Learn a Classic Riff – Heartbreaker
When it comes to classic riffs, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page is a player who had written his fair share. This groove laden riff from the track Heartbreaker is a fantastic example of how a simple ascending note pattern can really get your head bobbing along.
The riff is not too difficult to play, but the groove and the feel is the real focus point.
The riff starts with a quarter tone bend on the 3rd fret of the low E. This is held for 2 beats on the studio version, but live you regular hear Page hold this for as long as he wants. The riff then kicks in for an unaccompanied run through.
Starting on the open A string, it climbs, even running through a short chromatic line, before landing back on that bent G on the Low E string. On the second pass, you’ll change that initial single open A for 4 quick picked open A strings.
After both sections of the riff have been played solo, the drums and the power groove kicks in. Keep this riff going for a further 2 repeats.
Then, it modulates up a full tone, so your open A now becomes the 2nd fret of the A. The riff is played the same, but just in a different finger position. Check out the video for some tips on how to manage the position shift.
After passing through both parts of the higher variation, it shifts back down to the first shape for the final run.
This riff does not require a huge amount of speed, and you can even let loose some of your accuracy if it helps create the groove and loose feel of the original. To really capture the spirit of Page, you want it to swagger. Don’t worry about it being overly tight, you want to create a loose feel and a vibe here.