This week I am learning the solo on “Hard to Handle” by the Black Crowes. The song is in the key of B. The solo is played over a B chord the entire time.
The solo mainly uses the B minor pentatonic scale. On a few of the runs it does add the “blue” note of a flat 5. One of the runs also adds a major 6th. These additions give the solo a bit more flavor than your standard pentatonic solo.
The solo is 8 bars long, and comes in on a pickup beat before the start of the first bar. The entire solo uses that rhythmic motif multiple times.
Starting your phrases before beat 1 keeps the solo interesting.
The solo has a quick run of 16ths right at beat 3 of the first bar. I tend to get faster as the solo gets closer to the end, so I liked how this solo changed that up.
Sometimes you can start fast and then slow it down.
For the 16th note run I spent time listening to it fast and slow to try and hear the essence of what was being played. I tried playing every note individually with a pick, but that felt too “metal” and less “blues” to me.
So I switched to legato playing with pull offs and hammer-ons. At the goal tempo of 104 bpm that section felt much better and sounded more like the original recording.
Next there were a few bars of syncopated blues riffs. Nothing too difficult, but played with lots of attitude. I’m pretty sure I even heard a pinch harmonic or two. Crank up that distortion.
The next section demonstrated a great way to transition to another pentatonic position up the fretboard. A slide up the neck to the next pickup note deftly positions the fingers for a quick little run of pull-off notes.
Being able to play pentatonic scales in all positions up and down the neck can really open up your playing. Some riffs just sit better with the specific fingerings available in different pentatonic positions.
One exercise I’ve done that really helped me was to play a pentatonic scale with only two strings. After playing the notes available to me in one position, I have to slide up the neck to the next position to get access to the next notes in the scale.
Doing that over and over again gives you the ability to easily slide between positions as needed.
The solo finishes with a cool technique of bending a note and then playing another note underneath it. There are many places with the pentatonic scale where this is possible, and learning them all can give you more options for spicing up your own playing.
The solo ends on a B note, bringing the listener home to tonic with a nice resolution after the dissonant bending notes before it.
What I Learned This Week
- The same notes sound different when played legato. Try playing a group of notes individually picked, and then again using hammer-ons and pull-offs. Being able to switch between both types of playing is good for your technique. And each technique produces a different feel.
- Learn how to slide between positions. Practice pentatonic scales using only one or two strings and move them up and down the neck. It will force you to learn the different positions, and give you the ability to easily slide between positions instead of being trapped in one box.
- Bend a note and play underneath it. This technique can add a cool dimension to your solos. Experiment with different spots up and down the neck to see where it works well for you.
Four solos down. 48 to go.
What solo should I learn next?
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