John Lee Hooker Licks (Guitar Lesson)

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John Lee Hooker Licks

Eric teaches a few licks inspired by the great John Lee Hooker.

Taught by Eric Madis in Electric Blues with Eric seriesLength: 7:43Difficulty: 1.5 of 5

Chapter 1: (00:30) Lesson Introduction The licks from the past lessons work over the tonic E chord in a 12 bar blues in E major. Eric is back with some more licks that can be played over this chord. A few of the licks will work over the IV and V chords as well. This time around, he teaches some of John Lee Hooker's signature licks.

John Lee Hooker Biography

John Lee Hooker (1917 ? 2001) was one of the most influential blues musicians of the post-war era. Hooker was born in Mississippi, but spent most of his career in Detroit. His music was primarily influenced by the early Delta blues. Hooker created his own unique blend of blues by combining a boogie-woogie piano style with driving rhythms. Similar to Lightnin' Hopkins, Hooker is known for his half-spoken singing style.

Essential Listening

Check out the songs "Boogie Chillen" (1948) and "Boom Boom" (1962) for examples of John Lee Hooker's signature sound.

Chapter 2: (01:03) John Lee Hooker's Bass Lick Hammer-On Note: Tablature and standard notation to all licks taught in the lesson can be found under the "Supplemental Content" tab.

This lick is quite similar to the Lightnin' Hopkins bass lick. Bass licks are absolutely essential to improvising a blues in the key of E major.

The first position pattern of the E minor pentatonic scale is used. The lick concludes with a trill performed between the notes D and E on the fourth string.

Pay careful attention to the left hand fingering that Eric uses to play all licks. These are the fingerings you should use when learning the lick. The second finger is the strongest, so it will enable you to play the trill at maximum speeds. However, when improvising, you may need to alter the fingering to accommodate the lines that you are playing.

Chapter 3: (01:13) John Lee Hooker's Basic Sliding Lick The "Basic Sliding Lick" features several slurs played together on the third string. It begins with two slides. Then, a pull-off is performed. The lick utilizes the E minor blues scale. Remember that this scale adds a b5 "blue note" (Bb) to the minor pentatonic scale.

Chapter 4: (01:23) John Lee Hooker's Big Bad Sliding Lick This lick is a variation on the lick taught in the previous scene. Now, the open high E string is played as a sustained pedal tone against the lick. Use the ring finger to pluck this note. Play the other portion of the lick with the pick. This technique is referred to as hybrid picking.

Note: For more information about hybrid picking, check out lessons 5 and 6 of DJ Phillips' Phase 2 Country Series.

Feel free to experiment with variations on this lick. Stevie Ray Vaughn among countless others used this lick regularly. Use the variations Eric demonstrates in the lesson video as a springboard for your own ideas.

Chapter 5: (03:31) Country Blues Double Wham #1 The "double whams" are staple double stop licks used in the blues genre. Double Wham #1 is played out of the seventh position pattern of the E minor pentatonic scale. The notes E and B are played simultaneously with a slight quarter step bend.

Ending the Lick / Transitions

Double Wham #1 can end in various ways depending on where you wish to go next in your solo. Watch the lick that Eric demonstrates at 02:14. This provides a perfect example of where to go after the initial lick is played. You can resolve it to the open B and E strings or to any variety of E notes on the fretboard. Playing a fretted E note will allow you to perform a vibrato.

Preview of Next Lesson

Eric demonstrates some new country blues licks in lesson 5. Stay tuned for more electric blues action!

Video Subtitles / Captions

Scene 1

00:00.000 --> 00:07.382
Hi, I'm Eric Madis from JamPlay.com and I'm here working with blues with you.

00:07.382 --> 00:12.722
On the E blues that we've been working with for a while.
The E shuffle.

00:12.722 --> 00:18.736
The last few lessons we've worked on licks that all work over the chord of E.

00:18.736 --> 00:23.751
They'll also work over the A and the B chords to, but they're especially good for E.

00:23.751 --> 00:30.701
What we're going to do today is we're going to do a little bit of John Lee Hooker ideas.

Scene 2

00:00.000 --> 00:06.350
So the first one we're going to learn is John Lee Hooker's bass lick hammer-on.

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This is very similar to the Lightnin Hopkins one except that it doesn't use the major third hammer-on.

00:12.352 --> 00:22.383
Here's how it goes…

00:22.383 --> 00:36.383
So what you're doing here is you're playing the open E, fretting the G on the sixth string and then hammering-on the E on the fourth string.

00:36.383 --> 00:47.830
Notice I'm using my second finger because I try to use one finger per fret and also because the second finger has the most strength.

00:47.830 --> 01:01.065
Ok, so let's try this lick.
E, G, E.

01:01.065 --> 01:03.270
Why don't you go ahead and try it now.

Scene 3

00:00.000 --> 00:03.843
What we're going to do now is we're going to do another John Lee Hooker lick.

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This is going to be his basic sliding lick.

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The basic sliding lick is very, very simple.

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We're just going to strike the third string by fretting with our second finger at the second fret. Ok, we're going to strike that with an upstroke.

00:24.390 --> 00:28.197
And bring it up a fret and then down a fret.

00:28.197 --> 00:37.663
Then pull-off this note so in other words, pull it off in a direction toward towards the high e.

00:37.663 --> 00:42.377
Yes, pull it out towards your palm.

00:42.377 --> 00:45.127
And transfer that note, that finger.

00:45.127 --> 00:51.629
Transfer that finger over to the fourth string.

00:51.629 --> 01:11.760
So again, slide the second finger up one fret, bring it back a fret , pull it off and transfer it over to the fourth string.

01:11.760 --> 01:14.337
Why don't you go ahead and try that now.

Scene 4

00:00.000 --> 00:09.837
Alright that's great.
So John Lee Hooker's basic sliding lick was this…

00:09.837 --> 00:15.164
Or you don't even have to strike that third note.
You can just go…

00:15.164 --> 00:18.055
If you're playing it quickly.

00:18.055 --> 00:24.185
You just use the pull-off to create the sound.

00:24.185 --> 00:29.017
Ok, now we're going to do John Lee Hooker's big bad sliding lick.

00:29.017 --> 00:40.262
It becomes big and bad by striking the first string with an upstroke at the same time, you'll see what I mean.

00:40.262 --> 00:43.117
Kind of nasty, I know.

00:43.117 --> 00:49.133
So what we're going to do is strike the first string with an upstroke, use any of your fingers that you want.

00:49.133 --> 01:00.123
At the same time that you do the third string lick.

01:00.123 --> 01:06.336
You can do variations of this too.
You can go…

01:06.336 --> 01:10.655
Things like that.
Depending on what kind of expression you want to have.

01:10.655 --> 01:22.403
Ok, let's try that once more on our own, the John Lee Hooker big bad sliding lick.

Scene 5

00:00.000 --> 00:04.981
So now what we're going to do is the country blues double whams.

00:04.981 --> 00:13.966
These are two more licks in E that are essential country blues licks, urban blues licks if you're playing in E.

00:13.966 --> 00:22.255
The double wham number one is accomplished at the seventh and eighth fret of the first two strings.

00:22.255 --> 00:34.497
What you're going to do is use your index finger and second finger and you play them like this…

00:34.497 --> 00:42.415
Now notice after I play these, one, two, three, four, I play the two strings the two top strings open.

00:42.415 --> 00:46.780
You can only do this in the key of E, any other key you'll have to fret.

00:46.780 --> 00:51.610
So let me show you the fretting notes that you'll want to know for E, for any other key.

00:51.610 --> 01:07.471
Ok, so you can follow through by going down to the tonic or in this case the E, by coming down to the fifth fret of the second string. Like this…

01:07.471 --> 01:15.691
Notice I'm vibrato-ing again when I play any note and I want it to sustain or have a vocal quality, I can do that.

01:15.691 --> 01:27.126
And remember the turn of the knob, always turn backwards, turn the wrist.

01:27.126 --> 01:36.786
You can also play with your ring finger the ninth fret of the third string…

01:36.786 --> 01:43.097
Now there's a reason for your use of any one of these three variations on this double wham.

01:43.097 --> 01:51.154
Whether you play it open.
Whether you drop down to the fifth fret.

01:51.154 --> 01:57.423
Or whether you stay up in the position where you're at.

01:57.423 --> 02:02.183
That has a lot to do with where you're going to go afterwards, what are you going to play after that.

02:02.183 --> 02:09.776
As we learn more licks you'll have a stronger idea of how you want to play that lick whenever you want to play it.

02:09.776 --> 02:19.714
Like for instance, say I wanted to drop down to the fifth fret, I could do this.

02:19.714 --> 02:28.723
If I stay where I'm at…

02:28.723 --> 02:37.035
If I play it open…

02:37.035 --> 02:41.772
It just facilitates playing different ideas.

02:41.772 --> 02:52.406
So as you make your decisions, as you're improvising your strategy that you use, the techniques that you use are all related to each other.

02:52.406 --> 02:57.056
Let's run through the country blues double wham one more time.

02:57.056 --> 03:03.233
Ok, seventh and eighth fret.
One, two, three, four, open.

03:03.233 --> 03:09.827
Or index finger, fifth fret, second string.

03:09.827 --> 03:16.559
Or ring finger, third string, ninth fret.

03:16.559 --> 03:22.782
Let's try that again.

03:22.782 --> 03:26.822
These are three variations.
Why don't you go ahead and give those a wing right now.

03:26.822 --> 03:30.793
Until next time this is Eric Madis at JamPlay.com.

Lesson Licks

Supplemental Learning Material

Member Comments about this Lesson

Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.

rickyj59 replied on August 11th, 2015

Thanks Eric your teaching style is very thorough and easy I have really enjoyed it thus far as BB King is my all time favorite, these are nice sounding licks.

roger stacy replied on February 11th, 2013

Thanks. Progress is great fun when it's shown in a logical progression. :)

brmusic replied on August 14th, 2012

There is some meat on the bone here. This is where it started. Signature. At this point in this study any new blues player is bound to get excited. Startin' to sound like somethin'

beeho15 replied on October 14th, 2010

thanks you again Eric, I love this style of playing

Eric.Madis replied on October 18th, 2010

Thank you for your support of music, the blues and guitar! Eric

kork replied on December 6th, 2009

Thanks a lot for this lesson Eric. I have an issue with the double wham, I can't seem to find the right timing when to bend the string up, it always sounds pretty detuned to me. Maybe you could add a section to the lesson which explains the timing of the bends a bit more so one could start slowly and then work up speeds once the timing is right.

Eric.Madis replied on December 20th, 2009

Thanks for your comments and question. The double wham usually will come on the next beat. So if the timing is 1-2-3-4, and the low tonic note (in this case, the low e string open) is 1, then the double wham falls first on the 2. Also, be careful to not bend either of the strings too much. This is less of a bending technique than it is just putting a little tuning tension on a two-note diad to make it sound funky. - Eric

jahmerican876 replied on April 29th, 2009

Would it be possible for you to do a series on Albert king? That would be a nice addition.

Eric.Madis replied on April 29th, 2009

Oh yeah.....well, actually there is some Albert King coming up in future (more urban blues styling) lessons, so hang in there.

vikingblues replied on April 29th, 2009

Thanks for this lesson Eric. Licks in the style of my idol - what more could i want? All we need to do now is sing like him - hmm - maybe just stick to the guitar part! Any advice you have in future lessons as to how to sustain interest in playing for long periods on one chord, a la John Lee Hooker would be gratefully received. Interesting how blues makes people happy - you smile nearly as much as Hawkeye - nice tonic at the end of a working day.

Eric.Madis replied on April 29th, 2009

Thank you! One-chord harmony is interesting. It is what you put into it that makes it happen for you. It is the embellishment that keeps you intrigued and the variations that keep you challenged. Keeping the groove, but learning more and more ways to creatively add ideas (as well as emotion) to what you do makes that approach interesting. Still, one of the things that make Hooker unique was his timing.....he always lagged way behind the beat in his vocals, and sometimes he would actually lag behind a measure or two.....he realized that rhythm and emotion are two essential ingredients of music that can often substitute for more sofisticated technique or concepts.

Electric Blues with Eric

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The blues is a distinctly American style of music. Many popular genres such as jazz, rock, and country music draw upon basic blues concepts. Consequently, it is advantageous for any guitarist to study the blues.

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Lesson 3

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Eric covers a few more essential licks in the style of Lightnin' Hopkins.

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Lesson 4

John Lee Hooker Licks

Eric teaches a few licks inspired by the great John Lee Hooker.

Length: 7:43 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only

Lesson 5

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About Eric Madis View Full Biography Eric Madis is a guitarist, singer and composer, a versatile artist whose playing and compositions reflect his diverse and thorough background in American music. Whether performing in an ensemble or as a soloist, he exudes a love and a mastery of the blues that have been refined by years of experience in jazz, country, rock, and even Hawaiian music. What results are performances that include authentic renderings of old rural blues, personal interpretations of modern urban blues and jazz standards, and original music that defies strict categorization, but that draws heavily from these traditions.

Eric lives in Seattle where he leads his own ensemble, performs as a solo act and performs in the Seattle Swing Trio. He has released four CDs on Luna Records, and is currently working on a fifth. He is on the faculty of the National Guitar Workshop and Dusty Strings Music and teaches guitar privately.

Eric lived his formative years in Colorado with a family that was musical (his mother was an accomplished opera singer), and began his music study on the piano at the age of nine. He began performing shortly after picking up a guitar at ten years of age. By the age of sixteen, he was performing in Chicago-area coffeehouses. He has accompanied artists as diverse as bluesmen Big Walter Horton, Sunnyland Slim, Deacon Jones, Hawaiian luminaries Irmgaard Aluli, Kekua Fernandez, Emma Sharpe and author/poet Nikki Grimes.

He has led bands in Illinois, Texas, Colorado and Washington. He has opened shows for Robben Ford, James Cotton, Little Charlie and the Nightcats, Mem Shannon, Hawkeye Herman and author Sherman Alexie. Eric's four albums have received critical acclaim, including regional airplay and nominations from NAMA and Washington Blues Society (WBS). He has received 16 Best Blues nominations from WBS, was a finalist in the New Folk Awards at the 1981 Kerrville National Folk Festival, a finalist in the 1991 Seattle Guitar Starz competition, and has music featured on five film soundtracks. Eric has taught guitar classes at Denver Free University, University of Washington's Experimental College, Northwest Folklife Festival, National Guitar Workshop, and Canada's Guitar Workshop Plus.

Whether performing in a group or as a soloist, at a concert or a small club, teaching privately or a large workshop, Eric is a dedicated professional, with commitment to the quality of his art and to his audience.

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David Isaacs

JamPlay welcomes David Isaacs to our teacher roster. With his first lesson Dave explains his approach to playing guitar with...

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Trace Bundy

Trace Bundy talks about the different ways you can use multiple capos to enhance your playing.

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Peter Einhorn

JamPlay is proud to introduce jazz guitarist Peter Einhorn. In this lesson series, Peter will discuss and demonstrate a way...

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Eve Goldberg

Eve talks about the boom-chuck strum pattern. This strum pattern will completely change the sound of your playing.

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Jim Deeming

Jim discusses the importance of setting goals. He provides some tips that will help steer your practicing in the right direction.

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Don Ross

New fingerstyle instructor Don Ross introduces himself, his background, and what you should expect in this series.

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Electric Guitar Lesson Samples

Our electric guitar lessons are taught by instructors with an incredible amount of teaching experience.

Guthrie Trapp

JamPlay introduces Nashville session player Guthrie Trapp! In this first segment, Guthrie talks a little about his influences,...

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Tosin Abasi

Tosin explains some of the intricacies of the 8 string guitar such as his personal setup and approach to playing.

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Bryan Beller

Bryan Beller of the Aristocrats, Dethklok, and Steve Vai takes you inside his six step method to learning any song by ear....

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Billy Sheehan

Billy starts his artist series off with a lesson on something he gets asked the most to explain: right hand 3 finger technique.

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Will Ripley

Join Will Ripley as he gives us all the details of his series, "Rock Guitar for Beginners". You'll be playing cool rock riffs...

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David Davidson

JamPlay interviews Revocation's Dave Davidson.

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Steve Stevens

Steve Stevens shows some of his go-to licks and ideas while improvising over a backing track he made.

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Evan Brewer

Evan Brewer explains everything you need to know in order to get going with your bass guitar. Topics include the parts of...

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Steve Smyth

JamPlay sits down with veteran fret grinder Steve Smyth of Forbidden and The EssenEss Project. He talks about how he got...

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Danny Morris

Hone in on your right hand and focus on getting in the groove. You'll only play one note during this lesson, but it'll be...

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Join over 472840 guitarists who have learned how to play in weeks... not years!

Signup today to enjoy access to our entire database of video lessons, along with our exclusive set of learning tools and features.

Unlimited Lesson Viewing

A JamPlay membership gives you access to every lesson, from every teacher on our staff. Additionally, there is no restriction on how many times you watch a lesson. Watch as many times as you need.

Live Lessons

Exclusive only to JamPlay, we currently broadcast 8-10 hours of steaming lesson services directly to you! Enjoy the benefits of in-person instructors and the conveniences of our community.

Interactive Community

Create your own profile, manage your friends list, and contact users with your own JamPlay Mailbox. JamPlay also features live chat with teachers and members, and an active Forum.

Chord Library

Each chord in our library contains a full chart, related tablature, and a photograph of how the chord is played. A comprehensive learning resource for any guitarist.

Scale Library

Our software allows you to document your progress for any lesson, including notes and percent of the lesson completed. This gives you the ability to document what you need to work on, and where you left off.

Custom Chord Sheets

At JamPlay, not only can you reference our Chord Library, but you can also select any variety of chords you need to work on, and generate your own printable chord sheet.

Backing Tracks

Jam-along backing tracks give the guitarist a platform for improvising and soloing. Our backing tracks provide a wide variety of tracks from different genres of music, and serves as a great learning tool.

Interactive Games

We have teachers covering beginner lessons, rock, classic rock, jazz, bluegrass, fingerstyle, slack key and more. Learn how to play the guitar from experienced players, in a casual environment.

Beginners Welcome.. and Up

Unlike a lot of guitar websites and DVDs, we start our Beginner Lessons at the VERY start of the learning process, as if you just picked up a guitar for the first time.Our teaching is structured for all players.

Take a minute to compare JamPlay to other traditional and new methods of learning guitar. Our estimates for "In-Person" lessons below are based on a weekly face-to-face lesson for $40 per hour.


Price Per Lesson	< $0.01	$4 - $5	$30 - $50	Free
Money Back Guarantee		Sometimes		n/a
Number of Instructors	82	1 – 3	1	Zillions
Interaction with Instructors	Daily Webcam Sessions		Weekly
Professional Instructors			Luck of the Draw	Luck of the Draw
New Lessons	Daily		Weekly	Minutely
Structured Lessons
Learn Any Style				Sorta
Track Progress
HD Video			-	Sometimes
Multiple Camera Angles		Sometimes	-	Sometimes
Accurate Tabs		Maybe	Maybe
Scale/Chord Libraries
Custom JamTracks
Interactive Games
Community
Learn in Sweatpants			Socially Unacceptable
Gasoline Needed	$0.00	$0.00	~$4 / gallon!	$0.00

Mike H.
"I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar!"

I am 66 years young and I still got it! I would have never known this if it had not been for Jamplay! I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar! Ha! I cannot express enough how great you're website is! It is for beginners and advanced pickers! I am an advanced picker and thought I had lost it but thanks to you all, I found it again! Even though I only play by ear, I have been a member a whopping whole two weeks now and have already got Brent's country shuffle and country blues down and of course with embellishments. Thank you all for your wonderful program!

Greg J.
"With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace"

I'm a fifty eight year old newbie who owns a guitar which has been sitting untouched in a corner for about seven years now. Last weekend I got inspired to pick it up and finally learn how to play after watching an amazing Spanish guitarist on TV. So, here I am. I'm starting at the beginning with Steve Eulberg and I couldn't be happier (except for the sore fingers :) Some day I'm going to play like Steve! I'm self employed with a hectic schedule. With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace, rewinding and replaying the videos until I get it. This is a very enjoyable diversion from my work yet I still feel like I'm accomplishing something worthwhile. Thanks a lot, Greg

Bill
"I believe this is the absolute best site for guitar students."

I am commenting here to tell you and everyone at JamPlay that I believe this is the absolute best site for guitar students. I truly enjoy learning to play the guitar on JamPlay.com. Yes, I said the words, ""enjoy learning."" It is by far the best deal for the money.

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