How To Play Stevie Ray Vaughan Cold Shot

How to Correctly Play SRV's "Cold Shot" Riff

In this free guitar lesson, I clarify the opening riff heard in Stevie Ray Vaughan's song, "Common cold Shot." I demonstrate how to play it using the right tone, timing, and technique.

Common cold Shot Tuning

The starting time thing you need to know about "Cold Shot" is, it was recorded with guitars tuned down a half step to East flat. But in order to not irritate the majority of people watching this video who use standard tuning, I'chiliad non tuned downward. If subsequently learning the riff you desire to practice by playing along with the original recording, melody down at that time.

Cold Shot Guitar Tone

Next, Stevie Ray Vaughan recorded this song using a Stratocaster guitar with the pickup selector in position four which activates the neck and center pickups.

Next, Stevie Ray Vaughan got his sound by using various Fender and Dumble amplifiers turned all the manner up to create natural breakdown. I'm playing through a dual profile of similar amps using the Kemper Profiler.

For furnishings, I add together reverb, and finally to get the warbly outcome that is a critical part of the "Cold Shot" sound, I add together rotary upshot.

Cold Shot Timing

Now that nosotros have the correct tone, allow's talk about the timing. "Common cold Shot" is played using a shuffle feel. This means that instead of playing straight eighth notes, you shuffle them. In a shuffle, the first 8th annotation is longer than the 2nd. A shuffle is actually based on triplets. You play on the get-go and tertiary beats of each triplet.

Cold Shot Technique

Adjacent, we need to talk most the technique. The notes you play are very unproblematic. It's how you play them that matters. You alternate between the notes A and G on the fourth string at frets vii and five. But instead of picking simply the fourth string, you strum down across all the strings. This means you lot need to position your fingers so you dampen everything except the fourth string. When I identify my band finger on the A note on the fourth string, I use the tip of the finger to bump into the fifth string in a higher place information technology, and I lean my finger dorsum to lightly touch the strings beneath. I as well extend my middle finger to dampen strings five and six. Finally, my thumb wraps around and bumps into the sixth string to help out with the muting too.

You lot should practice strumming the strings with your fingers placed on them in this manner. When done correctly, you'll hear only the A annotation on cord four and only scratching on the other strings. If this is new to you, it volition take time to get used to it.

Next, you demand to get your fingers in place to play the G notation in the same way. In this case, I fret the G with my index finger, I employ the tip of my finger to bump into the fifth string, and I lean the finger back to dampen the other strings. My thumb is still wrapped to take of muting string 6. Once you're in position, exercise strumming and producing the right sound. Then, work on switching between the A and One thousand notes.

The adjacent matter you need to add in order to produce the right sound is open strings on your upstrokes. To play the open strings on your upstrokes, you must lift all your fingers off the strings. Then you demand to immediately put your fingers back into proper position to play the fretted notes. It'll have time to develop the right touch and so you lot tin can do this correctly and consistently.

Cold Shot Chords

Moving on, there are a few chord shapes needed to complete the riff. You play the top three strings at the seventh fret, and and so at the fifth fret. Y'all strum the 7th fret with a downstroke and the fifth fret with an upstroke. Don't forget to play the open strings on the upstroke before playing the first chord on the downstroke.

On the repeat, you lot play the A note on the downstroke once more immediately afterward playing the chord at the 5th fret. Merely y'all simply play the riff similar this twice. Later playing it twice, yous sustain the chord at the 5th fret and then that it takes the identify of the A note at the first of the riff. This ways you lot option up at the upstroke that follows the A note, then proceed to the G note and then continue from in that location. When you do this correctly, you'll have a floating downstroke where you lot skip over the strings without strumming them considering you're sustaining the chord.

From the tiptop. Twice with the A annotation at the starting time, then sustain the chord.

In the original recording, Stevie Ray Vaughan plays a few pickup notes. The pickups fall on beats "and 4 and." you strum it "upwardly down up." The upstrokes are open strings, and the downstroke is just muted.

Now yous know how to properly play the riff in Stevie Ray's "Common cold Shot." Who would have thought that and so much goes into such a elementary riff. The techniques I have taught to you here are a big part of how Stevie Ray got his signature sound.