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Let’s Rock Rhythm
from Joe Deloro’s Blues Rock Road Trip
“Let’s Rock” is based on one of the fundamental elements in blues-rock, which is deriving riffs from 7th chords. This lesson also features two of the most powerful elements in early guitar-based blues rock: swinging eighth note (triplet-based) background riffs and “rhythmic” solos. One of the best examples of this approach is the classic Memphis sound of Scotty Moore on Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” (1957). The chorus, which is based on the last eight bars of a typical 12-bar blues progression, is the inspiration for this lesson. The tempo is brisk, and it needs to shuffle or swing, so don’t play it with straight eighths.
Typically, both riffs and leads are derived from dominant 7th chords and 12-bar related chord progressions. This riff is constructed to first outline the A7 chord, then the E7, then B, A, and finally back to E. Playing note by note, we’re getting across the point of these chords. Also, to create a little tension, we’re using a passing note on the way up to the 7th and then coming back.
For the first riff, we’re also going to embellish a bit by sliding into the second pitch. From there, we pass through a nonchordal note before finishing on the minor 7 flat 7. For the E7, we’re simply dropping down a set of strings to outline that chord the same way. When we go to the B chord, we’re not going for a 7th chord, but a plain B, then A. We’ll stop short on the chord tone, reach up to the sixth fret with the fourth finger to outline as we go back to the chord tone, and then again on the A. Finally, on the E chord, take the slide approaches that we used with the E7, but instead of going up to the 7th, which would add more tension, resolve on the root by way of a passing note.
We can vary this riff by starting a little bit earlier, rhythmically. The term is “pickup,” and the pickup we’re going to use is two notes out of the chord to precede the riff. For a bluesy sound, get beyond the basic chord in terms of its quality (major, minor or dominant seven, typically). Going to the minor third, just for a moment, brings us back to the boogie-woogie piano sound of the thirties, which is where a lot these riffs come from. It creates a good tension in the middle because it feels like minor for a second, and then it suddenly goes where it’s supposed to.
We’re going to do those two things to the next riff variation: a pickup and the minor third to third sound. Do that in just the first two chords, and stick with what we had on the other chords. A double approach to the final chord will create a bit more tension as well.
Expanding on the preceding variation, we extend the pickup by one eighth note, so it’ll have a count of “and four and.” Keep the minor 3rd passing note into the next chord tone, the regular 3rd. We’re also going to use a pedal-tone idea, and some syncopation. In this case, the pedal tone is the second fret fourth string, which is the 5th of A7. So, instead of climbing straight up and back, we’re going to return to this intermittently, which creates a more angular musical line. For syncopation, pause towards the end of the riff, and then start the pickup for the next riff. In addition to that, we’ll add the minor 3rd passing note idea into the B chord, the A, and then for more pitch tension, when we go to the E at the end, we’ll climb up chromatically.
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