Smoke on the Water Guitar Solo Lesson - Deep Purple

In this Smoke On The Water guitar lesson series, I will teach you the main riff to this iconic guitar driven classic rock masterpiece, along with Ritchie Blackmore's awesome guitar solo note-for-note. In the first video lesson, I will teach you the riff.

A lot of this riff's popularity probably lies in the fact that it's learned by many beginner guitar players since it is actually quite easy to play. Unfortunately many of them don't play it correctly so hopefully this lesson will clear up any questions they may have.

As I mentioned in the video lesson, there are multiple ways to play this riff but I went with the way I have seen guitarist Ritchie Blackmore play it many times in live videos.

Technically this riff is not very difficult to play, but you do need to concentrate on a few things. First you want to make sure that you release the pressure on some of the chords a little bit early to make the chords slightly staccato at the very beginning on the riff. In addition to that, some of the chords are held and sustained. You need to be able to hear the difference between the two and perform them as well.

In the second video lesson the difficult level will be raised quite a bit as we tackle Ritchie Backmore's highly musical, yet virtuosic solo. As usual, I will perform the solo first, then break it down for you phrase-by-phrase to make the learning process as quick as possible. Some of the faster guitar parts are broken down into their own phrase. These little phrases make for some great technique workouts.

You should approach practicing these fast parts by repeating them in a loop. Just staying in rhythm and going through the lick again and again without stopping will help you absorb all the notes and get any recurring patterns down quickly. Good luck with this one!

The solo may be quite difficult, but this iconic guitar riff really is approachable by every guitar player on the planet so no excuses this time! There should be something in this Smoke On The Water guitar lesson series for everyone to play. :)

Carl...

[chickenflaver]

I swear to God this guy is so under appreciated

[kieranjackson]

4:42 5:51 7:09 7:40 8:50 12:12 13:30 my journey completed 2 weeks later :)

[stingernrockzone]

Im Still Wondering Why Watchmojo Ranked Smoke on the Water As The Easiest Song to Play on Guitar
While Theres A Guitar Solo That Some People Still Struggle

[repetitivemotion]

I’ve been listening to this solo for 40+ years and never really appreciated it until I started to try to learn it. It’s pretty complicated with a lot of bends. Ritchie is the master composer of great riffs and solos. Thanks for sharing this Carl.

[scottyd]

At the start where he plays the solo in full, watch his face... Carl doesn't even look at the fretboard !
You're a legend Carl for doing this video !

[neel]

Yes, but can he play Smoke on the Water?

[larryogintz]

This is one of the best breakdowns and explanations of an iconic solo I seen online. Superbly done. And tone of the strat is fantastic. Thanks for putting this here! I just realized after watching this, that after playing guitar for 54 years, I STILL learn and put real effort in this.

[tanushreenataraj]

best lessons on YouTube for any solo of any song

[guitarwelsh]

There are a lot of intricacies to the solo. You nailed them all

[garywalsh]

Blackmore wrote this 50 years ago and it's as awesome today as it ever was. Wow, that says it all. Great job bud, and thanks!!!

[LuciferBeelzeebub]

with this channel, who needs to pay a guitar teacher?

[douglascushenbery]

Thanks that helps a lot, I love Richie Blackmore's playing. Great video!

[simonbarragan]

Thank you very much for the fantastic lesson on Smoke on The Water. Wow, what detail and patience. You're a great teacher and kick butt on guitar!

[peterclune]

I am always tapping into Carl’s lessons, good tutor indeed

[fireball]

Richie's fast, bluesy run at .21 reminds me of his opening line on "Strange Kind of Woman" from the Fireball album. It's an ear-catching blast of notes that holds your attention to hear what's next. Much as I love the music, the lyrics are hilarious (as they also are on Anyone's Daughter and No One Came).

[orange]

That's an extremely creative solo.

[Henry-kj]

dont take this the wrong way Carl but your like a friend to help keep us old guys keep learning and stiving and enjoying music.

[Pieceocake]

how come more people don't watch your channel??? Most songs I have learned from you, Carl!

[hanspersson]

This is a damn great instruction video of that solo

[anniedarkhorse]

Thanks. I normally play parts and improvise around it. About time I learned it properly.