the other five strings on the guitar.“Smoke on the Water” Main Riff
Numbers written within the tablature refer to frets on the guitar. For example, if a 7 is written on the lowest line, this indicates that the low E string should be played while fretting the 7th fret. If the number “0” is written on any line, this indicates that the string is played open. When two numbers appear one on top of the other, these two notes are played simultaneously in a chord.
The chords used in this riff are power chords. However, the root note is not the lowest note of the chord. Rather, the fifth is played as the lowest note. For example, the first chord is a G5 power chord. This chord consists of the notes G and D. The fifth of the chord, D, is played as the lowest note. When a chord tone other than the root is played as the lowest note, the chord is referred to as an “inversion.”Chapter 4: (6:38) Cat Scratch Fever The intro riff to Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever” begins with a unison bend. (Unison bends were covered in the last lesson.) Fret the second string with the first finger. Then, use the third to fret the note B on the 4th fret of the G string. These strings are plucked simultaneously. Then, the note on the third string bends to match the pitch of the second string note. Use your second finger as additional support when playing bends with the third finger.
Brad plays each of these power chord shapes with his second and third fingers. You may find it easier to play the riff by barring each power chord shape with the first finger.
Practice the riff a measure at a time. Breaking it into smaller sections will enable you to learn and memorize the riff much more quickly. Notice how the third measure is an exact repeat of the first. Pause the video and memorize the riff on your own. Then, practice playing it along with Brad at 4:10.
For additional practice, record yourself playing the intro riff. You can use the blues scales in the key of G to practice improvising over this riff.
Note: Click the “Supplemental Content” tab for tablature to the “Smoke on the Water” riff.
Similar to “Smoke on the Water” the bulk of this riff is played with inverted power chords on the D and G strings. Each of these chord shapes can be played by barring the first finger across these strings. Brad prefers to play each chord with a different finger, so he doesn’t have to shift out of position. He barres the first chord with the 1st finger. The second chord at the 4th fret is barred with the third finger. The last chord is then barred with the pinky. The riff concludes with some pick-up notes played in eighth notes on the low E string.
Note: Click the “Supplemental Content” tab for tablature to this riff.
Note: As you may have noticed, this is a slightly simplified version of the riff. Ted Nugent adds some additional pedal A notes to the riff. Chapter 5: (12:16) Sweet Home Alabama The third and final riff presented in this lesson is Lynyrd Skynyrd’s classic “Sweet Home Alabama.” This song combines some open chords and licks into a timeless rock and roll riff. It is slightly more challenging to play than the previous two licks. As a result, more practice time is required to play the riff properly. Brad begins this scene by demonstrating how the tune is played.
The Chord Progression
Before you work on the riff, take a moment to look at the chords involved. The first chord is a basic open D chord.Playing the Riff
You might not be familiar with the second chord, Cadd9. Pay very close attention to the tablature to ensure that you are fretting the right notes. Cadd9 is fingered in a manner very similar to the open G chord, the final chord in the progression. However, the second and first fingers play on the A and D strings respectively.
Once again, break this riff down into smaller sections. Brad breaks the riff into three separate sections. The riff begins with two bass notes from the D chord. Then the D chord is strummed. Practice this small segment by itself. Next, switch your left hand fingering to the Cadd9 chord. Play the bass note of this chord twice before strumming it. Repeat the same process with the G chord.2nd Riff
The riff ends with a short lick from the G major scale. All of the notes in this lick receive the value of a sixteenth note. The final note is played as an eighth note. Make sure that you play your hammer-ons and pull-offs in time. Practice the riff with a metronome to ensure rhythmic accuracy.
Brad also demonstrates how to play the other great riff from the song. This riff occurs between verses. Open the tablature to this riff under the “Supplemental Content” tab. Then, watch Brad carefully to learn how this riff is performed.Chorus Riff
On the original recording, the chorus is played the same way as the verse. Brad recommends that you switch over to barre chords during the chorus. You can also play each chord using the shuffle pattern discussed in an earlier lesson. This gives the song more interest and variety.Note: Click the “Supplemental Content” tab for tablature to this song. Chapter 6: (1:20) Final Thoughts and Exit The riffs taught in this lesson are not exact duplications of the original recordings. Brad has simplified each of these riffs in the interest of making them easier for you to play.
Supplemental Learning Material
Rock Guitar with Brad Henecke
Found in our Beginner Lesson SetsIn this Phase 2 series Brad Henecke will school you in the art of rock guitar. You will not only learn how to play some of your favorite songs in this series, but you will also learn how to create your own.
Lesson 1
Basic Rock Guitar
This lesson covers the absolute basics of rock guitar. Learn about the electric guitar, pickups, amplifiers, changing strings, and more.
Length: 52:09 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Learning Chords
The first step of your rock guitar experience is learning some of the more popular chords and that is what this lesson is all about.
Length: 42:30 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Barre Chords and More
Brad Henecke introduces common strumming patterns and barre chords.
Length: 42:23 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Your First Song
In this lesson Brad covers some of the more advanced barre chord shapes. He applies these shapes to the song "Hotel California."
Length: 41:31 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Blues and Scales
Rock has its roots in the blues. Brad helps you explore the wonderful world of blues in this lesson. He also covers some chord theory.
Length: 48:14 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Tricks and Lead
This lesson is all about specific techniques used by lead guitarists.
Length: 52:02 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Jammin With Scales
This lesson details how to improvise with the blues scale.
Length: 27:27 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
3 Songs
In this fun lesson, Brad Henecke teaches you riffs from 3 classic rock songs.
Length: 28:28 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Power Chords
Power chords help give rock music that "punch you in the face" feel. Learn basic power chords in this lesson.
Length: 13:22 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
2 New Songs
Are you ready to learn "Ain't Talking About Love" by Van Halen and "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC? That's what this lesson is all about.
Length: 27:32 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Pentatonic Scale
In this lesson Brad teaches the first pattern of the minor pentatonic scale and explains how it relates to the blues scale.
Length: 14:30 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Second Position
Brad covers the second pattern for both the minor blues and minor pentatonic scales.
Length: 9:07 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Message in a Bottle
Learn the classic rock song "Message in a Bottle."
Length: 10:22 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Third Position
This great lesson covers the 3rd fretboard pattern of the minor pentatonic and minor blues scales.
Length: 7:19 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Colorful Chord Tension
Brad demonstrates how open strings can be added to chord shapes you are already familiar with.
Length: 9:09 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
The 4th Position
Brad covers the 4th pattern of the minor pentatonic and minor blues scales.
Length: 8:28 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Daytripper
In this lesson Brad demonstrates how to play the Beatles song "Daytripper."
Length: 15:21 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
The 5th Position
Brad demonstrates the 5th pattern of the minor pentatonic and minor blues scales. He also discusses practicing and memorizing them.
Length: 13:05 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
"Brown Eyed Girl"
Learn the classic rock song "Brown Eyed Girl" in this episode of Rock Guitar.
Length: 11:23 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Phrasing
Brad introduces you to the importance of phrasing. Quality phrasing is essential when performing any melodic line.
Length: 14:19 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Basics of Tapping
Tapping is an idiomatic guitar technique that offers a unique sound.
Length: 14:34 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Intro to Modes
Learning the modes is essential to the development of your scale vocabulary.
Length: 31:04 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Understanding Chord Shapes
Brad further explains what chord shapes are and how they relate to barre chords.
Length: 10:15 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Natural Harmonics
Learn the right and left hand mechanics involved in playing harmonics.
Length: 13:16 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Advanced Harmonics
Brad covers more advanced harmonic techniques such as harp harmonics, pinch harmonics and tap harmonics.
Length: 16:10 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
The Dorian Mode
Brad moves on in his modal lesson series to explain the Dorian mode. Includes 2 backing tracks.
Length: 22:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Phrygian Mode
Brad explains and demonstrates the Phrygian mode.
Length: 13:33 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
The Lydian mode
Brad continues his discussion of the modes. You will learn the Lydian mode in this lesson.
Length: 9:27 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Mixolydian Mode
Brad explains the Mixolydian mode and its practical applications.
Length: 10:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
The Aeolian Mode
Continuing with his modal lessons, Brad Henecke teaches the Aeolian mode.
Length: 9:09 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
The Locrian Mode
The final lesson in our modal series covers the Locrian mode.
Length: 9:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
The Ace Zone
Brad teaches some licks inspired by Ace Frehley of KISS. Incorporate these licks into your own solos.
Length: 7:18 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Learn Licks
In this lesson Brad Henecke teaches you some fun licks that can be used in your own guitar solos.
Length: 10:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Blues Licks
Brad Henecke demonstrates some cool blues licks.
Length: 17:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Modes and Scales
Brad Henecke provides an alternate way of comparing modes and scales.
Length: 8:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
A Different View
In the last lesson, Brad Henecke compared some scales that are major or dominant in quality. Now, he repeats this process with minor scales.
Length: 7:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
One String Scales
This lesson is all about 1 string scales. Learning scales on 1 string is essential to your knowledge of the fretboard.
Length: 8:34 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
One String Ionian Mode
Brad demonstrates a one string version of the Ionian mode. This lesson demonstrates the importance of horizontal scales.
Length: 7:27 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Aeolian Mode on One String
Brad continues his discussion of single string scales. He explains how to play the Aeolian mode across a single string.
Length: 4:11 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Octave Scales
Brad explains how to locate octaves within scale patterns. He demonstrates a cool lick that involves playing simultaneous octaves.
Length: 7:07 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Using Octaves
Brad explains how to use octaves in the context of an exercise. Octaves can also be used to build effective licks.
Length: 5:18 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Harmonic Minor Scale
Brad introduces the harmonic minor scale. He explains how it can be applied to the solo break in "Sweet Child O' Mine."
Length: 7:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Learning by Ear
Brad Henecke provides valuable tips regarding the process of learning songs by ear.
Length: 23:00 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Ear Training Game
Improve your ear training by playing "The Tone Is Right" with Brad Henecke.
Length: 29:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Diminished Arpeggio
Brad Henecke explains diminished chords and provides a fun diminished arpeggio exercise.
Length: 19:00 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Understanding Time Signatures
Brad Henecke addresses time signatures.
Length: 10:00 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Diminished Chords
Brad Henecke explains the construction of diminished seventh chords. He also provides a diminished chord exercise.
Length: 10:30 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Open G Tuning
Brad Henecke introduces open G tuning in this lesson.
Length: 23:50 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Drop D Tuning
Brad Henecke introduces drop D tuning in this lesson. He explains many advantages of this tuning.
Length: 12:57 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
G Major Pentatonic
Brad Henecke teaches the G major pentatonic scale. He demonstrates all 5 patterns and explains how they can be transposed to any key.
Length: 22:50 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Changing Scales with Chords
In this lesson Brad Henecke talks about changing the pentatonic/blues scales with each chord in a chord progression.
Length: 11:08 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Mixolydian Scale and Chords
Brad will show how to use the Mixolydian scale with a blues chord progression.
Length: 6:56 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Gear and Effects
This lesson is all about gear and effects. Brad begins his discussion with power conditioning and removing hiss from your amplifier. He progresses to discuss a plethora of effects pedals. Brad explores...
Length: 52:48 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
The Wah Pedal
In this lesson, Brad Henecke introduces the wah pedal and demonstrates its many applications.
Length: 15:53 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
About Brad Henecke
View Full Biography
Brad Henecke was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on May 5th of 1963. He has been a fan of music for as long as he & his family can remember. You could always find him running around the farm wailing on his cardboard guitar, pretending to be a member of the rock band KISS. Additional inspiration came during his first concert when he got the chance to see Boston & Sammy Hagar in the early 1970's.
This opened up a whole new world of rock and roll music for him; his parents noticed his growing interest in music and enrolled him into guitar lessons when he was 13.
From there he jumped into two years of lessons at a local music store in Cedar Rapids. After discovering Eddie Van Halen, Brad knew that the
guitar would always be a part of his life. He took his love throughout the city as he played as a pit musician & jammed at parties for friends.
This made him thirsty for more. He enrolled classes at Kirkwood Community College & also took lessons from the one & only Craig-Erickson (www.craig-erickson.com).
His love for music landed him a gig opening for Molly Hatchet in Cedar Rapids with a band called "Slap & Tickle". He has also played in the Greeley
Stampede show for quite a few years with "True North".
Brad is currently playing in Greeley, Colorado with a rock band titled "Ragged Doll". They play a wide variety of music with an emphasis on
classic rock from the 60's to present, with Brad playing electric guitar in the five piece lineup.
He currently jams on his all-time favorite guitar: a Paul Reed Smith Custom 24. Beyond guitar, he plays also plays drums & bass guitar. He has
also been known to thrash a banjo from time to time. He is still actively playing & passing his 31 years of playing experience on to others (you!).
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.Great job teaching these. Thanks Brad Keep up the great work!!! Doug
The Skynard song is hands down my favorite lesson on Jamplay. When people say - hey - I didn't know you play, play a song. You drop the Alabama lick and they think your fricken' Eric Clapton. Easiest song that sounds complicated taught perfectly. Great lesson!
Please PLAY the whole thing FIRST,,,then talk
teach us the we will rock you solo plz!
or rock u like a hurricane Intro
Brad: It's so much fun learning songs! Maybe I'm not hopelesss after all! Keep giving us more songs! thanks
I must be hanging out in the nerd crowd. I've never heard anyone call out from the audience to hear Smoke on the Water. Usually it's the standard go to"FREEBIRD!" shout from someone who thinks they are being funny.
Hey Brad I can't seem to get the sustain like you have. Especially in your vibrato. Is there a secret or effects pedal etc. for that? I do have my gain turned up.
I would think this lesson should be before hotel california as bar chords are fairly difficult. Or should I not be attempting these in order?
"SKYNARD" LOL--I hate this song, but I am going to learn it just because my buddy plays this song in his set live. Great instructor; you're awesome--cheers, I mean beers!
I know what you mean .The song is very over played But alot of people still want to hear it LOL
nice :D
cant get that lenerd sound to save my life. got the other too songs sounden alright thx
my cat scatch fever sounds like crap but the wife did come down and ask me if thats what she just herd so thx so much.
I love this lesson. Brad is getting me playing tunes very quickl rock on!
In sweet home at the end of the second part, instead of playing that last bass line, can you show us the three or four notes from the lead that happen at that same time.
Brad looks hairy on the intro.....weird.
ha ha ha! Booth must have done some sort of effect on the video.... looks like Brad is some sort of demented Rocking Zombie.
I wanted him to look intense or kinda weird :) I dunno, just thought it went with the music!
These are awesome!! I love knowing how to play cat scratch fever.
Hey Brad, on your lessons you have printed material on your white board ,that is not in the supplemental content. How or where can we get the tab like you have?
They should be back in the sup content now. Thanks for noticing!
Thank You JBOOTH !!!!!! I appreciate your quick response, thanks agian
for cat scratch fever how do you bend because its so hard on the second fret
if you cant get it bend forward ensted of toward you