Sections B/D/G

Measures 9-10:
The first thing you will notice in this measure is the key change to A-Major.  Wrong again. The piece was already in A, and is now changing to E. As noted in the text, this denotes the E Mixolydian scale. Other songs in Mixolydian mode: Sweet Home Alabama, Norwegian Wood, and Ramblin' Man. Listen for harmonic similarities in this run to these songs.

E-chord and open E played on upbeat of 1, then on downbeat of 3. This odd shift creates tension which is resolved by the next five triplets. The overall effect gives this run a swirling feel. When the whole four bar phrase is played, I feel the tension and resolution cycle in bars 1 and 2, then again in bars 3 and 4, as well as in the entire phrase (bars 1 and 2 creating a different melodic tension which is resolved in bars 3 and 4). Embedded tension and release; an advanced concept.

Measure 11:

Time to skip back down the neck. The attack and decay of these partial chords is critical. If you get lazy and hold the notes too long you will quit swinging and start marching, and who wants that?

Notice in this bar that on the partial chord of the third beat JD's line adds stacatto and continues this into beats 1 and 2 of measure 12.

JJ plays his partials in stacatto on beats 1 and 2 of measure 12. Both are palm-muting the open E string on the upbeats.

WR is allowing his partials their full 1/8th note value, but lays out on the upbeat open E. This allows all of their lines to be distinctive and audible yet keeps the three parts from stomping around on top of eachother. Again, amazing that the transcriber would include this level of detail.

Measure 12:

Don't forget the fast vibrato on the 1 1/2 beat partial chord of and-four-and. (all three parts)

Measures 13-14:
These repeat measures 9-10. (Although they're slightly more compressed on the page.)

Measure 15:
On first blush this looks identical to measure 11. Is it? No! Now things start to get a little bit weird and hellecastery. The partial chords have all stayed on the same beats as in measure 11, but the low E notes have shifted positions, starting from the downbeat of 2. Your subconcious detects this as tells you "uh-oh, something's gonna happen."

Measure 16:

When it does happen, it almost feels like a rhythmic shift from swinging 1/8ths to straight 1/8ths for just one bar. And take note of what WR is doing, the natural harmonics he plays are now on the downbeat of 2 and upbeat of 3, rather than on the downbeats of 1 and 3 as in the Main Riff. This tension is resolved in the next measure, and gives the return to the Main Riff that back-in-the-pocket comfortable feel. Update: the fingerings in the book are incorrect for John's part. The book says that he slides down on the b and g-strings, but he's actually playing the same notes but instead on the b and high e-strings. If you listen carefully you may hear the difference. If you watch him play it you'll definitely see this.