Instant Keef

Play like Keef in no time!

Tune Your Guitar into an Axe Fit for a Keef
Nobody is sure exactly how or why, but some time in the late 60s Keith chose a new
tuning for his guitars. Most chroniclers agree that Ry Cooder taught it to him while
working with the tones on the ister Mor!hine solo" which seems strange because
by that time Keith had already used it on #onky $onk %oman. &f a little drugs can
!lay with your !erce!tions of time, !erha!s the 'uantity that the tones were
consuming at this time was enough to ri! the (ery fabric of the s!ace)time
continuum itself.
%hate(er exactly ha!!ened, the new tuning defined the distincti(e tones sound
from that !oint forward" with e(en the early classics such as atisfaction and
*um!in+ *ack ,lash getting a retuned re(am! for concert !laying.
Introducing the Keef Open G
$he secret to Keith+s !laying is to tune - of your guitar+s strings down . semitones.
/ou start out with a normally tuned guitar, and end u! with a !ower axe0
Original 1 2 3 4 5 1
Open G 3 4 3 4 5 3
&f you+re familiar with guitar tuning or music theory then you+ll already be reaching
for the guitar and getting tuned u!. ,or the rest of you, here+s one way to get your
guitar ready for a Keef)a)thon"
How to Tune to Open G
#ere are the ste!s & use"
6. #old the b)string down at the third fret, and tune down the bottom e)string
until it sounds the same as the held down b)string.
.. 3ro! the to! e)string until it sounds one octa(e higher than the d)string. /ou
can test this by holding the e)string down at the 6.
th
fret and com!aring that
with the d)string, to see if they sound the same.
-. 3ro! the a)string+s tuning so that it+s the same note as the newly retuned to!
e)string, held on the fifth fret.
Instant Keef 1
7. Check all the strings and fine tune as necessary. $he to! a)string should
sound like the to! e)string held down on the fifth fret. $he d)string should
sound like the a)string held down on the se(enth fret. $he g)string and b)
string should be as normal. $he bottom e)string should sound the same as the
b)string held down on the third fret.
8. 9r, instead of 7, :ust strum the guitar without any fingering and if you get a
nice sounding chord then you+re all set.
&f you are in tune, and you :ust strum the guitar without any fingering at all, you will
be getting a 4 ma:or chord. $hat+s why it+s called 9!en 40 lea(ing all the strings o!en
creates a 4 chord.
Keith and the top string
Keith often com!letely remo(es the to! e)string ;which we :ust tuned
to a d<, lea(ing him with a fi(e string guitar. &n his own words0 =fi(e
strings, three notes, two fingers and one arsehole to !lay it=.
Remo(ing a string is 'uite a bit of effort, so it+s best to lea(e it on but
don+t !lay it much.
Basic Chords with One Finger
$he best thing about the Keef tuning is that you can !lay ma:or chords with :ust one
finger. $his is (ery useful if you are smashed off your face on some hideous cocktail
of boo>e and !ills and !owders. *ust barre your index finger across the guitar, and
mo(e it u! and down the fret board" and remember that you only need to !lay the
bottom fi(e strings0
Fret 0 1 2 3 4 5
Chord 4 4? 2 2? 5 C
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
C? 3 3? 1 , ,? 4
@ike most rockers, a lot of the songs Keef !lays are based mainly around three
chords. @ots of his chord se'uences are mainly 4, C, and 3. 9ther fa(ourites are
based around C, 4, and ,. ome are based around 2, 3, 1.
$ake some time to !lay some classic rock chord se'uences using the new tuning. &t+ll
feel strange at first, but you+ll soon wonder why you bothered !laying any other way.
;Antil you try to !lay a minor chord, that is.<
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The First Step to the Most Memorable Riff in Rock
9ne of the most memorable riffs in rock history is the main, re!eating theme in
5rown ugar. &t really is the e!itome of Keef+s style" let+s take our first ste!s towards
!laying it"
Fret 8 5 1 3 5
Chord 3? C , 4 C
$ake the time to !ractice that until you are making smooth chord changes. Blay the
3? for a full bar, the C for a full bar, the , and 4 for half a bar each, and then return
to the C.
9f course it sounds much more interesting when Keef !lays it. %hat+s his secretC
@et+s find outD
Keefs Faourite !iff
$he great thing about using Keef+s tuning while reasonably sober is that you can !lay
the basic chords with one finger, and use the other three to add interesting extras.
Asing your !inky is hard work of course. $he good news is that Keef rarely bothers
with it.
$he interesting !arts of Keef+s !laying usually in(ol(e using the middle and ring
finger to su!!lement the basic ma:or chord that+s !layed with the index finger.
Nearly all of the Rolling tones+ rockers from the E0s onwards in(ol(e switching
ra!idly between a basic chord and the addF chord 8 semitones higher than the basic
chord. ounds !retty scaryC &t+s not" it+s easy.
$o switch between a 4 and a CaddF, :ust strum the o!en strings on your Keef tuned
instrument, then !ut your middle finger on the second fret of the d)string, and your
index finger on the first fret of the b)string0
D|-0-0-
B|-0-1-
G|-0-0-
D|-0-2-
G|-0-0-
D|-X-X-
*ust !lay around with that for a while" try a nice, relaxed strumming while
switching your fingers on and off the d and b strings at different times. $hen try
some (ariations on the strum !attern too" you+ll start to recognise a Keef)i)ness to
your !laying alreadyD
Instant Keef "
$echnically s!eaking, when you add extra fingers to the basic chord
then it becomes a whole other chord. Referring to these by name makes
Keef)style !laying sound much more com!licated than it really is. Most
of the time we can dis!ense with chord names and :ust think of the
extra fingers as variants of the root chord" different fla(ours added to
make the chords more exciting.
Moing the Riff !wa" from G
$hat was easy, and only took two fingers. Now we+re going to !lay the same riff"
only this time we+ll !lay it in C, not 4. 5ecause you can+t rely on o!en strings for the
basic chord, you+re going to need to bring three of your fingers into !lay.
,irst of all, get your index finger laid across the fifth fret as if you+re !laying a basic C
chord. Now !ut your middle finger on the sixth fret of the b)string, and your ring
finger on the se(enth fret of the d)string0
D|-5-5-
B|-5-6-
G|-5-5-
D|-5-7-
G|-5-5-
D|-X-X-
2gain, try !laying with different rhythm (ariations as you switch between C and ;so
we+re told< ,addF.
9nce you+(e got used to doing that, you really will start to notice how tonesy your
!laying is starting to sound. /ou+(e already learned the most im!ortant and
distincti(e !art of Keith+s techni'ue. $he main task left is to take that !attern and
mo(e it around the fret board.
#$ploring the St"le
Mo(ing around the fret board is easy" :ust slide your index finger until you+(e got
the desired basic chord, and kee! your other fingers in about the same !osition
relati(e to your index finger.
&f you+re starting on the fifth fret ;in C< then here are the other fret !ositions and
chords you+ll most likely want to go to0
Fret 0 (1) 3 5 8 10 12
Chord 4 ;4?< 2? C 3? , 4
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;/ou !robably won+t go to fret !osition 6 (ery often when !laying in C" which is
why it+s in brackets.<
9nce you+(e !layed around a while, you+ll start noticing familiar riffs. ,or instance,
!laying (ariances on the fifth fret ;CG,addF< for two bars, then mo(ing down to the
third fret ;2?< and !laying fewer (ariants will sound :ust like the introduction to
tart Me A!.
The Most Memorable Riff in Rock Reisited
Remember the first attem!ts at !laying the main riff from 5rown ugarC $hat must
feel !retty boring after !laying (ariations all o(er the fret board" but now try it
again with (ariants added ;:ust im!ro(ise the rhythm and switching between (ariant
and normal until you like what you hear<0
Fret 8 5 1 3 5
Chord 3?G4?addF CG,addF 4?
GC?addF
2?
G3?addF
CG,addF
/ou should find that it now sounds much more authentic now. $he only slightly
tricky addition is that for the final two chords ;fret three and then the return to fret
fi(e< start on the (ariant and then return to the basic chord, rather than starting on
the basic chord before going to the (ariant.
$ore %and& 'ariants
$here are other useful (ariants that you can use to make the chords sound e(en more
interesting. &f you want to be like Keef then you+ll need to know them. #ere are the
two im!ortant ones.
$he good news is that they easier than what you+(e already done" they re'uire
exactly half the work. Ase your index finger to !lay the chord as normal, then let the
middle finger do its work on the b)string, or your ring finger do it+s work on the b)
string" but not both. $he exam!le is in C again but you can mo(e it where you like0
D|-5-5-5-
B|-5-5-6-
G|-5-5-5-
D|-5-7-5-
G|-5-5-5-
D|-X-X-X-
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#a(e a !lay with those two (ariants, mixing it in with the one you know already.
/ou+ll find that these two ha(e a similar but more subtle effect than the first. /ou can
usually use them in the exact same situations.
Other Riffs to %se with &aution
o far, the (ariants we+(e seen will !retty much always work. &f the rest of the band is
!laying a C, or the song uses a C, and you !lay around using the (ariants we+(e seen
so far then the chances are it will sound good. 9n a(erage, !eo!le will be more
im!ressed with you than ashamed of you when you do that. $hese next two are not
such a safe bet, but in the right situations it can sound great.
%ith the first one, you !ut your index finger on the g)string, two frets forward from
the basic chord0
D|-0-0-
B|-0-0-
G|-0-2-
D|-0-0-
G|-0-0-
D|-X-X-
Ased in the right !laces, this !roduces are surly, wailing sound.
$he other is (ery similar, but you !ut your middle finger back in its familiar !lace on
the b)string0
D|-0-0-
B|-0-1-
G|-0-2-
D|-0-0-
G|-0-0-
D|-X-X-
9f course, you can mo(e these around the fret board so that it can su!!lement other
basic chords" :ust use your index finger to !ro(ide the basic chord, and add these
enhancements.
&f you try this on the 5rown ugar riff then you+ll find that sometimes it sounds
great, other times it sounds 9K, but other times it sounds !retty rubbish. uch is the
danger of this (ariant. 9nly use it if you know for sure it will work.
Instant Keef )
Some Theor" to 'ring it Together
9ften in the song #a!!y, Keith uses this riff ;or (ariations on it<0
D|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5
B|-5-6-6-5-6-6-6-5
G|-5-7-7-5-5-5-5-5
D|-5-5-5-5-7-7-7-5
G|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5
D|-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
2lthough to !lay ;and hear< this really seems like (ariations on an C)chord, there are
actually - different chords being !layed here in the se'uence C, 4Esus, C, ,addF, C.
$his is one of the reasons Keith+s style sounds so rocky" extra mini chord se'uences
a!!ear wo(en into his rhythm !arts.
9n the 1xile on Main treet album, Keith !lays #a!!y with a ca!o on
the fifth fret" mo(ing the riff from C to ,.
Get Your !ight %and *or+ing
o far we+(e only really looked at what+s going on with your left hand ;unless you+re
left handed<. Now let+s look at how to get a Keith)style strum going.
9n lots of his rock songs, Keith doesn+t really strum at all. &nstead he uses riffs based
on the (ariants we+(e seen already to dri(e the song forward. &f you listen to his
!laying, !articularly li(e rockers, you+ll rarely hear a regular strum !attern from one
bar to the next.
Timing
Keith claims that the secret to timing is to !lay something :ust when !eo!le least
ex!ect it. @isten to his recordings, and you+ll hear that e(ery sound he !roduces is a
bit of a sur!rise, and conse'uently a bit exciting.
#ere are some ti!s for getting similarly exciting and sur!rising timings0
3on+t be afraid of !laying nothing. @et the sustain carry for a while, then
sur!rise e(erybody with an energetic !ower chord. 9n the (erses for 5rown
ugar, for exam!le, Keith really doesn+t do (ery much" but e(erything he
does do is exciting.
@ook for chances to em!hasise or counter!oint the drums and melody. 9n
lots of songs, the singer will em!hasise some notes and words more than
Instant Keef ,
others. Ase the guitar to gi(e the lyricist some extra oom!h" or wait for a
break between lines and fill the ga! in the (ocal with some muscular riffing.
Change the timings between (erses" and consider switching chords :ust
before or :ust after you+re su!!osed to. %hen using (ariants, don+t always
switch between the basic chord and a (ariant at the exact same time in each
bard.
Mo(e from the basic chord to (ariants while the strings are still ringing from
the !re(ious strum
$ry two strums in ra!id succession, the first one :ust before the beat
!nother Right Hand Trick
3on+t always !lay all the strings. Most of the time, you+ll be concentrating on the fi(e
strings Keith uses" but e(en with in that, look for (ariations. ometimes !lay only
the to! three notes, other times the bottom three, and other times the middle three.
$hese will bring out different as!ects of the chord. Combine switches between
strings with (ariants and the timing tricks abo(e, and you can !lay what will sound
like lead runs" but will be :ust as easy to !lay as the chords.
-sefu. /ites on the 0et
www.olga.net H loads of tabs. earch for the Rolling stones.
Instant Keef 1