Sep/26/07
11comments

Deep Purple – Smoke On the Water

deep purple smoke on the water ukulele riff
Smoke on the Water midi

This is the first riff every guitarist learns to play. It’s the embodiment of the ‘less is more’ philosophy.

Deep Purple guitarist and writer of this riff, Ritchie Blackmore is currently writing madrigals and appearing at a renaissance fair near you.


Deep Purple - The Very Best of Deep Purple - Smoke On the Water

Suggested by Stewart and weelie

11 Comments

  1. indigo_jones September 27th, 2007 2:36 pm

    It’s funny because it’s true! That really was the first riff I learned to play on the guitar!

    I’m enjoying this series. Thanks for doing it!

  2. Woodshed September 27th, 2007 7:58 pm

    First one I learned too. Glad you like the series. I’m thinking of going back and doing numbers 20 to 11 at some point.

  3. Uke Hunt » Top Ten Guitar Riffs for Ukulele Roundup October 4th, 2007 8:19 pm

    [...] Child O’ Mine. 1.5 Back In Black. 2. Whole Lotta Love. 3. Paranoid. 4. Seven Nation Army. 5. Smoke On The Water. 6. Sunshine of Your Love. 7. Le Freak. 8. Satisfaction. 9. Gay Bar. 10. Iron [...]

  4. Dodgergrrl November 7th, 2007 5:39 am

    Your website ROCKS! I just discovered it- just finished building my uke (from a kit) and now I’m loving hunting for TABS.

    Thanks so much!

  5. Woodshed November 10th, 2007 1:01 pm

    Thanks, Dodgergrrl. Glad you like it. And congratulations on building your own uke. I’d never be able to do that.

  6. Joe January 22nd, 2008 5:41 pm

    it was the first guitar riff i learnt!

  7. Variant May 11th, 2008 11:13 pm

    I can’t play this song on my guitar, only One and a very slow Stairway to Heaven.
    But now I can play it on my ukulele!

  8. Mark December 27th, 2008 6:43 am

    Ahahahah. Yeh we all learnt this on the guitar as our first song. I thought you would tab out the whole song, and then I come here and it’s like four bars and thats it, it’s hilarious.

  9. Woodshed December 27th, 2008 9:58 am

    Mark: Well that’s the point of the series.

  10. Joe Danks January 1st, 2009 7:47 pm

    I dont Mean To Be Contreversial but if you play

    Am, C, D, Am, C, D# D

    Than You can Use chords instead of single notes.

  11. Woodshed January 2nd, 2009 5:10 pm

    Joe: Yeah, that would work.

Got something to say?