Learn to play "Smokestack Lightning" by Hubert Sumlin on the guitar

In this lesson, we'll learn how to play Smokestack Lightning on the guitar. This classic blues riff is a fantastic piece of music to add to your repertoire. Not only is it a lot of fun to play, but it's also a great way to develop your fingerstyle techniques. One of the key elements of this song is maintaining a steady thumb movement on the thicker string, which creates the characteristic sound of the blues.

The Trick, the Beat, and the Bend

The riff we'll be learning today is both cool and complex. It requires your thumb and fingers to do separate things, a skill that is essential for fingerstyle guitar playing. The trick to mastering this is to start slow and focus on the timing of the notes. Are they played together, or is there a note in between the thumb strokes? Deciphering this pattern will help you nail the rhythm.

When playing Smokestack Lightning, your thumb plays a crucial role. It needs to maintain a constant rhythm, hitting the bass note on each beat. This steady thumb action forms the song's backbone, with other notes sometimes aligning with the beat and sometimes falling in between.

Another distinctive aspect of Smokestack Lightning is the blues curl on the thinnest string. It sounds like two fingers are on the string, with the third finger bending slightly. This subtle bend, rather than a full one, gives the song its unique flavor.

Learning the Simple Blues Style from the Masters

In the blues style, simplicity often works best. For Smokestack Lightning, you'll use just your first finger and thumb to pick the strings. This simplicity is reminiscent of the older blues style, where the focus was more on the feel of the music than on complex finger placements.

There are plenty of videos of Hubert Sumlin playing Smokestack Lightning that are worth checking out. You'll notice that he doesn't always maintain a steady thumb movement; instead, he adapts it to what he's playing. So, while it's essential to practice the steady thumb, don't be afraid to loosen it up a bit and play with a bit of a blues feel.

Like anything worth mastering, the key to learning Smokestack Lightning is practice. The more you practice, the more comfortable you'll get with the riff and the thumb movement. Eventually, you'll be able to put your own spin on the riff, improvising while keeping the thumb going.

The Howlin' Wolf Version

Howlin' Wolf performs the classic version of Smokestack Lightning with Hubert Sumlin on the guitar. It's a fantastic tune that many artists have covered, but nothing beats the original. If you're into blues, make sure you check out that Howlin' Wolf stuff and transcribe his solos – they're awesome.

Now it's your turn to give Smokestack Lightning a go. Remember, the key is to start slowly and not rush the process. The more you practice, the better you'll become. And most importantly, have fun with it!

Now, plug in that guitar, watch the video, and let's get started. Enjoy the lesson, and keep on strumming!

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Also check out Hubert playing and kinda teaching it here in this vid :)