Deep Purple was formed in 1968 and since that time has continued, (through various line-up changes) recording and touring. They were regarded as fine musicians in the ‘hard-rock’ genre. Songs such as ‘Smoke on the Water’, ‘Lazy’ & ‘Highway Star’ set new standards in rock musicianship. Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore was one of the first hard rock players to use exotic scales and modes.
Intro Riff
The intro riff is made up of 2 note power chords. Use your 1st finger to fret the lower notes and your 3rd finger to fret the higher notes. Make sure you let it “breathe” by giving it pauses in between.
Here’s what it sounds like looped at the normal tempo of 120 bpm:
Verse Riff
Guitar 1
Here is a breakdown of all the identical measures – Measures one, two, four, six, and eight – play these measures by using any finger to barre the fourteenth frets on the “D” string,
the “G” string, and the “B” string.
Measures three and seven – play these measures by using any finger to barre the fifth frets on the “D” string, the “G” string, and the “B” strings. Then, to finish the measure, simply move to the seventh frets on the same strings.
Measure five is really most like the first measure, but there is a pull-off in the tablature, along with a confusing chord to play. A pull-off is when you go from a higher note to a lower note, only striking the first note(s). Begin this measure by barring your 1st finger on the fourteenth fret on the “D” string, the “G” string, and the “B” string. Now, to perform the pull-off successfully, place your 3rd finger on the seventeenth fret on the “D” string and your 2nd finger on the fifteenth fret on the “B” string. Play that once, and then just pull your 2nd and 3rd fingers off of the strings, leaving your 1st finger barring the fourteenth frets.
Measures nine and eleven – very easy to play. All you need to do is use any finger to barre the “D” string, the “G” string, and the “B” string on the seventh fret.
Measure ten – play this by barring any finger on the fourteenth fret on all strings except the two “E” strings.
Measures twelve and thirteen – play this by barring any finger on the ninth fret on the “D” string, the “G” string, and the “B” string.
Guitar 2
Measures one, two, four, five, six, eight, and ten – these parts are all identical and are also power chords. Place your 1st finger on the fifth fret on the “low E” string. Place your 3rd finger on the seventh fret on the “A” string. Play that once, and then use either your 3rd or 4th finger to stretch to the ninth fret on the “D” string.
Measures three and seven – play these measures by placing your 1st finger on the “A” string on the third fret and your 3rd finger on the fifth fret on the “D” string. Then, just leave your 1st finger where it is, and move your 3rd finger, if it is strong enough, to the seventh fret on the “D” string, If it isn’t, use your 4th finger to hit the seventh fret. Next, simply use your 1st finger on the fifth fret on the “A” string and your 3rd finger on the seventh fret on the “D” string. Move according to the
tablature to the ninth fret on the “D” string once again with either your 3rd or 4th finger.
Measures nine and eleven – here you are actually playing the same thing that you did in the first measure, but this time, move to the “A” string and the “D” string to do so.
Measures twelve and thirteen – these two measures are pretty much the same. Play them by barring your 1st finger on the seventh fret on the “A” string down to the “high E” string. Leave the “low E” open. Next, place your 3rd and 4th fingers on the ninth frets on the “D” and “G” strings. Pick accordingly, and at the end of the last measure, simply remove your 3rd and 4th fingers to play that last seventh fret note.
Bass Guitar
Measures one, two, four, five, and six – play these parts by placing your 3rd finger on the fifth fret of the E string. Play that according
to the timing of the guitar.
Measures three and seven – begin these measures by placing your 1st finger on the “A” string on the third fret. Use your 3rd finger to play the fifth fret on the same string.
Measure eight – play this part by placing your 3rd finger on the fifth fret. After you have played that a few times, use your 1st finger to play the third fret on the “A” string. Then, use your 2nd or 3rd finger to play the fourth fret on the same string.
Measures nine and eleven – play these measures by placing your 3rd finger on the fifth fret on the “A” string. Then, use your 1st finger to play the fourth fret on the “D” string. Next, use your 2nd finger to play the fifth fret on the same string. To finish the measure, use your 3rd finger to play the sixth fret, and then your 4th finger to play the seventh fret, all on the “D” string.
Measure twelve – To play the last measure of the bass part, place your 3rd finger on the seventh fret on the “A” string. Then, after you have played that a little, use your 1st finger to play the fifth fret on the same string, and then use your 2nd finger to play the sixth fret on the same string.
Chorus Riff
This one is a little bit harder to play. Fingerings are easy. Just use your 1st finger for notes on the 1st fret, your 2nd finger for notes on the 2nd fret, and your 3rd finger for notes on the 3rd fret. It makes a great finger exercise, too!
The first 4 measures are just the same notes played over and over except for a slight change at the very end. The next 3 measures is basically the same thing, except it is played on the bottom two strings.
Here’s what it sounds like at the normal tempo of 120 bpm: