JFRocks Ear Training 101 Answer page

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Answer Title

Answer to Problem #4

Category

Single note patterns and riffs

Jeff's Guitar's tuning

Standard E, A, D, G, B, E

Guitar Jeff used

Humbucking pickup style (fat strat)

Key of

Effects Jeff was using if any

Reverb, (mild level of compression)

Solution notes

This one was tricky for some of you and I totally understand that. The reason it was tricky was not that it was the riff of the century. Believe me I've done better work. lol. However it did contain chromatic patterns (half step intervals) but not just chromatic. The riff doubled back on itself and started a half step below where it began on the first time around.

This is common when you are figuring out V.H. songs for example. (speaking from experience here) Guys like Ed love half step intervals and riffs sometimes go G G# A then on the 2nd time around it can sound the same but actually be going F# G G# A. These can mess with your ear but learning how to spot how they sound will totally help your ear in the end. Chromatic sequences are a mainstay in rock and blues, especially if the riff has some personality to it.

The other trick with this was the hammer on during the secondary riffing. Hammer ons from open to a note up the fret board are hard to spot. Many times we assume it's a hammer on from a whole step below the ending note. These types of hammer ons don't conform to the rule I gave you in problem 3 of listening for the last note and if you get that you can get the hammer on. In the case of open string hammer ons like the one in this problem you need to listen for both notes.

Video Lesson

"Actual" TABS for the problem

Intro riff

E___________________________________________
B___________________________________________
G___________________________________________
D___________________________________________
A_0-2-0>trill__________________________________
E___________________________________________

Quick hammer ons from open in a logical position.

E_______________________________________________________________
B_______________________________________________________________
G_______________________________________________________________
D_0-2_0x_0-2~________________0-2_0x_0-2~__________________________
A_______________________________________________________________
E_____________3__5~--sl dwn--________________2_3_4_5_x_x_6_x_x_7~____

Main riffing

Same sort of theme but no more open strings in the main portion of it. This thickens the riff and is also a good lesson in spotting the difference between say how this riff sounds above in the intro and how it sounds on the thicker 5th string without the open thinner 4th string in there.

E____________________________________________________________
B____________________________________________________________
G____________________________________________________________
D____________________________________________________________
A_--7_5_7~______________--7_5_7~--sl dwn--_________________________
E_________3_5~~--sl dwn--_________________2_3_4_5_x_x_6_x_x_7____

Riff basically repeats with feel variations. No need to tab them as I would expect everyone to give this their own vibe not mine. You can chunk the riff above out however you feel it.

Secondary riffing

E____________________________________________________________
B____________________________________________________________
G____________________________________________________________
D_________6-7_6_________6-7_6_7__0-6~_7________________________
A_--7_5_7________7_5~__________________________________________
E_______________________________________0x_4_5_x_6_x_7--sl dwn--___

Slightly dragged feel at the end of this one.

E_________________________________________________________
B_________________________________________________________
G_________________________________________________________
D_________6-7_6_________6-7_6_7__0-6~_7____________________
A_--7_5_7________7_5~______________________________________
E_______________________________________0x_4_5_6_7--sl dwn--__