funky blues riffs?

i need to impress a blues band i might be joining and need a funky blues riff.any ideas?

Are you talking about licks or riffs?? When I'm blues riffing I usually use open chords... One basic bluesy type riff that I mess around alot with on my loop pedal is this one:

It can be slowed down or sped up accordingly... I usually play it around 60 bpm or so... I've never sat down and tabbed it so this is from memory... It's got a bouncy feel... I'll try to show the timing as well.

*= Palm Mute
e-----------------------------------------------
B-----------------------------------------------
G-----------------------------2---2---2-2-2----
D--2-2------2-2-------2-2----2---2---2-2-2----
A--2-2-2-2--2-2-2-2--2-2-2--0---0---0-0-0----
E--0-0-3-0--0-0-3-0--0-0-3--------------------
....*.*.........*.*.........*.*......*....*

Mess around with that... and also 12 bar blues type stuff...

sorry man, i meant 12 bar riffs like ---------------------------------
---------------------------------
-------5--5---3--3-----------------
---------------------5--5----------
-3--3----------------------------
---------------------------------

Originally Posted by: ROCK ONsorry man, i meant 12 bar riffs like

---------------------------------
---------------------------------
-------5--5---3--3-----------------
---------------------5--5----------
3--3----------------------------
---------------------------------

So you are looking for 12 bar blues riffs? Well I got some tips anyway:

12 bar blues chord progressions generally go something like this:

I chord for 4 bars
IV chord for 2 bars
I chord for 2 bars
V chord for 1 bar
IV chord for 1 bar
I chord for 1 bar
V chord for 1 bar (optional, can leave as just the I chord)

Let's say we are playing in the key of A, So the I chord is Amajor, the IV chord is D7, and the V chord is E7

To play in the blues/rock style, a good tip for playing solos over the 12 bar blues in A is to play the A major pentatonic/blues scale over the A and E chords, and to switch to the A minor pentatonic for the IV chords.
Try it out, it should sound good.
It's not the only way to go about it, but it's a great start.

yea julian is the person to ask abt blues, jazz..i need to learn some cool stuff from u too man..

thanks, but i already am very experienced in the 12 bar system. i was just looking for a few riffs

........... So................ I give you a riff... and that's not what you're looking for... and then you say 12 bar blues....... Julian breaks down 12 bar blues.... annnnnnnnnd...... you say you're already experienced in 12 bar blues, thank but no thanks....... I'm confused about what you want us to give you... You want riffs.... as in... Once again from memory... this is a little blues lick I've been messing with... I mess around with pinch harmonics and hammer ons and such. I sort of derived it by ear from Good Clean Fun by the Allman Brothers... it's not the exact riff from that song... not even close really... but it resembles it.

e-----------------------------------------------
B-----------------------------------------------
G--9/11-9-------------9~~---------------------
D--9/11-9-------9--11------11-------------------
A----------9/11---------------------------------
E-----------------------------------------------

If this isn't something sort of like you're looking for... I give up....

try this. has to be played kinda quick
[FONT=Courier]


E||--8-5---5-------------------------|-----------------------|
B||------8---8-5-8-5---5-------------|-----------------------|
G||------------------8---8-7-8-7-5-7-|--5---5/6--------------|
D||----------------------------------|----7-----6b7~---------|
A||----------------------------------|-----------------------|
E||----------------------------------|-----------------------|



-------5------5----------||
-----5------5---8b10~---||
--7b-----7b--------------||
-------------------------||
-------------------------||
-------------------------||[/FONT]

I can't write tab legibly to save my life :o, so I may not be of much help, but try throwing in some Hendrix-style substitute chords. They can be strummed loosely for a more bluesy sound, or attacked hard with some palm-muting to emphasise the... the... funkiness! Try a combination of single note rhythm progressions and chords like these for an SRV/Hendrix sort of vibe.

I don't know if this is blues, but it sounds funky to me =) It's quite simple =P


E||---------------------------|-----------------------|
B||---------------------------|-----------------------|
G||----4-----------2----------|-----4----4------------|
D||----------3h4--------------|-------------4-3-2-----|
A||-2----- 2------------------|-2-----2---------------|
E||---------------------------|-----------------------|

E||---------------------------|-----------------------|
B||---------------------------|-----------------------|
G||----4----------------------|-----------------------|
D||---------- 2h3h4-----------|-9---9----7---7--------|
A||-2----- 2------------------|-7---7----5---5--------|
E||---------------------------|-----------------------|