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. He is also the owner and instructor at Corey's Guitar & Ukulele Lessons, based in Sydney, Australia.