How to Play Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress
In this Guitar Control video lesson instructor Robert Baker is going to show you how to play “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” by the Hollies. Such a cool song, you will definitely recognize it, it’s been in so many movies and in so many iconic parts of movies, you may recognize it from Remember the Titans or other movies. This is kind of one of those riffs that everyone hears and maybe they never learned it but have always wanted to learn it. So today we are going to be breaking it down.
Step 1: The Opening Lick
Learning how to play “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” is learning this super cool, very moody, arpeggiated opening lick. It starts out with an open 6th string, then an open 5th string, then hammer-on to the 2nd fret on the 5th string. Then pick the open 4th string and then go to the 5th fret 4th string, and then play an open 3rd string, kinda sliding into that note. Then you are going to go to the 4th fret 4th string, then pick the open 3rd string, and then the open 2nd. Then go to the 2nd fret on the 4th string, and again pick the open 3rd string and then the open 2nd. Then go to the open 4th string then open 3rd string. Then 2nd fret 5th string to the open 4th string.
This next part is almost the top part of a G chord. With your middle finger hold down the 3rd fret 6th string and pick it once, then with your pointer hold down the 5th string 2nd fret and pick that once, so those two fingers are also placed the same on the same frets and strings and the fingers used for playing an open G major chord. Then pick the open 4th string. Then go to the 2nd fret 6th string and pick that once, and then an open 5th string, and then an open 4th string. Then go back to the G major shape at the top we did just a moment ago and pick the 6th string 3rd fret, then the 5th string 2nd fret and then the open 4th string. Then play the 6th string 5th fret, to the open 4th string, to the open 3rd string. Then slide back down and pick the 3rd fret 6th string, to the open 4th string. Then the 2nd fret 6th string, to the open 5th string. That’s the whole intro riff! If you are enjoying learning this cool riff be sure to check out our lesson on how to play Crazy on You by Heart.
Step 2: The Blues Shuffle Riff
This riff is really cool because it starts out just like a normal blue shuffle, but then they kind of tweak it a little. Starting with a normal E5, open 6th string, pointer on the 2nd fret 5th string, then when you add the shuffle you go to the 4th fret 5th string with your ring finger and then to the 5th fret 5th string with your pinky. The way they play this tho is every chord is very choppy and they kinda choke the strings. So you strum, mute, strum, mute. So those are the voicings and actually the order you play them, however after you get to the 5th string 5th fret with your pinky, you go right back to the 4th fret 5th string with your ring finger, just moving back one half step. So this riff kinda goes up and then right back down.
Starting with the E5 where your pointer finger is holding down the 5th string 2nd fret, to the 5th string 4th fret with your ring finger, to the 5th string 5th fret with your pinky, back down to the 5th string 4th fret with your ring finger. All of these also picking the open 6th string with each change at the same time, but muting in between so you’re not getting everything ringing together. This riff is very precise and clear. After you go through that once, then you go to the 2nd fret on the 5th and 4th strings and pick that twice. Then back to the shuffle but now not worrying so much about muting. Only the first one was played super staccato. The rest are a lot looser. So they just kind of keep going with that riff, repeating it over and over.
The only change that really happens in this riff is that they just add a couple simple power chords in. The G5, pointer on the 6th string 3rd fret and ring finger or pinky, your choice, on the 5th string 5th fret, and then A5, so move up two frets and do the same shape! Pointer on the 6th string 5th fret and ring finger or pinky finger on the 5th string 7th fret. Strumming only the 6th and 5th strings for both of those power chords. So four times through the shuffle and then the chords. Then back to the shuffle twice and then he moves up to the 5th fret and plays an A5 power chord, pointer on the 6th string 5th fret, middle finger on the 5th string 7th fret, and pinky doing the shuffle by grabbing the 5th string 9th fret. So alternating, shuffling, between the 5th strings 7th fret to the 5th string 9th fret. Play that four times and then move up two frets to a B5 power chord. So now your pointer is on the 6th string 7th fret, middle finger on the 5th string 9th fret, and pinky doing the shuffle by grabbing the 5th string 11th fret. Play this eight times, then back to the A four times, then to the G, so moving the shape down two frets to pointer being planted on the 6th string 5th fret again. Pointer finger is on the 6th string 3rd fret, middle finger on the 5th string 5th fret, and pinky grabbing the 5th string 7th fret to get the shuffle play this four times and then to the original shuffle in the open position and play it twice. Then back to the shuffle on A four times, then to the shuffle on G two times.
There’s two different guitar parts happening in a lot of these different sections but we are going to focus on that main line that starts with the open 6th string, then the 1st fret 3rd string three times, then pick the open 5th string and hammer on to the 2nd fret, then pick the open 4th string, and then do that part again, the open 5th string hammer on to the 2nd fret and then pick the open 4th string. Then pick both the open 4th and 3rd strings together and hammer on to the 1st fret on both of those strings, this is kind of your chord. Repeat that part and that’s it.
Recap: How to Play Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress
I hope you enjoyed learning how to play “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress”. It’s such a fun song with so many cool different parts. Remember to pay close attention to detail. A lot of these parts are kinda similar or repetitive and sometimes that can be tricky as you can almost loose concentration more easily. So really pay attention, slow things down before you speed them up, and of course, as always, have fun!
