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smoke on the water question ???????

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(@barnabus-rox)
Famed Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 2957
Topic starter  

can ayone help with simple chord structure for smoke on the water I got the tabs from tab crawler but have no idea how to read them .

Is there a easy way of learning the song ??????

:oops:

Here is to you as good as you are
And here is to me as bad as I am
As good as you are and as bad as I am
I'm as good as you are as bad as I am


   
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 RoS
(@ros)
Eminent Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 18
 

Basically the main riff is just 3 power chords without the bass notes

G5, Bb5, C5,
G5, Bb5, C#5, C5
G5, Bb5, C5,
Bb5, G5

Just play these chords without the bass notes.

Verse

Basically G5, F5 power chords, just plucked.

Should be plucked like G5, G5, G5, G5, F5, G5.

Chorus

C5 (smoke...on the)
A#5 (water)
A (fire in the sky)

etc

Solo rythmn

Just replace the F5 on the verse with the G5
Play for quite a few times, then strum

G5, F5 (x2), A#5

back to main riff.

that's about all the song covers.


   
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 sirN
(@sirn)
Reputable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 358
 

And once you get it down pat, go into your nearest guitar store, pick up a guitar, plug it in and whale away at this song.

They'll love it, I swear.

check out my website for good recording/playing info


   
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(@blackzerogsh)
Prominent Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 759
 

Nice one, lol, are you jsut trying to get him kicked out of the store/killed?


   
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(@wes-inman)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5582
 

hilch

This main riff of this song is played with harmony 4ths. The first note is D. The Chromatic Scale for D is D, E, F#, G, A, B, C# D. The Chromatic Scale is Whole Step, Whole Step, Half Step, Whole Step, Whole Step, Whole Step, Half-Step or 1- 1- 1/2- 1- 1- 1- 1/2. A half-step is one fret on your guitar, a whole-step is two. (I am only writing this because I know you are kind of new to music). Anyway, If you start with the D note as 1 and count to 4 you have a G note. There are many types of harmonies, this is just one type. These are played with little mini-barres. You can pretty much play this main riff with your ring and index finger. Just move up one fret for the notes at the 6th fret.

Other than that, you have simple power chords that are played in arpeggio style, or one note at a time. These can be held with the index, ring, and pinky fingers.

People make fun of this song because everyone plays it, especially at the music store. But it is one of the truly great sounding guitar riffs. I wish I could come up with something everybody wanted to play. 8)
Main Riff

e-------------------------------------------------------
b-------------------------------------------------------
g-------3---5---------3---6--5---------3---5----3-------
d---5---3---5-----5---3---6--5-----5---3---5----3---5---
a---5-------------5----------------5----------------5---
e-------------------------------------------------------

Verses Riff

G5

e-------------------------------------------
b-------------------------------------------
g-------------------------------------------
d--------5----------5----------5---------5--
a-----5----------5----------5---------5-----
e--3----------3----------3---------3--------

G5 F5 G5

e-----------------------------------------------------
b-----------------------------------------------------
g-----------------------------------------------------
d--------5--------------3--------------5----------5---
a-----5-----5--------3-----3--------5----------5------
e--3--------------1--------------3----------3---------

Chorus-Smo-ke on the wa-ter A fi-re in the sky

C5 G#5

e-----------------------------------------------------
b-----------------------------------------------------
g--------5---------------------------3-----3----------
d-----5-------------6-------------5--3--5--3--5--3--5-
a--3-------------6----------------5-----5-----5--3--5-
e-------------4---------------------------------------

Smo-ke on the wa-ter

e-----------------------------------------------
b-----------------------------------------------
g------3-----3------------------5---------------
d---5--3--5--3--5--3---------5--------------6---
a---5-----5-----5--3------3--------------6------
e-------------------------------------4---------

Return to Main Riff

If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis


   
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(@barnabus-rox)
Famed Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 2957
Topic starter  

Thanks Wes

you make it sound so easy

thanks mate

Here is to you as good as you are
And here is to me as bad as I am
As good as you are and as bad as I am
I'm as good as you are as bad as I am


   
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(@jarle)
Trusted Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 47
 

Just a question, Wes: Why play A and D fretted at the fifth when you can play D and G open? :?

(sorry if I'm really n00bish, but I would really like to know if there are actually any benefits from doing things like that)


   
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(@wes-inman)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5582
 

Jarle

No, that is an excellent question really.

You COULD play the D & G strings open. But I don't think that's how Blackmore did it. I think the reason is just so you can control the attack and sustain on the notes. If you listen to the recording, all of the little 2 note harmonies he is playing are abrupt. Not quite staccato, but not much more. You can't really get this with open strings unless you were to immediately dampen them. Fretting the way I showed you just let up on the notes to stop them short. It's a nuance thing.

This may sound silly, but I think you can describe that riff like this;

Dit Dit Dah-, Dit Dit-, Dit Dah-, Dit Dit Dah-, Dit Dah-

Morse Code for guitar! :D

I could be wrong. I learned this by ear many years ago. He may have played it differently. But it sounds right to me.

If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis


   
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(@gnease)
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Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5038
 

Yeah Wes -- Morse code and (some stupid with) a flare gun. It's a SOTW survival kit.

-=tension & release=-


   
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