Your First 5 Riffs on Guitar | RIff #1: The Peter Gunn Theme

 

 

In this series of articles, you’ll learn to play your first five guitar riffs. Each one of these five riffs is easy to learn and fun to play. Most importantly, each riff represents a small win. With each victory, you’ll begin building momentum for success. After all, success is built on creating and celebrating small wins every day, whether it’s in the classroom or on the guitar.

 

What’s a Guitar Riff, Anyways?

Riffs are the short, repeated musical phrases that keep you coming back again and again to your favorite songs. From Suzie Q to Seven Nation Army, a great riff can grab you by the tail and pull you all in! Riffs are great to learn on the guitar because they’re often easy to play, instantly recognizable, and immediately rewarding.

 

Riff #1: Sounds Like The Peter Gunn Theme

If you’re just getting started on the guitar, this sounds like “Peter Gunn Theme” guitar riff is the perfect place to start. Written in 1959 by the legendary composer, Henry Mancini, for the television show by the same name. The Peter Gunn Theme has been covered by rock ‘n’ roll royalty including Jimi Hendrix, Duane Eddy, and the Blues Brothers.

 

How Do I Read Guitar Tab?

Guitar tablature—more commonly known as guitar tab—is a simple way for guitarists to learn how to play chords, melodies, and songs. If you write original music, it’s also a great way to communicate your musical ideas to other musicians.

 

 

The horizontal lines represent the guitar strings, and the numbers represent the frets. The most challenging aspect of reading guitar tab is the string order because it’s counter-intuitive. The low E-string is at the bottom and the high E-string is at the top.

 

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