Call Me The Breeze Guitar Lesson
In this Guitar Control video lesson, I’m going to show you how to play “Call Me the Breeze”. In this guitar lesson we’re going to focus on the Intro. This song is so fun and will be a little challenging. Though you probably have heard “Sweet Home Alabama” a million times, it’s pretty cool to learn a lesser know Skynyrd hit that will push you a little. This intro is pretty quick and it’s very musical and very well written. We are going to break this intro down and break up into different phrases to make it easier to learn and then connect them all at the end.
Step 1: Phrase One and Two
We start off our “Call Me The Breeze” guitar lesson by sliding on the 4th string 7th fret all the way to the 11th fret. When we slide we actually put our finger down, pick the 1st note to hear and push it to the 2nd note we want to hear. But make sure you don’t lift your finger up, that’s how we keep the sustain, meaning we keep the note ringing out. So you pick and push your finger over to the next note, again, not relieving the pressure from your finger since you first picked it.
Then we are going to hammer-on from the 9th fret to the 11th fret, both on the 3rd string, using your pointer to your third finger. A hammer-on is when you pick once, just like in the slide, but instead of pushing over to the next note you slap your finger down, and that’s how you get the next note to ring out without picking twice. So you hear two attacks but you only physically pick the first one with your picking hand. After all of that we are going to vibrato and hang out on the 10th fret 2nd string for one sixteenth note and an entire measure.
Phrase two stars with a full step bend on the 2nd string 12 fret. Then I pick the 12th fret 2nd string to the 10th fret 2nd string back to the 12th fret 2nd string. The full step bend we did was only up, not up and down. Also when bending be sure to use your first and second fingers for support on the bend and wrap your thumb around the neck. While your hand is wrapped around the neck and your fingers are bending the string, also push your thumb towards your other fingers to get a stronger bend. Check the video at 2:28 to see what I’m talking about. Also you can check what you bend should sound like by picking two frets up from the note you are bending to hear what your bend should sound like. If you are enjoying learning this intro be sure to check out my other lesson on how to play the intro to Strange Brew by Cream.
Step 2: Phrase Three and Four
Phrase three sounds kind of similar to phrase one, but instead of sliding from the 7th fret to the 11th fret, we are going to hammer-on the 9th fret to the 10th fret on the 4th string. For this hammer-on, I actually use my middle finger on the 9th fret and my ring finger on the 10th. By using my middle finger and my third finger, I am able to have my pointer ready to go on the 9th fret 3rd string to do a hammer-on from the 9th fret to the 11th.
Then we’re going to hang on the 10th fret with our second finger on the 2nd string and add vibrato. Instead of hanging that note out a long time though we pick the 10th fret again quickly, same string, 2nd string. Then we use our pointer to pick the 9th fret 3rd string, straight into a whole step bend on the 12th fret 2nd string, and then pick the 10th fret 2nd string once. Then we’re gonna repeat that bend, the 12th fret 2nd string, and again pick the 10th fret 2nd string after. Then we are going to repeat the bend one more time but instead of going to the 10th fret 2nd string like we have been, we are going to put our pinky under our ring finger on the 1st string 12th fret. Ending phrase three with a final bend on the 12th fret 2nd string.
Phrase four sounds almost exactly the same, but has a different ending. So it is identical to phrase three up until the second time we bend the 12th fret 2nd string. So repeat all the way until that part, and then instead of going to the 10th fret 2nd string like we did the previous time, we are going to go straight into a picking part. We’re going to use our pointer on the 10th fret 2nd string, our ring finger will be on the 12th fret 2nd string, and our middle finger on the 11th fret 3rd string. So we start this picking part by picking the 10th fret 2nd string sand then the 12th fret 2nd string. Then we pick the 11th fret on the 3rd string and then back to the 2nd string picking frets 10, 12, and 10 again. Back to the 11th fret 3rd string, to the 10th fret 2nd, and then back again to the 11th fret 3rd string, ending with one last picked note on the 10th fret 2nd string and sliding it down towards the head stock to end this phrase. For the very end we slide from about the 1st fret to the 12th on the 1st string.
Recap: Call Me The Breeze Guitar Lesson
I hope you enjoyed our “Call Me The Breeze” guitar lesson. Remember to practice these licks slow first and then build them up to speed. That way you won’t miss any of the details that make this a stand out Intro! And of course, as always, remember to have fun playing! That’s what it’s all about.
