Double Stops
- Are you stuck playing one string at a time during your solos? You don't have to be! Are you tired of playing the same outro licks every time? Would you like to add a rockabilly or country flare to your riffs? Check out the examples below, and incorporate those ideas into your playing and you'll be cruising along in no time. Make sure that your amplifier is setup... Pre: 1/4, Saturation: '0', Post Gain: adjust from 1/3 to 1/2, Low: 1/2, Mid: 1/4, High: 2/3, Reverb: 1/3 to 1/2. Give that a try and adjust your settings from there. -
I'll start off by showing you the intro to one of my songs. The song is in the Key of 'E'; you should play an E7 to be precise. Though the timing feels 'off', it's standard 4/4 time. Palm-mute the fourth string and pop the second and third strings for a percussive sound. It's more difficult than it looks. You're palm muting with your pick hand, and moving quickly with your fret hand. You'll need to take it slowly, and gradually build up to playing it at the 120bpm tempo.
FIGURE 1 LISTEN TO IT
e||--------------------------------||----------------------------|
B||---9------9------7--------------||--9---------9---------9-----|
G||*--9------9------7-------------*||--9---------9---------9-----|
D||*-----12-----12-----11--9--11--*||-----12--9-----12--9-----9--|
A||--------------------------------||----------------------------|
E||--------------------------------||----------------------------|
|--------------------------------||------------------------------||
|---9------9------7--------------||---9---------9---------9------||
|*--9------9------7-------------*||*--9---------9---------9-----*||
|*-----12-----12-----11--9--11--*||*-----12--9-----12--9-----9--*||
|--------------------------------||------------------------------||
|--------------------------------||------------------------------||
E7
E7
--0--------------0--||
--0--------------0--||
--7--------------1--||
--6--------------0--||
--7--------------2--||
--0--------------0--||
The next example shows a double stop intro or outro in E7. I've incorporated slides and that adds character!
FIGURE 2 LISTEN TO IT
E7
e||--9/-10------------------------|----------------------------|--0----||
B||--8/-9---12\-11--8/-9----------|----------------------------|--0----||
G||---------12\-11--8/-9--9---9---|--8/-9----------------------|--7----||
D||-----------------------12--11--|--8/-9--9---9---------------|--6----||
A||-------------------------------|--------12--10--11----------|--7----||
E||-------------------------------|--------------------12~-----|-------||
Take a deep breathe before you move onto Fig. 3. It's a double stop outro that takes up 5 strings, and moves smoothly. Take your time and get it right and you'll get out of that 'play the same outro' bind.
FIGURE 3 LISTEN TO IT
E7
e||--------------------------|-------------------------|--0---------------||
B||--5--5--5-----------------|----------------------8--|--0---------------||
G||--7--6--4--4--4--4--------|----------------------7--|--7---------------||
D||-----------7--5--6--6--6--|--6--------------2~---6--|--6---------------||
A||--------------------7--6--|--5--5--5--4/-5-------7--|--7---------------||
E||--------------------------|-----7--6--3/-4----------|--0---------------||
I've transposed it to the key if 'A' for you. There's no reason you can't play it there, too!
A7
E||--5--5--5--0-----0--------|----------------------8--|--5---------------||
B||--8--7--5--3--5--2--2--2--|--2-------------------8--|--8---------------||
G||--------------5-----2--1--|--0--0--0-----0--2~---6--|--9---------------||
D||--------------------------|-----2--1--4----------7--|--11--------------||
A||--------------------------|-----------3--4----------|--12--------------||
E||--------------------------|-------------------------|--5---------------||
We're moving to the key of 'A' for the next example. You can use it for an intro, but it's better (in my opinion) as an outro. You'll be moving up the neck, so loosen up and get ready to cruise!
FIGURE 4 LISTEN TO IT
e||------------------------|-----------------------------|
B||------------------------|-----5~--------------10--10--|
G||-----------4~-----------|--4--4~-----------9--11--12--|
D||--4/-5-----5~-----6/-7--|----------10/-11-------------|
A||--3/-4--7---------6/-7--|----------9/--10-------------|
E||------------------------|-----------------------------|
--9-------10----11----12~-------|------12----------12-----------------12-|
--10------12----13----14~-------|--14------14--13------14-13-12-13-14----|
------12------------------------|----------------------------------------|
--------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
--------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
--------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
A7
--15~---------------||
--14~---------------||
--12~---------------||
--14~---------------||
--0~----------------||
--------------------||
How about a Chuck Berry like intro in 'A'?
FIGURE 5 LISTEN TO IT
e||---------------0/-2--|--5--5--5--5--5--3--2--0--|--------------------------|
B||------------2--------|-----5--5--5--5--5--5--5--|-----------------------0--|
G||---------------------|--6-----------------------|--5--6--------2-----2-----|
D||---------------------|--------------------------|--5-----7--4-----4--------|
A||---------------------|--------------------------|--4-----------------------|
E||---------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|
--------------------------|--------------5--------||
--1--1--0-----1--1--0-----|--0-----------2--------||
-----------2-----------2--|--------2--1--0--------||
--1-----------1-----------|--0--4--------2--------||
--------------------------|--------------0--------||
--------------------------|-----------------------||
Okay, that's it for this week; that should make you thirst for more rockabilly/country licks. If you have any that you'd like to share, send them to me. Send this lesson to friend.