The introductory guitar riff of Don’t Fear the Reaper (from Blue Oyster Cult’s 1976 album Agents of Fortune ) is a recurring theme throughout this song and stands out because of its simplicity and catchy melody. It is safe to say that the whole song is, essentially, built around this riff.
The guitar has a distinctively clear sound that carries an element of sustain, which means it does not come across as too plinky plonky. This is helped by the fact that the open G and D strings ring out (at different times) throughout the riff, which give it a lovely fluency.
And it’s not too difficult to learn either. If you can play an Am in the open position and the bottom E and A strings of the G and F chords, this riff will be sitting in your back pocket and ready to perform in a couple of hours. But with all these things, there is always a challenge – being able pick the correct strings as fluently as possible and, of course, in the right order. Enjoy.
Click here for more details…
Each Riff Includes Step By Step Videos, Tabs and Backing Tracks
Learn to play this Riff and Jam with our included backing tracks. And all the teaching and Jam session videos can either be viewed online, or downloaded to your PC.
-
Andy Partridge on Google Plus
Related posts:
Tags: Andy Partridge, BandJammer, Blue Oyster Cult, Don't Fear The Reaper, Guitar Riffs, Learn Guitar
May 9, 2012 at 7:41 am 
Leave A Reply (No comments So Far)
No comments yet