How do you play the riff to "Suspicious Minds"?

Can't find a tab for it and can't figger it out myself.

The Dwight Yoakam version? Slap a capo on the fourth fret, and start arpeggiating a D chord. You'll get it.

Here's how I do it, Chet:

Since Elvis and the TCB Band's recording of "Suspicious Minds" is in the key of G, I start at the third fret with my pinky--and when I go up to C and D, still using my pinky for the root notes (8th and 10th fret on the low E string respectively), I use my index finger as a partial barre chord for the quick arpeggios:



E---------------------------------------------------
B--------------------0--------------1-----1---0---
G--------------------------0-----------0-----------
D--------------0--------0----(0)2-----------------
A---------------------------------------------------
E-------3------------------------------------------


E---------------------------------------------------
B--------------------0--------------1-----1---0---
G--------------------------0-----------0-----------
D--------------0--------0----(0)2-----------------
A---------------------------------------------------
E-------3------------------------------------------


E---------------------------------------------------
B--------------------5--------------6-----6---5---
G---------------------------5----------5-----------
D-------------5---------5-----(5)7----------------
A---------------------------------------------------
E-------8------------------------------------------


E--------------------------------------------------
B--------------------5--------------6-----6---5---
G---------------------------5----------5-----------
D-------------5---------5-----(5)7----------------
A---------------------------------------------------
E-------8------------------------------------------


E--------------------------------------------------
B--------------------7--------------8-----8---7--
G---------------------------7----------7---------
D-------------7---------7-----(7)9---------------
A--------------------------------------------------
E------10-----------------------------------------


E--------------------------------------------------
B--------------------5--------------6-----6---5---
G---------------------------5----------5-----------
D-------------5---------5-----(5)7----------------
A---------------------------------------------------
E-------8------------------------------------------


E---------------------------------------------------
B--------------------0--------------1-----1---0---
G--------------------------0-----------0-----------
D--------------0--------0----(0)2-----------------
A---------------------------------------------------
E-------3------------------------------------------


E---------------------------------------------------
B--------------------0--------------1-----1---0---
G--------------------------0-----------0-----------
D--------------0--------0----(0)2-----------------
A---------------------------------------------------
E-------3------------------------------------------



I hope this helps, Chet. If you have any questions, just ask.

Joel :wink:

Thanks! I'll try it out on the Tele, tonight!

<li>Don't noe fits the same song er knott and don't noe nuttin bout ritin tabs but here iss the weigh we dunn nit inna early 90s.
<li>I jes pick bass (loud and proud) on iss won and Don't noe if Mark issa pickin it like Joel wood and/or duz but yew kin lissin and copy Mark's lead-in licks few wanna.
Scroll down tew #8 "Caught inna trap"(we called it that cause we dent noe noe better).

Our version of the tune found here. (http://www.left-click.org/~dragonx/stillwater/)

<li>Did we git close Joel? HEE! HEE!


http://personalweb.sunset.net/~barron/sig.gif

Please visit my page (http://personalweb.sunset.net/~barron/)

<li>Don't noe fits the same song er knott and don't noe nuttin bout ritin tabs but here iss the weigh we dunn nit inna early 90s.
<li>I jes pick bass (loud and proud) on iss won and Don't noe if Mark issa pickin it like Joel wood and/or duz but yew kin lissin and copy Mark's lead-in licks few wanna.
Scroll down tew #8 "Caught inna trap"(we called it that cause we dent noe noe better).

Our version of the tune found here. (http://www.left-click.org/~dragonx/stillwater/)

<li>Did we git close Joel? HEE! HEE!

http://personalweb.sunset.net/~barron/sig.gif

Please visit my page (http://personalweb.sunset.net/~barron/)

That's a damn good rendition of "Suspicious Minds," FUZZY--I kid you not: It's a great OUTLAW version. I hope you take this as a compliment, but I swear that sounds like the way ol' Waylon would've done it. :wink:

------------------

Chet, I found another tab for Elvis' version of "Suspicious Minds" here (http://www.axeltabs.com/tablatures/presley_elvis/suspicious_minds.tab.html). It's not the way I play it, but looking at it, I think it just might be the actual way James Burton played it.

Joel

Hey Fuzzy, is that picture from that cool little ampitheatre on the Chico Campus next to the river?

I played the first few earth day concerts they had there
good memories

Dang y'all,

You know how some tunes just stick in yer haid? Well this one is coming up on two solid days now.

Cheers,

Bob

Here's how I do it, Chet:

Since Elvis and the TCB Band's recording of "Suspicious Minds" is in the key of G, I start at the third fret with my pinky--and when I go up to C and D, still using my pinky for the root notes (8th and 10th fret on the low E string respectively), I use my index finger as a partial barre chord for the quick arpeggios:



E---------------------------------------------------
B--------------------0--------------1-----1---0---
G--------------------------0-----------0-----------
D--------------0--------0----(0)2-----------------
A---------------------------------------------------
E-------3------------------------------------------


E---------------------------------------------------
B--------------------0--------------1-----1---0---
G--------------------------0-----------0-----------
D--------------0--------0----(0)2-----------------
A---------------------------------------------------
E-------3------------------------------------------


E---------------------------------------------------
B--------------------5--------------6-----6---5---
G---------------------------5----------5-----------
D-------------5---------5-----(5)7----------------
A---------------------------------------------------
E-------8------------------------------------------


E--------------------------------------------------
B--------------------5--------------6-----6---5---
G---------------------------5----------5-----------
D-------------5---------5-----(5)7----------------
A---------------------------------------------------
E-------8------------------------------------------


E--------------------------------------------------
B--------------------7--------------8-----8---7--
G---------------------------7----------7---------
D-------------7---------7-----(7)9---------------
A--------------------------------------------------
E------10-----------------------------------------


E--------------------------------------------------
B--------------------5--------------6-----6---5---
G---------------------------5----------5-----------
D-------------5---------5-----(5)7----------------
A---------------------------------------------------
E-------8------------------------------------------


E---------------------------------------------------
B--------------------0--------------1-----1---0---
G--------------------------0-----------0-----------
D--------------0--------0----(0)2-----------------
A---------------------------------------------------
E-------3------------------------------------------


E---------------------------------------------------
B--------------------0--------------1-----1---0---
G--------------------------0-----------0-----------
D--------------0--------0----(0)2-----------------
A---------------------------------------------------
E-------3------------------------------------------



I hope this helps, Chet. If you have any questions, just ask.

Joel :wink:

Thanks for the help, four years later! :lol:

Listening to the Elvis original just now, I don't hear open strings. So I came up with this:



E---------------------------------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------------------------------
G------------------4--------------------5--------5--------------
D------------------5--------------------5--------5--------------
A-------------5---------5-----(5)-7--------7---------7----------
E------3--------------------------------------------------------



I play it out of a standard G barre chord fingering at the third fret. Then when you see the (5) 7 indication on the 5th string, slide up two frets. Keep the index finger as the barre and then lift the 2nd and 4th fingers. The (5) 7 is implemented as a slide between these two notes on your ring finger as you change positions.

Okay, I can't resist, here's how I hear and teach it:

--------------------------------------
-----------0-------------1----1------
-----------0-------------0----0------
-------0---------0(H)2----2-----0---
---------------------------------------
---3----------3-----------------------

(G hamerred on to C/G, then when you pull off to G again the open B sounds when you play the open D string).

The C and D parts are played starting from the A form Barre chords hammering onto a Keith Richards open G style chord like this:
C
-------------------------------------------
----------5-----------------6-----6-------
----------5-----------------5-----5-------
------5-----------5(H)7------7-----5----
--3----------3----------------------------
-------------------------------------------

D
-------------------------------------------
------------7---------------8------8------
------------7---------------7------7------
--------7----------7(H)9------9-----7----
---5-----------5---------------------------
--------------------------------------------

as in the G example, pulling off from the hammered-on chord at the same time as you pluck the 4th string note sounds the B string note without using the right hand fingers. I like to place my middle and index fingers over the G and B strings while hammering-on to the upper chord each time so as not to make a note sound on the B string when the chord hammers down, I do this at the same time as playing the D string hammering part with the thumb (place fingers down to mute strings while thumb plucks).

I like to play this with thumb on E, A, and D strings , index on G string, and middle on B string. It can be played with pick and two fingers hybrid or even just with a pick, but it doesn't sound that way to my ears because the right hand muting stuff would be harder with using a pick alone.

does anyone have any video lesson versions??

I found the open strings riff above to difficult to master rapidly. My own take is very quick and dirty but I can't find fault with it.

I finger a barré G chord and play the appropriate arpeggiation for the first part of the riff, then I make a barré on the 5th fret on the 3rd, 4th and 5th strings and continue the arpeggiation for the second part of the riff.

Works fine with me.

I've been asked to play this song in an upcoming studio recording

I took a good listen to it tonight with headphones and I agree it is done with barre chords:oops:, I remember that the student I taught it to has a problem with his E shape barre chords so I had to avoid those with him and figure it out with open chords at the G part.

Here's what I think is being done on the recording:

-----------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
------------4----------------5------5--------------------------
------------5----------------5------5--------------------------
-------5-------------5(h)7-----7-------5----------------------
---3-------------3----------------------------------------------
This is pretty similar to Gaddis' post, only I hear the 5 to 7 as a hammer-on not a slide (no big difference). Play the barre chord E shape at the third fret, then move your index to barre the 5,4, and 3 strings and hammer to the 3rd finger. Move to the the 8th fret barre chord E shape to repeat this lick on the C chord part. The D part sounds different than the other two, I think it can be played like this:

----------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------7--------------------------
---------------11-------------------7--------------------------
---------------12--------7--7(h)9-----9-7--------------------
---------12----------------------------------------------------
----10---------------------------------------------------------

Start with the barre chord E shape then go to the hammer-on part and barre the 7th fret across the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd strings with the first finger hammer-on to the third on the 9thfret 4th string. It sound like the C part going back down that follows is the same lick but two frets down. Repeat all of this once more through then it's D, C Bm, and D again like this:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------11-------------------9-------------7--------------------11-------
--------------12------------------10-------------9-------------------12---------
---------12-------------------10--------------9------------------12-------------
----10-------------10----8------------8---7--------7-(slide)10-----------10---

The guitar is pretty drowned out by the piano in the first chorus but the chords are: C, G, Bm, C, D, Em, Bm, C, D, C/D, Then the second verse just like the first. The second chorus is C, G, Bm, C, D, Em, Bm, C, B7(sus4), B7 then the 1/2 time feel part Em, Bm, C, D, Em, Bm, C, D, G (with C shape barre chord, first finger at 7th fret), C, G, D,
Third verse is just G, C, D, C repeated over and over with a fade, then volume backup again then fade out.

...
This is pretty similar to Gaddis' post, only I hear the 5 to 7 as a hammer-on not a slide (no big difference)...



I'm inclined to agree. The slide makes the position change a little easier but I think the hammer-on is correct.

could somebody post a video of is finger playing that ELVIS song and then explain.Im asking a lot but would help us beginner sooooooooooooo much
again thank you
Daniel

I'll make you a deal, talk me through the steps to get a video posted here and I'll do it. I have a mac with the video lens built in and I have made video I posted to Youtube, how do I post a video from my computer to a TDPRI post?

post the video to youtube. Then pm me, and I'll tell you how to post the youtube to the tdpri.

okay the video is up hope it comes through hereRjHPZVfv6rM

awesome job man! I saw your pm first and posted instructions and you did it perfectly without any help! Way to go!

So I was close. I was only missing the hammer-on. Thanks!

Going in the studio with that baby tomorrow!

gtroates,
thanks. excellent job, very clear.

The question of "How do you play it?" has been addressed nicely, so I'll go with "How do YOU play it?".

I have a copy of the Elvis track around here somewhere, but I have to admit that I haven't listened in ages. With my duo, I do sort of a punk-folk, ultra-strummy arrangement, and I play it on a high string acoustic-electric guitar. For the I chord, I go G to C/G to G, with cowboy chords and hammers and pulls. For the IV, I use a garden variety open C chord with a G note on top, and sus the 4 and resolve it. For the V, I move the cowboy C shape up the neck a whole step, which yields that clustery D chord that contains both a 3rd and a sus4, and I hammer to the 4 (which eliminates the minor second cluster temporarily), and then I pull off of that, which brings back the cluster.

The tune also contains iii and vi minor chords, as well as a nice bass movement under the V prior to the chorus. I can't remember if this is the case on the Elvis track, but prior to the bridge, I substitute B7sus4-B7 for the iii minor. A classic secondary dominant move, even if it's not on The King's track.

This song came out when I was in junior high school. On the cheesy transistor radio I had, I had no idea what the lyrics really were. I thought he as singing "We called in a tramp". LOL.

Recycled zombie thread.

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