Creative Stoner Rock – Pentatonic Riffing Across 12 Frets
Today we return to some groovy pentatonic riffing in a Stoner Rock sorta vein, utilizing just the low E string. Although the riff is simple, it showcases how much we can extract from 5 notes with some creative use of rhythm and spacing.
Practice Tips
- Select the rhythm (neck) pickup when playing this riff and pay attention to the tone. Compare it to the other pickup configurations and note the difference in sound.
- Stoner Rock thrives on the use of the lowest strings because it helps to create a thicker sound. In this riff we used the E minor pentatonic scale, but practically any combination of notes is fair game. Try applying the same sort of rhythmic concept to different scales on just the low E string and see what you can come up with.
- Swing and triplet rhythm are essential to the Stoner Rock style. If you're new to these rhythms, isolate them using just one note and play along to a metronome or appropriate drum beat in order to master them.
Corey Hunter is a guitarist of 28 years. His YouTube channel, Gemini Guitar, is at the forefront of modern tuition methods, exploring niche and alternative styles of playing.