Chords for 9 Iconic Guitar Riffs You Can Learn Almost Instantly

Nope, no gimmick, no clickbait.
These riffs are all very simple and all sound amazing
So if you need some extra songs for your repertoire
Feel free to throw a few of these in your trick bag
The reason these songs are so easy to get down is because they're all derived from the same scale
Yep, that scale that you all know and love we all love it the _ pentatonic scale
Yes, yes.
Thank you.
Thank you very much the pentatonic scale, you know
It's like an old pair of jeans just fits just right always works for us
I know a thing or two about this scale so well
In fact that I just put out a brand new curriculum in guitar super system called the pentatonic primer where you'll learn licks and applications
For this simple yet wonderful scale and you'll be set up for success as you continue on your guitar journey
One subscription to guitar super system allows you access to not only this new pentatonic primer course
But every single lesson on the platform
So whether you're a shred wizard or a blues king or a funk master or a rock god
You'll find exactly what you need in guitar super system.
I guarantee it or your money back now
Let's move on to simple yet.
Wonderful.
I quite guitar riffs and the minor pentatonic scale is very powerful
I mean the most popular streamed song on Spotify is literally just the pentatonic scale
[Em] _ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _
_ _ [B] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [F#m] _ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _
[B] _ _ _ _ [C#m] _ _ first position here
[A] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Apparently that's all you have [C] to do to write a hit song that literally billions of people have heard
Just use the pentatonic [A#] scale even just little fragments a few notes
That's what this video is all about how to be great with five simple notes.
Our first riff is born under a bad sign
I love the Albert King version
hundreds of great guitar players have done a rendition of this song at one point or another this riff is contained solely in the third
position of the E minor pentatonic [E] scale
_ _ [D] _ _ [A] _ _ _
_ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _ _
_ [B] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _ _
_ _ [E] _ _ [Am] _ [Em] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Em] _
_ _ _ _ _ Our _ next simple riff comes from Led Zeppelin and [G#m] it is the immigrant song
We're technically only playing two notes in this riff and technically those two notes are part of the fifth and first
position of the [A#] F sharp minor [F#] pentatonic scale
_ _ [A] _ _ [B] _ _
_ [D] _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
[F#] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _ [A] _ _
[B] _ _ [F#m] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [B] _ _ [F#] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [F#] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Our next riff is perfect for me because it's about a funky white boy _
This is right out of the E minor pentatonic scale in root position that first [Em] position _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [E] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _
_ now this riff is really
_ [F#] _
_ _ It's two notes and it's really really so it just is the simplest thing.
It's not gonna get easier than this
It's war pigs by Black Sabbath
[E] _ _ _ _ That's it.
That's the riff
_ _ _ You wanted to spice it up a little bit
I can throw in the little whittlies that happen in between during the verses
These are all also out of the minor pentatonic scale exclusively _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ [E] _ _ Those [F] are all of the licks and as you can see we have [A] just a little
_ _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _
And then another first position _ _ and _ _ then over here first position just an octave up
_ _ [G] _ _
[A] _ This next riff is from the temptations.
It's my [D#] girl and it's gonna be a major spin on the pentatonic scale
[A#] We're in the second position technically of them if you want to look at it F sharp minor
That's the relative minor [A] to this a major pentatonic _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
And [A#] as such the riff is just right up that [A] sound _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [F#] Ha ha noise gate.
Well, this is in drop D as you can hear as such
There's gonna be a bit of a third position second position minor pentatonic shift, but that's only due to drop D
It allows you a little bit extra access in the riff.
Well, _ it's
_ Gasoline by audio slave.
Yes, Tom Morello.
You should have known when I was tuning down to drop D [A] who I was going for
_ [D] _ _ _
_ [A] _ Our
[G] _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ [G] _ _ [D] _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ [A] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ Next riff comes from Jimi Hendrix and it's actually a lick
It might be the [F#] most difficult thing on the simple list and this one combines the second and first positions of the C sharp minor
pentatonic scale so the first [C#m] position _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
So with this position here _ _ _
_ _ _ [C#m] _ _ _ _
[D#m] This note _ _ is included in the phrase that we're about to see [C#] normally _
_ _ We're gonna skip over [F#] that sixth note completely [G#] because as we know there's only five notes in the pentatonic scale
No sixth interval and in this case, we are drawing this from the natural minor scale
Which is also called the aeolian mode if you're thinking about it from music theory perspective
[F] But really all you need to know is there's just one extra note
It happens in the form of a bend and that's why I'm counting this
We never actually depart from the positional boxes of the pentatonic shapes.
So I'm putting it on this list
Just understand _ that _
_ _ [B] _ _ note [D#] is not in the pentatonic sound
But [C#m] let's get started _ _
[B] _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _ _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [B] _ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [G#] _ _ _ [F#] _ _ _ [C#m] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [B] _ and for our final simple riff.
Well
[C] _ _ [D] _ _ [Em] _ _
[Am] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [B] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Em] _
_ _ [A] _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [A] _ _ _ [Em] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[B] _ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Going through the e minor pentatonic scale and there's an entire [G#] lesson on this in guitar super system about going up [Am] one position down the next _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _
_ [A] _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ [C] _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ You [D#] can really rip through using different patterns and Eric Johnson likes to use patterns of three five seven really odd [A] numbers
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[G#] _ _ Well, let me know _
Simple riff that's easy to play _ _
Iconic only in the pentatonic scale
I think I got all of them be sure to check out guitar super system in the brand new pentatonic primer as well as all
The great lessons available in there.
Thanks so much for your support and for watching and until next time _ [N] keep shredding _ _