The intro to "Purple Haze" is a assortment of bends, hammer-ons,
and slides. It has a strange off-the-wall sound, but this intro has
inspired thousands of people to begin learning the guitar. It's a great
passage to learn for the beginner too, because you get to use several
techniques that help make the guitar stand out from other instruments.
Here is the complete tab for the intro:
Here is what it sounds like at normal speed:
The riff is broken down into two measure segments below. Each segment
has it's own audio sample played at a slower tempo. This enables you
to isolate each segment one at a time. Practice each segment until you
are comfortable with it, then try playing it at the normal speed.
The segment above is repeated once, only this time we add another slide
from the 5th fret to the 7th fret on the A string to lead into the next
segment below:
Slower
For those of you who are having trouble playing the riff at full speed,
try playing along with the audio sample below. At this reduced speed,
you are able to hear the individual techniques used more clearly.
If you're still having trouble playing the riff at the reduced speed,
then you should practice it two measures at a time until you get a bit
more comfortable with it. It's not terribly hard to play technically,
so with a little effort and patience you'll be able to do it!
It's a good idea to practice the riff without the guitar audio to guide
you, so I've included the audio with only the bass guitar and click
track. It will probablly be a lot harder to play like this, but it makes
for great practice!
I've included a both track at the normal speed and a slower version.
