Dave, after playing a little of the "Easy Version" of this song, I stumbled upon your version. The "4" difficulty was a little intiminating, but so far it has not been too bad for me (I'm a "beginner intermediate"), and I like how this version sounds. Question about plucking the main riff: it seems that the strings have to be plucked very hard in order for it to sound "right" - is that correct? (I'm playing a Les Paul Epihphone, with the post-gain turned way up.)
Thank you.
Glad to hear you dig my Smoke On the Water lesson! Yes, the intro main riff is plucked with the fingers. Pluck both strings evenly with the same volume (which may take a little practice) and you might have to pluck them kind of harder to develop the technique.
Let me know if you have any questions when you get to the solo.
Hope this helps!
-Dave
Welcome J, i had the same problem as you trying to play this song plucking both strings together at first, but fret not ;-), it's well worth the effort to make it sound like the iconic Richie Blackmore riff.
The next two parts after the intro (verse and chorus) are pretty easy and that's half the song. In fact Dave just covered Smoke in our group classes in June, helping a couple students get the solo to play the song through completion (my first not counting Breaking the Law which has no solo).
Glad to see you're enjoying this wonderful community as I am,
-Jamie
