Hair of The Dog Riff Guitar Lesson
In this Guitar Control video lesson instructor Robert Baker, is going to teach you how to play “Hair of The Dog” on guitar by Nazareth. Nazareth was a very interesting band for their time period, they didn’t sound like a band from the 70’s, they definitely had a much heavier sound.Today Robert will cover the main riffs of this song. With a lot of these riffs you can play the same notes in different ways and in different places. Robert prefers open strings because he likes the way they sound, so that is what he will be showing you today.
Step 1: The Main Riff
First step for learning how to play “Hair of The Dog” on guitar is to play the open low E, the 6th string, twice. Then use your middle finger to pick the 6th string 2nd fret and then your ring finger to pick the 6th string 3rd fret. Then pick the 5th string 2nd fret and then the 4th string 2nd fret. Then pick an open G note, the open 3rd string, then on the D-string pick the 2nd fret to the open string back to the 2nd fret. Then repeat all of that four times.
After that move everything down a string, so now the same movements but everything down a string. Start with your open A-string, the 5th string, and pick it twice. Then play the 5th string 3rd fret with your middle finger and the 5th string 4th fret with your ring finger. Then use your pointer to play the 2nd fret 4th string and then the 2nd fret 3rd string. Then go to the 1st fret 2nd string to 2nd fret on the 3rd string, to open 3rd string, and then back to the 2nd fret on the 3rd string repeat all of this twice. However on the second time through you stop before you play the 1st fret 2nd string and now I actually play the same note but on the 5th fret 3rd string and bend it slightly down once and then pick it once and then end on the 3rd string 2nd fret. So bend pick pick, for those last three notes. Then back to the original riff and key! So playing the first thing we learned and starting with the open 6th string.
Step 2: The Chorus
The chorus starts with an open E5 power chord, so you pick the 6th string open, place your pointer on the 5th string 2nd fret and strum only these two strings, the 6th and 5th strings. Then he goes to a G5 rooted on the 6th string, holding down the 6th string 3rd fret with his pointer finger and the 5th string 5th fret with his pinky, then move two frets up, same fingers holding down an A5 power chord. So pointer on the 6th string 5th fret and pinky on the 5th string 7th fret. Then back to repeat everything except this time when you get to the G5 and A5 you know play each of these chords twice. So open E5 once then G5 twice and A5 twice. Then back to the main riff! If you are enjoying this song be sure to check out our video on how to play Come Together by The Beatles, another simple, but awesome arpeggiated classic riff.
Step 3: The Last Riff
This is the last riff Robert will cover today. Everything above is really the whole song, there is only one other part that is different. You’ll hear an almost synthesized vocal… it sounds very different so you’ll know it;s this part. And while that’s going on you are going to start with an E5 power chord on the 7th fret 5th string, which is your root, holding it down with your pointer finger and your ring finger on the 9th fret 4th string with your pinky under holding down the 9th fret 3rd string. Then play a G5 power chord, pointer on the 3rd fret 6th string, ring finger on the 5th fret 5th string, and pinky on the 5th fret 4th string, play this twice and then go to an A5, so move this same shape up two frets. The A5 is played with your pointer on the 6th string 5th fret, ring finger on the 5th string 7th fret, and pinky on the 4th string 7th fret, also playing this chord twice.
Then there is a little walk down part that goes E5 once, the same E5 we played in the part before rooted on the 7th fret 5th string. Then move two frets down to a D5, pointer on the 5th fret 5th string, ring finger on the 7th fret 4th string and pinky on the 7th fret 3rd string, strum once. Then move all the way down to the B5 on the same string, so now pointer on the 5th string 2nd fret, ring on the 4th fret 4th string, and pinky on the 4th fret 3rd string, strum once and then go back to the D5. This goes into the main riff having the open E note, the 6th string, start you off instead of the E5 chord on the 7th fret 5th string.
Recap: Hair of The Dog Guitar Lesson
I hope you enjoyed learning how to play “Hair of the Dog” on guitar. Not a super complicated song but very fun to play. There isn’t really a solo in this one so make sure to really focus on these rhythms and playing with lots of feel and attitude.
