Caravan Bridge

I don't play guitar well enough to teach a lot of guitar, but this is one lick that I play that I get asked to explain a lot. I "borrowed" the lick from a great album by the late great Paul Yandell. It's a Reed like syncopated backward three fanger roll (his claw thing) working the downward melody out of these two basic forms (these were a bear for me to stretch when I first started playing them):

(left hand shape - (3)(2)(1)(4)

D = x-x-10-9-7-10, and, the C = x-x-7-6-4-7 (Example #1)

The chords to the bridge, of course, are D, G, C, F, E....

Wav File of me playing it.... sloooow...

For the D chord he worked the melody note down like this: (for now just try including the D chord above with them)

--10--7-----------------------
----------10---8----7----------
--------------------------------
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------
--------------------------------------

Now, let's see if I can show you the actual D "roll"

--10-------10-----------7-(little choppy delay)-7---------7-------------
------7--------7--------------------------------------------7--------7----------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-10-----10-------10----------------------------------------10-------10-----
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------- ------------------------------------------
-----10--------10---------8-(lcd)-8--- ----7-----------------------
---------9---------9-------------- -----9-------9-----------------
--10-------10-------10---------------- 10------10---------------------
--------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
--------------------------- --------------------------------------------------

It's those "little choppy delays" (lcd) that give it the Reed feel... (It's slow enough that I grab them with the same index finger..)

The G lick is just a two note harmony coming down the neck:

--------------------------- --------------------------- ----------------------(hammer)------- -------------
--10--10--10------8---6---5---3---(hold)-- -(then real quick)---0---1---0------------
--10--10--10------9---7---5---4---(hold)- ----------------------------0---2- -0---2--------------
-9----9---9--------------- -------------------------- --------------------------------------3-- -----------------
--------------------------- --------------------------- --------------------------- --------------------
--------------------------- --------------------------- --------------------------- ---------------------

It ain't as pedantic as the tab above, but you'll figure out the actual rhythm...

Then run the D lick again, but this time down in the C position (shown above in Example #1)....

It finishes up with the F, E sequence (really neat): (I use 4 fingers on this one - I know guys that only use 3)

-------------0-------------- ------------0--------------- ---------0----- 7--------------
------6----------------6--(lcd)--6- ------------------------6--- ---6--6--------------------
--------5------------------- -------5-------------------- -----7----------7------------
--7-------7----------7------------- --7------------------6- ----6-------6----------------
--------------------------- -------------------------- ----------------------------

Dat's it.... I'm sure I'll hear you guys will all be playing it tonight.... It's a classic.... Go for it..

Palmer