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La Bamba by Ritchie Valens - a super cool riff that never seems to go out of style! It’s a classic tune that’s always a hit at parties! Even if the only line you know is “La la la la la la Bamba!”
In this lesson, you'll learn two different approaches to play the La Bamba riff. The first uses all single notes, and the second option adds a few. There are plenty of other things to focus on here.
This riff will help you with your string crossings, timing and rhythms, and chord changes. But best of all, it helps you see how you can transform a scale into a hit song! So, what are you waiting for? Grab your guitar and let's get into it!
For this riff, you'll play all down picks, not alternate picking. It's possible to play it with alternate picking, but using all-down picks will give it LOADS more energy! :)
The first three notes are what we call a pick-up. To quickly recap, they lead into the first bar of a song. The riff starts on the “and” of beat 3.
La Bamba heavily relies on our new best friend, the C major scale. The chords in the song are C, F, and G. Using your weak finger G chord will make those chord changes easier!
You'll also notice it feels a bit different than playing a regular scale. When you're practicing scales, the notes go straight up and down. But, when you're playing a real riff - they jump around a bit more.
đź’ˇ If you got a jam buddy, take turns with one of you playing the chords! The other can play the riff over the top.
For extra help, use this guitar tab to help guide you with the simple version! Once you get it down, you can move on and add a harmony note to a couple of notes as part of the riff. It'll make it more interesting, and it's super fun, and we love having fun eh? :)
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For the second riff option, you're still playing all down picks for the strumming! When you graduate to this version, you'll push a bit further and pick two notes!
When working with harmonies, you’re playing at least two notes at once. It'll give La Bamba some more depth and interest. For this riff, a few of the notes are harmonized. To play them, fret the two fingers, and pick only the two strings you need.
Your picking hand is staying consistent. Just let the pick come down a bit further than you normally would to hit two strings at a time. Here's the Tab with the additional harmony notes - notice the difference between the easy version? :)
If it’s your turn to play backup, this will be a great song to practice your rhythm push! The chord changes to the G come at the end of the previous bar, and it'll add lively energy to the song.
Once you're comfortable with everything, put it all together! Try to get the riff to match the speed on the record. This might take a bit of time - but keep practicing. :)
Learn how to play Half the World Away by Oasis—a great song for advancing beginners. :) We'll explore unique chord grips like C/G and Fmaj7/C that add a special flavor to the melody. From the intro to the chorus, this song takes you on a musical journey with chords like C, F, A minor, D7, and more.