No mystery here… I dig Stevie Ray Vaughan and this is one of my favorite songs of his to play. It’s a little tricky on the count as you’ll see because there’s a bar of 2 in it.
I’m making an educated guess as to how this is written out… my way may or may not be “correct,” but it makes sense because of how lines feel. I often see it started on beat 3 which doesn’t make as much sense but makes it so you don’t have to have an extra bar of 2 in it.
But the old blues men of the past used to add beats all the time and it was no big deal so I think that’s what is going on here.
The other thing to watch for is all the Blues Guitar Unleashed lessons that pop up: Lesson 3 (the 9th chords,) Lesson 4 (the little chords,) Lesson 6, Lesson 7, and the start of Solo 5.
Downloads
This video (MP4)Use this link to download the video if you want to save it for later.
The TAB (PDF)Use this link to download or view the TAB in PDF format.
60 replies to "SRV Empty Arms Style Lesson"
Excellent stuff Griff!
Check out the slower version of this song and practice on that first. It’s on the Soul to Soul album.
idk about the modern era. Were no tabs or transcriptions that we could find. We played the RECORDS (vinyl);until they turned WHITE to get the lick s & songs just right. No YT videos etc. I did have 4 yrs classical training so I had technique & flexibility. After practice, all that was available was ‘music from dead people’. How I viewed it as 8-12 years old. Then I heard of a new guy named Jimi Hendrix. New guy! Jeff Beck, new guy! Chet Atkins, becoming a legend. Johnny cash glen campbell in my SoCal living room! Jst a bit o perspective. Learning 1to1 is great. Having video to ‘play til it turns black-‘haa is still the way it seems.. folks Griff has the tools and the ability to get you understanding. I used to be friends with a drummer worked w Griff. ALWAYS had best to say about Griff. I’m gleaning stuff here that has kinda ‘left my building’ so to speak, new ways to compensate for weaker hands, smaller stretches. Anyway jst a stream of opinions. Any advice? do everything new MUCH slower than you want to. You may have ability but fast could mean you muff the beginning or the end maybe bc speed tends to shorten the breathe element SOOO important to pleasing blues playing. . My 2cents. Except no charge for this opinion. Thks Griff for helping a relic from tossing all my axxes
Love this! The hardest part for me is jumping from the lick right into the B6 cord but I’m getting it
Well That goes on the wall……great practice thing goin on….
That intro always reminded me of Heartbreak Hotel.
Saw your thumb over the top of the neck a few times. Fretting a bass note or muting? Maybe a bit of both?
wow did I get some great learning from this tutorial
thank you so much Griff
Merry Christmas and in appreciation for your knowledge sharing
sincere appreciation
Is it me or is AV synch off in this video?
Many thanks, Griff!
I actually “know” how to play this one, as it’s a personal favorite – but knowing a song from someone else’s tablature DOESN’T help you to know how to count it, where the chords and licks come from, or anything other than which notes are played. I guess you could say I really only knew this in a purely mechanical sense…
After doing this lesson, I really do “know” how to play this one, which is awesome…
Awesome lesson…Thank you!!!
I love these “cherries” you pick for us from your courses. I can hardly wait to get home from work so I can chew on it.
Can this be called blues, with all those smug jazz sounds in there?
You make it look so easy, trying to hit that B6 chord at that speed is a challenge on its own! Great lesson though!😎
how about the rest of the song? plenty of people on youtube playing it trying to impress me,but no one teaches it, esp as good as you! thanks
Is this Empty Arms in one of the tracks, “29 Blues Jam Track”, cause I don’t have lesson 7, Thank’s would like to know. Always wanted to know this lesson.
The most effective guitar lessons hands down.
I am so grateful. Thank You.
Geez! After watching this I thhink iSH ould stick to singing with guitar behind my back.
You are amazing.
I’m a songwriter jus beginning the guitar, 6 months is all I have been holding theirtha thing, can’t even tell what you are doing because you’re done by the time Ihave found the first fret. Lol
another great lesson, are you going to teach the rest of the song ? I really would like to learn a whole song , instead of parts of alot songs, cant believe nobody asked! PLEASE !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Griff, how do I slow down the video about 500%
Allen,
Seriously consider Griff’s “Beginning Blues Guitar” course. He teaches from the ground up and in a manner that is easy to grasp.
Outstanding tutorial. By breaking down this complex guitar playing into bite sized bits and explaining them so clearly and simply, you have made it possible to learn this otherwise seemingly impossible piece of guitar playing. Whilst a great deal of practice will be needed you have inspired me to achieve this.
OMG – I love SRV but I’m continually thwarted by the complexity if I try and play anything by him. I just sat with your video and now I can play that too (obv some practice needed). Thanks so much – very encouraging and clear instruction!
I first saw this lesson about a year ago, and it’s interesting BECAUSE THE PDF file has a key signature in the standard notation part. More recently Griff’s PDF’s have not had a key signature and I have commented on it a couple of times. So, Griff, sometime in the past year or so your software package has gone haywire and I think you should have a look at it and try to fix it – do you agree? Cheers from Chris G.
I’ve paid for other online teachers’ courses, and can save some money on their monthly fees now by focussing on your lessons. I’ve purchased BGU, backing tracks, and more from you, and I’m excited to start learning this free lesson. 65 and getting serious. Thank you!
Hi Griff,
This would be great stuff to doddle with when you are in your favorite music store trying out that dream guitar. I can just see the people gathering around and almost hear them thinking that cat can really play!!!
Thanks for helping those of us who play guitar – play a little better!
Old School & Still Rockin’
Great Lesson buddy. I like the way you let us see what your fingers are doing and the way you explain stuff in the way us old timers can understand. Keep em coming just the way you do. Don’t know enuf to comment on the retuning down stuff but I like leaving my guitar tuned natural and so I think using the board the way you do is more useful. Thx Rich
hey Griff, Great lesson will get to it soon as busy with some of BGU course at present.
Love SRV songs.
Michael-Sydney-Australia 29 Jan 2016
great stuff Griff
Outstanding lessen ! Thank you!!!!!!
SRV Empty Arms Style
Thanks, Griff. A GREAT lesson! I’d love to see more like this one, and am looking forward to the solo.
Alright SRV stuff . My only comment is that I believe that just changing the key is not exactly the way SRV did it . Dropping the tuning is best to do this . Its Stevies signiture sound and He did it alot .
If You use a didgitial tuner just tune down to the flat side of the major note . OR the sharp side of the flat ,know what I mean dig it.
Put your capo behind first fret and tune as normal. take capo off and you are a slack tuner just like SRV,Jimi and many other famous playing in the of Eb . Griff writes the tab in E so thats the note you play.
All Night Long Shorty
Just one comment to Tony. I don’t agree with dropping notes down natural E and natural A in 440 and musically griff is teaching you the right way.Stevie drops it down so it’s easyer to move on the fret board on stage,
its the tone advantage yes . Yes Griff he is good . A follower many years guitar player for over fourty years . Performer experience many years . I cried when stevie died . Its like this Man from england You cant copy anyones work exactly cause Griff would have to pay for it. Im a englishman 2
Great Lesson, I find the fingering a bit tricky for the B6 so will need some practice
Hey. Griff I been playing his sound that’s some thing to hear you playing SRV
Real good lesson Griff. I like it.
Great lessons,keep up the great work
This is REALLY a great intro!
Thanks for the terrific lesson.
Very cool lesson and a great breakdown of the licks as usual. This one will keep me busy all weekend. Happy Friday!
The link provided for the MP4 format video is not for this video.
Is there another place to get it?
http://bguvideos.s3.amazonaws.com/EmptyArmsStyleLesson.mp4
Great big lesson Griff, plenty for us to get our teeth into. Looks like its gonna be a musical weekend for me and my Guitar.
Excellent lesson and inspires us all whether or not we want to play in a band or are content as a ‘bedroom guitarist’!
Good one Griff,i purchased your Acoustic Blues Guitar Unleashed a few months ago and (due to work commitments)im just starting it this week hopefully but these little lessons are brilliant and keep me interested,gonna work on this one.Thanks Griff.
Mike, I just finished this course, I think you’ll love it.
Great lesson. The mp4 video seems to be for a different lesson though.
Thank you Griff for doing this…. I love these types of lessons.
As Gary L said this is what a lot of us are looking for, the bridge to real music that most of us are striving to play.
It’s funny, I just realized why guitar is so difficult for for me, by reading the above and Gary L’s comment. I never had the patients to learn someone else’s songs. Too much repetition. I just play what’s in my head at the time. Unfortunately I’m not talented enough to be famous or even known. But I do know very few people make it big covering someone else’s songs. If you’re not talented enough to do your own thing. Look for a job driving a truck or become a doctor or lawyer. And do like I do, sit by yourself and put all those bits and pieces you know together in as many variations as you can think of until one makes you happy. Then move on to more variations.
Sorry Fraser that was meant for Sam
Sam,
The main thing I love about Griff’s instruction is that he teaches how the song is made. Where the riffs come from and how to make them your own. That aspect may not be completely clear in his free lessons, but it is abundantly clear in his paid lessons.
Great stuff griff as normal,as a pro guitar player myself you teach the right way every time I play some of Stevie ray vs music,well all if I had the tabs and music ,but you have it spot on but defo 2 licks on that A note but I do think your one strike makes more sense all so when you go up to the f sharp to start the chord is a great way for these guys to get moving form 1 string to the 5 string ,also to Sam you must learn to play other people’s music to understand how and why chords are put together to make a progression then your own style will come ,and also you can learn the pentotonic scales untill your blue in the face you still won’t sound like griff untill you learn how to move from one scale to another and remain in the right key and still in time and finishing on the root notes as well as starting on them, I practice calling out a note then playing the notes on the fret board it’s second nature to me and helps a lot all so practise my bends so there on the note I want and my vibrato people say mine sound good but it’s not how I want it to sound in my head so allways working on that.keep up the good work guys you will get there I did
So, apparently, if you’re not as “talented” as Sam sell your guitar or just throw it away. So all the members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra are all talentless pricks and should all be driving trucks for playing other composer’s music. Similarly Eric Clapton and Cream were all totally useless playing blues standards, before doing some of their own stuff. Please think before you print!!
For all new guitarists, soak up as much recorded and live music as you can. Copy your Heroes note for note and try to discover what the guy is doing to make it sound so good and try to do it yourself. Watch as many live videos as you can to see how they do it. Listen to top instructors like Griff and HAVE FUN!!! The more you do this the sooner you will develop your own style. Find a few likeminded guys (at a similar level to you) that might like to get together and jam and HAVE FUN!!
…not trying to “make it big.” This isn’t “a job.” And, I get tons of satisfaction being able to play a song exactly as the masters have played them.
I did “like you did” for 30 years and learned nothing…now I know better, thanks to Griff!
Love this version, thanks Griff
WTF???
It’s nice to see some of the bits and pieces from the BGU course put together to form some “real music”. I have a lot of bits and pieces, but no real songs to play for anybody, aside from just simply strumming. Thanks!