Soul guitar
Soul guitar is not loud, yet you hear it in every bar: short phrases between vocal lines, sixths with a slide, soft hammer-ons. Below are the chords, scale, techniques and a part you can hear and slow down.
1960s70–110 BPMC–Am–Dm7–G7sixths
What is soul
Soul grew out of gospel and rhythm and blues in the 1950s and 60s. The Stax studio in Memphis and Motown in Detroit made it the defining American music of the 60s. The singer’s voice is always at the centre, and the band plays tight and precise.
A soul guitarist rarely takes a solo. The guitar answers the vocal with short phrases, plays chord fragments on the top strings and decorates them with hammer-ons and slides. Fewer notes, each one in its place.
Signature chords
C, Am, Dm7, G7 (I, vi, ii7, V7) sounds softer than plain triads: the seventh chords add warmth, and G7 pulls back to C. Play it fingerpicked to hear how the chords flow into each other.
Scale for soloing
C major suits the melodies. The melody on this page is played in the 5th position, mostly on the pentatonic notes C, D, E, G, A. F and B appear where the chord asks for them.
Techniques
Sixths
Two notes on the 3rd and 1st strings, with the 2nd string skipped and muted. The pair sounds sweet and instantly says soul. Play it with fingers or pick and middle finger. Listen to the part below: every double stop in it is a sixth.
Hammer-on from sus2
Hold Dsus2 and hammer a finger onto the 2nd fret of the 1st string: sus2 becomes a plain D major. Soul guitarists of the 60s loved this move. Tap Dsus2 to hear the starting chord.
The dominant seventh
G7 holds a tension that wants to resolve to C. In soul it is played short and a little early, just before the change. Tap G7 and then play C to hear the resolution.
Soul-style guitar part
Sixths over the chords of the progression. At the start of each bar the pair slides in from two frets below. Play quietly and softly, as if backing a singer rather than soloing.
Soul-style melody
The phrase opens with a C to D hammer-on, climbs to G with vibrato and falls to A. In the second half the melody passes through F over Dm7 and stops on B, the leading tone to C.
The riff opens as a draft: change notes, tempo and tracks however you like.
Open in RiffonicWhat to listen to
Listen to these songs and pay attention to what is described next to each one.
- Otis Redding - “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”. The guitar barely steps forward: short chord fragments and double stops between the vocal lines.
- The Impressions - “People Get Ready”. A soft clean tone and hammer-on decorations on the chords: an example of the guitar "singing" along with the voice.
- Sam & Dave - “Soul Man”. A short guitar fill with a slide, after which the singer calls the guitarist by name. Hear how few notes a memorable phrase needs.
Every riff and solo on this page is an original exercise in the style of the genre, not the notes of someone else’s song.
FAQ
What are sixths on guitar?
Two notes a sixth apart, most often on the 3rd and 1st strings with one string skipped. You move them up and down through the chord tones and get a singing two-voice part.
Should soul be played fingerstyle?
Not necessarily. Many soul guitarists use a pick, but string-skipping double stops are easier with pick and middle finger, or with fingers alone.
How is soul different from funk?
Funk grew out of soul. In funk the sixteenth notes and muted hits come first and the guitar acts like a drum. In soul the tempo is calmer and the guitar sings along with the voice.