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Sorry about the long delay since my last post guys, had a few things I needed to sort out first.
Okay guys, this was a request sent to me by a good friend of mine who wanted to know exactly how this song is played. This song is probably most well known to people who have watched the TV series ‘the walking dead’, as this song was featured in one of the episodes.
This song is relatively simple compared to a lot of songs out there; the only tricky bits involved in the song are some small hybrid picking licks towards the beginning of the song. Also be aware that this song is in a different tuning to standard E tuning that most people are familiar with. Instead this song is in drop D, where the low E string has been tuned to a D instead of an E, and that’s the only change.
So instead of me using this bar:-
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
A||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
I’ll actually be using this bar:-
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
A||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
Here’s the first opening lick
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||-3----------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||-7----------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-----(let ring)---|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
A||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-0----------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||-7-5--------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------7-6-3-3h5p3-|-3--0--3/5--------||-3p0--------------|-------------------|
A||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|-------3/5--------||-3p0--------------|-------------------|
/\ Mute strings here after these notes
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-0--3--0--3/5-----|--3p0-------------||------------------|-------------------|
A||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-0--3--0--3/5-----|--3p0-------------||------------------|-------------------|
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||-3--3-------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||-5--5/7-----------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
A||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-0--0-------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
This little phrase will probably be the hardest to pull off. The trick is to use your index finger to hold down the note on the B string, and use your pinkie finger to hold down the note on the G string so that when you slide the note up, your finger will be able to extend as far as you need it to. Using another finger would make this much harder especially as the frets on your guitar are more spaced out.
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||-7-5--------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------7-6-3-3h5p3-|-3--0--3/5--------||-3p0--------------|-------------------|
A||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|-------3/5--------||-3p0--------------|-------------------|
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||--------------7---|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-0--3--0--3/5-----|--3p0-------------||------------------|-------------------|
A||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-0--3--0--3/5-----|--3p0-------------||------------------|-------------------|
Now, the theory behind these opening licks is actually fairly simple and is used throughout the entire song to keep it straightforward. The guitarist is using a scale known to many as ‘the blues scale’ which I will write out for you below this text. The only real trick with using this scale in this song is that because the guitar is in a drop tuning, the pattern that the notes make is slightly different, as the same notes will be appearing in different positions on the lowest string. Allow me to demonstrate:
Here’s the blues scale in D written out for a guitar in regular E standard tuning, the yellow highlighted notes are the D notes, i.e. the notes that the scale starts and ends on. Be aware that you can start the scale from any D note, not just the ones I’ve shown on here.
Blues scale in D in standard E tuning
E||------------------|------------------||-8-10-------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------8-9-10||------------------|-------------------|
G||------------------|-----5-7-10-------||------------------|-------------------|
D||---------------5--|-6-7--------------||------------------|-------------------|
A||---------3-5-8----|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
E||-1-3-4-5----------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
Blues scale in D in Drop D tuning
E||------------------|------------------||----8-10----------|-------------------|
B||------------------|--------------8-9-||-10---------------|-------------------|
G||------------------|-------5-7-10-----||------------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|-5-6-7------------||------------------|-------------------|
A||-----------3-5-8--|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-0-3-5-6-7--------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
You can see that because the lowest string is tuned to a lower note, in order to play the same notes as before, you need to fret higher notes on the guitar. Keep this in mind when you are playing any song that is in a drop tuning.
The blue highlighted notes are the notes unique to the blues scale (Ironically). These notes are notes that generally do not sound good when played on their own, in other words they need to be played along with other notes in order to sound ‘musical. Try it and listen, you’ll find that these notes sound very ‘jarring if you land on them but then don’t move to the next note.
Here’s the next part to the song, the main riff that’s playing on the acoustic guitar as the intro fades away:
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
A||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|------------------||------------------|----------------3--|
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-----0--------0---|-----0--------0---||-----0--------0---|-----0--------0----|
A||------------------|---------0h3------||------------------|---------0h3-------|
D||-0--------0-------|-0----------------||-0--------0-------|-0-----------------|
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-----0--------0---|-----0--------0---||-----0--------0---|-----0--------0----|
A||------------------|---------0h3------||------------------|---------0h3-------|
D||-0--------0-------|-0----------------||-0--------0-------|-0-----------------|
Now here’s the next phrase played on the acoustic guitar
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|---3---3----------||------------------|-------------------|
G||7-10---7---5-7---7|--0---0-----------||-5-7---7----------|-5-7---7-----------|
D||------------------|-6---5---3-0-----3||-----------0---0--|-0-0---0---0---0---|
A||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-----0---0-----0--|-------------3-0--||-----0---0---0----|-----0---0---0-----|
This phrase is repeated twice before a new bar starts. The only of this little phrase that doesn’t seem to line up with the patterns I showed you earlier is this section. Even though it is still in the same scale and in the same pattern as the rest of the song, it might seem strange that the notes are of a sudden put into this arrangement instead.
E|--------
B|---3---3
G|--0---0-
D|-6---5--
A|--------
D|--------
What this bit is actually doing is ‘shadowing’ a chord that’s in the scale; in simple words, there is a chord that is in the scale that can be used when you’re writing a song in this particular key, and what these notes being played are doing is playing a shape that is very similar to that chord, making is sound almost like the chord is being played without having to break out of the rhythm of the music being played. To show you what is happening more clearly, I have written the phrase, as well as the chord being ‘shadowed’ below this text. I have once again highlighted the notes common to both so that you can get a clear of where the phrase has come from.
E||------------------|------------------||--3---------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|---3---3----------||--3---------------|-------------------|
G||------------------|--0---0-----------||--0---------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|-6---5---3-0-----3||--0---------------|-------------------|
A||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|-------------3-0--||------------------|-------------------|
Remember that the 5th note on the D string is the exact same note as the open note on the G string, which is why I’ve highlighted it as being in the chord.
Here’s the next phrase that follows after that section:
E||---------0--------|--0-------0-------||-0-------0--------|--0--------0-------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||-2--2------2------|----2-------2-----||---2-------2------|----2--------2-----|
D||------5------5----|------5-------5---||-----5-------5----|------5--------3---|
A||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||-5----7---------7-|------------------||-5-----7-------7--|-------------------|
D||------------------|------0---------0-||-0-----0-------0--|------0---------0--|
A||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-----------0------|-0---------0------||-----------0------|-0---------0-------|
And then after this it’s pretty much even simpler, except that there are an unusual number of bars of the riff being played. Have a look:
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-----0--------0---|-----0--------0---||-----0--------0---|-----0--------0----|
A||------------------|---------0h3------||------------------|---------0h3-------|
D||-0--------0-------|-0----------------||-0--------0-------|-0-----------------|
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-----0--------0---|-----0--------0---||-----0--------0---|-----0--------0----|
A||------------------|---------0h3------||------------------|---------0h3-------|
D||-0--------0-------|-0----------------||-0--------0-------|-0-----------------|
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-----3---------3--|-----3-------3----||-----5--------5---|-------------------|
A||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-3--------3-------|-3-------3--------||-5-------5--------|-------------------|
You need to listen carefully to the song though, as before the pre chorus when the lead singer starts singing “And how many time....Have I prayed?” there will often be and extra line of the section below this text added in before the riff is restarted
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-----0--------0---|-----0--------0---||-----0--------0---|-----0--------0----|
A||------------------|---------0h3------||------------------|---------0h3-------|
D||-0--------0-------|-0----------------||-0--------0-------|-0-----------------|
As for the little licks being played on the guitar with wah-wah added on during the main riff? There are only really two different licks being played by this guitar while the chorus is going on, which I have written below. Occasionally it will play the main riff alongside the other guitar as well.
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-6-----------------|
G||-7p5-7------7p5-7-|------------------||-7p5-7------7p5-7-|----7--------------|
D||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
A||------------------|-8--5-------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
1st phrase 2nd phrase
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||----------6-------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||-7--5--7-----7--5-|--7---------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
A||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
3rd phrase
Main overdriven Riff:
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||--10-----7---5-7--|------------------||-5---7----7-------|-5---7----7--------|
D||--10-----7---5-7--|-7--6--5--0-3-0-3-||-5---7----7-------|-5---7----7--------|
A||--8------5---3-5--|-7--6--5--0-3-0-3-||-3---5----5-------|-3---5----5--------|
D||------------------|-7--6--5--0-3-0-3-||------------------|-------------------|
This is played through twice before there is a short harmonised part where two guitars play overdriven at the same time. Here are the parts for the two guitars.
1st Guitar
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||------------------|------------7--h9-||------------------|-------------7--h9-|
D||-5--h7-----5--h7--|-5--h7------------||-5--h7-----5--h7--|-5--h7-------------|
A||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||-5-------------7--|----7-------------||-5-------------7--|----7--------------|
D||-5-------------7--|----7-------------||-5-------------7--|----7--------------|
A||-3-------------5--|----5-------------||-3-------------5--|----5--------------|
D||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
2nd Guitar
E||------------------|-----------10--h12||------------------|----------10---h12-|
B||-8--h10----8--h10-|-8--h10-----------||-8--h10----8--h10-|-8--h10------------|
G||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
A||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||-5-------------7--|----7-------------||-5-------------7--|----7--------------|
D||-5-------------7--|----7-------------||-5-------------7--|----7--------------|
A||-3-------------5--|----5-------------||-3-------------5--|----5--------------|
D||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
This is what’s known as ‘octave harmonising’, where one guitar plays the exact same phrase as the other guitar but it’s one octave higher than the other, making the phrase seem much bigger when played by both instruments at the same time.
After this, it’s just a case of repeating the parts of the song that came before it really. The only exception is the outro but that is just a few chords, which I have written out below for you.
E||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
G||-5-7-5-7----------|------------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||-5-7-5-7--7--6-5--|-0----------------||------------------|-------------------|
A||-3-5-3-5--7--6-5--|-0----------------||------------------|-------------------|
D||----------7--6-5--|-0----------------||------------------|-------------------|
And that’s pretty much it for the regulator. It’s a song that works almost purely on feel rather than musical complexity, but it’s still a very effective song despite that. I hope that this lesson has helped some of you guys out there, and once again I’m sorry for the long delay since my last post here.
Take care guys and I’ll see you next time.
-Leokisomma
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