Chords for The Thrill Is Gone » Signature Licks » BB King

So what's up?
How we doing today?
We're going to take a look at some signature licks from
BB King's Thrills Gone version.
[G#] We're going to actually just do the entire opening solo because
it's too good.
Can't just do part of it.
And at the end of this video I have a practice backing
track with a link to it that's got all the tabs so you can follow along and try this stuff out
yourself because nothing's better than watching someone play something than actually playing it
yourself.
But let's give a quick listen first to me playing along with the track and then I'm going
to break down each lick and see what's going to go on.
_ [B] _ _ _ [Bm] _ _
[F] _ _ [E] _ [Bm] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [Em] _ _ _ [B] _ _ _
_ _ _ [Bm] _ _ [Bm] _ _ _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ [C#] _ _
_ _ [A#] _ [Bm] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [E] So let's take a look at what's going on.
I first got to say though I modified this a little bit.
This may not be the exact way that BB King
played it [D] himself but to avoid you know full step bends of your first finger I can't really do that.
I kind of changed the way [G#] the positions are a little bit to make it easier to play so hopefully
that'll make it easier for you as well.
So right [B] away we start right on that root
and you get that really frenetic BB King vibrato.
Sounds like a bee humming about in your ear you know.
And then [G] _ _ [D] _ _ _
[Em] _ [Bm] _ _ _ _ _ so what's happening is you're right there and then just a bend so slightly on this
[G] you're just going right down the [A] that you know [F#m] minor pentatonic scale there and it's just
slight bend there _ _ [F#] and then a full bend [D] here.
_ [Em] _ _ [Bm] Slight bend _ _ vibrato and then
_ [E] and that's maybe the hardest part here is we're gonna if you're not used to this getting a full
bend getting a little vibrato there not a crazy moment just a little bit [G] at the top of [F#] it _ _
right into that you know [Bm] _ and of course anything BB King [N] it's all about feel.
I do not claim to be
an expert on him and to know exactly how to get this exact tone just my best attempt but nobody
can really get his tone because only he could because he's the only person who is himself and
you are the only person who's yourself and can play the way you play too so while it is great
to try to copy a person's sound and can make us a much better player can just be a lot of fun
ultimately we want to make sure you know we don't get too frustrated ourselves that
we we can't nail it exactly because we can't because we're not the same person you know it's
not the same kind of feeling and soul we have inside.
So anyways though no that's my second
disclaimer now on to the second part I kind of think of it as the first lick and then there's
two more kind of over each you know four bar phrases here and then we're going to the E minor
and [A#] he bends well up to an E [C] so the root of that but instead of playing the E he [G#] bends up to it
and I [G] checked out you know some spots people wrote it out like this like you're bending the
first finger I can't [E] do that so this is where I change it here going _ [Bm] _ with the B over here so you
bend with your third finger or your [F#] pinky and _ [Bm] _ _ then switching back here slight [B] bend so we're [Bm] going
like this we're going [B] but _ [F#] _ [Em] _ instead of just playing it normally we've [Bm] got so [B] _ _ [C] _ it adds a lot more kind
of [B] pizzazz there with [E] this slight bend climbing [F#] and [F] then a half step bend bending to that to that
[C#] blue note back down and there's another spot [D] switch it down here you got to move a little quicker here
full bend so this is like [C#] going like this _ so full bend and half bend so really practice getting
that in your ear really _
_ _ [D#] _ practice that back and forth [Bm] and then [B] and then [G] _ _ those the last measure
that was 10 10 7 [N] really quiet you can barely even hear so that's the thing you gotta really
um you know really listen for when you look at this stuff say this sheet or the uh the top of the
top of the video here this this chart is it's leaving out how things really sound it's just
showing you where to play you know on the guitar and that's it that's not that's not music you gotta
listen to you gotta make these sounds you gotta try to do your best to recreate it and notice
those dynamics I mean I could write in a little more things about dynamics but it really wouldn't
do that much you gotta really hear it and feel it to know exactly how how it goes you know and then
the last line now [Bm] it's going up to [G] a G major 7 and then we're doing this [F#] _ F sharp 7 sus mouthful
and then do an F sharp 7 [Bm] and then back to the uh back to the one chord the B minor so we're on that
[G]
this one right here it's doing that slight bend here again [Cm] I'm sorry it starts with the the
measure [Bm] before a little bit broad on the B leads into the _ _ _ _ _
[G#] F sharp we're going [E] so _ 12 that E
bending up releasing and pulling up and then a quick 10 to 12 hammer on and [Bm] then slight bend
and then a little bit of pause so _ _ _ it's a lot of this back and forth BB King all the time oh man
plays so well like that that minor third bending into the uh the root which is ever so slightly _
yes as [E] far as I'll go bending my first finger I don't you know maybe sometimes I'll bend a half
step but I don't do the [Bm] whole step I can't I just can't do it [Em] and then stops on [B] that and
throws in a little extra like part of that top part of that B minor chord right there and that's
it and then [F#] comes in singing so hopefully that uh helps to kind of break it down see what's going on
but if it's overwhelming for you just try one lick at a time like pick uh you know make a goal
like be like oh I really like this one spot right here boom I'm gonna learn that and do your best to
uh to get it down practice it real slow work it over and over and of course a great way to do it
is try it with the track over here and if you like this video want to see more [C] hit that subscribe
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