Chords for How to Play Boom Boom by John Lee Hooker on Guitar

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ Here's a blues classic that I've received requests to learn from 16 different people
_ So I've decided to take a closer look at how John Lee Hooker
Played this song on those occasions when he played it entirely _ unaccompanied
researching several different recordings of
John Lee Hooker playing this song I
Found that when he played it alone, he invariably just stuck to the one chord a seventh
But what was interesting to me is that when he had other musicians accompany him
They almost always failed to keep the sequence this pure and couldn't help themselves playing
_ basslines chords riffs _
That at least implied the odd change up to a seventh
So the first thing to say about this song is that it's not about chords it's not even really about fancy licks
But it is all about rhythm and feel _
_ Let's take a look at the intro. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Em] _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ So the [Em] first lick is a slide from fret 2 to 4 on the G string
_ _ _ [G] Then the notes at fret 3 on the [D] B string
_ _ _ Then back [B] down the slide on the third string
With [A] a hint of a pull-off to the open string at the [B] end of the slide _
_ [G] _ _ _ Then it's down [Em] to E at fret 2 on the D string
_ open D [D] and
back to the [E] E _ _ _
_ _ [Bm] _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ [Bm] _ _ _ [Em] _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ Then in keeping with the call and response theme used so much in early blues
We answer that first lick with this bassline
_ [G] _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ So that's the open E string
G at fret 3 [G] on that string open [A] a
_ _ back to [E] open E
Of _ _ [G] _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
_ [Em] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ course, you can do all this with a plectrum
_ _ [A] _ _ _ [Em] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ But John Lee hooker very much used thumb and fingers to play
So if you want to get a more authentic sound I'd encourage you to experiment with [A] that _ _ _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _
[Em] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [A] _ [E] _ _
_ [Em] _ _ _ _ _ _ [E] _
Probably the more fun the better the next lick starts on the note E
fret 2 on the D string _
_ up to the open [G] G _ _
_ second fret [A] on the G string
_ back to [G] G
_ _ back [D] to the E
second fret on [E] the D string
Open it to the [D] D and back to the E again and _ [A] _ _ [Em] _
_ [E] _ _ _ this too is followed with the same bass lick response
[A] So _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ so far we've got
[A] _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _ [Em] _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ [G] _ _ [E] _
_ _ [D] The next lick is a slight variation on the first lick
_ [Em] _ _ _ _
So instead of the slide [Ab] we use a slight bend at fret 3 on the B string
[D] _ _
_ [B] then back to open B and then
_ the same second half of the riff as before with our a
_ fret 2 on the G [A] string
_ [G] open to G and
Then back down to the E fret 2 on the [E] D string off
_ [D] To open D and back [E] to the E again
_ _ [Em] _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[A] _ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
_ [Em] This is followed again by the same bass line lick [E] and _ _ then the fourth line is the same as the second one _ _
_ _ _ _ _ again followed by the same bass line
So that whole intro goes like this
[A] Here it is first at slow speed _ _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ _ _ and something a bit more like the proper speed
[A] _ _ _ [E] _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ _ Then once the vocals start we have the same basic lick
_ Repeated no less than 16 times once in response to each vocal line _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ Gonna shoot you right down _ [Em] _ _ right off your feet
_ _ Take you home with me [E] and
_ _ _ So on _ so this starts with the note D at fret 3 on [Bm] the B string
_ _ back to open B _ _
So [B] _ _ then we come down to the note a at fret 2 on the G string a big [A] bed
_ [G] Then hit either the [Em] top string or both the top and second string
_ Doesn't really much matter [E] and _ _ _ then back to this a note with a bend _ [A] _ [Em] and a pull off _ _
And then back down to the E note at fret 2 [Bm] there
[E] And _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _
_ [Am] _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _
_ he pretty much has the E chord down by the time he gets back to that _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _
Sometimes he just hits the individual notes sometimes hits a bit of chord _
Now unless you have very large hands like old John Lee hooker did
Then it's extremely hard to play it exactly the way he did if you watch the videos
You'll see he kept the chord held down and used his little finger _
_ All kinds of things going on there that for most of us are just impossible
So my advice about this is to learn to play the right notes
using whatever [D] technique suits your particular hand size and [C] finger length and then listen carefully to the
Recordings and do your best to emulate that
fantastic freestyle _
style that he had
_ _ _ and
Get as close as you can
I'll leave you to practice but with the health warning that if you're not used to playing with thumb and fingers on your right hand
Do [A] leave plenty of recovery time between sessions or you'll end up with some pretty mean blisters
_ See you again [Em] next time _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _