What’s your favorite Clapton solo?
Tough question, huh? I know, that’s like asking a parent to pick a favorite child.
Since Eric Clapton is such a diverse player whose genius work spans a few genres, I have a difficult time narrowing down his solos to just one favorite. But, this is for sure. When he fires up his trusty Strat du jour and unleashes some blues-rock pentatonic fury, my jaw drops. It just doesn’t get much better for me.
If pressed, I would say the live version of I Shot the Sheriff from Crossroads 2004 is exceptional, even for Clapton.
After seeing this the other day, I immediately grabbed my guitar and attempted to rock my blues guitar licks like Clapton.
Rock Your Blues Guitar Licks with Clapton-Style Legato
The first bar and a half is chock full of hammer-on and pull-off combos that scream Clapton and for that matter, rock in general.
Legato: Italian for “tied together”
The timing of the hammer on / pull-off combos is super important. practice this with a metronome. Its easy to get ahead of the beat with legato playing and it takes great skill to make sure these non-picked notes are played in time.
Check out the video to see how I lock in with the beat using the metronome at a slow and normal tempo.
Channel Clapton’s Blues-Rock Licks
I still can’t say that the solo from “I Shot the Sheriff” is my favorite Clapton style lick, but I can say it is incredibly fun to play and to mimic.
Give this Clapton inspired lick a try in your own jam sessions and you’ll be channeling the blues-rock skills of Clapton for sure!