Learn The Easiest Guitar Riff For Beginners!

The Peter Gunn Theme is also an effective exercise for beginner guitar players. :)

Many of you will know this easy guitar riff as the Blues Brothers theme. It is a fun thing to learn and boost your beginner guitar practice. This riff covers loads of elements; it combines a finger exercise, a picking exercise, and a rhythm exercise all in one! You'll want to add this exercise to your Practice Assistant. :)

In this lesson, you'll learn how to play the Peter Gunn Theme riff on the guitar and get ready to elevate your skills! A lot is happening here; this might be the first riff you'll ever play! Although this is an easy riff to play, it requires some practice to get it right. So, remember to take it slowly - no need to rush here. :)

How To Play Peter Gunn Theme On Guitar

We'll play the Peter Gunn riff using down strums only! That is an excellent way of practicing picking individual notes, but it can be a challenge at first. Be careful not to hit the other strings as you're picking.

💡 A good tip is laying the 1st finger of your fretting hand down across all of the strings. Like this, you'll mute unwanted strings while playing the riff.

This riff has an even rhythm, and we'll play even 8th notes throughout the song. Don't worry about the musical terms, but keep a consistent tempo!

💡 Set your metronome to a tempo that feels comfortable to you. Check out the JustinGuitar Time Trainer Metronome to get the most out of your practice time. :)

Peter Gunn Theme - Guitar Tab

For extra help, use the Peter Gunn Theme Tab below. We'll explore how to read guitar tabs soon, so don't worry if you're unfamiliar with them. The 0 is an open string (no fingers on it), and the numbers are the frets where you'll play on your guitar neck.

💡 Enjoy learning songs with Tabs? Get full tabs, chords, and lyrics to follow along with hundreds of song lessons! Check out JustinGuitarTabs and start your free trial right now. :)

Pinky Finger Workout!

If you're following my Beginner Guitar Course, we haven't done much with our pinky fingers, but that's about to change. This riff has your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th frets of the thickest string.

Try to get your fingers placed on the string before you start. It might feel awkward initially but work on keeping the shape and strengthening your hand muscles.

It'll all come in handy as you become a more advanced player! Your pinky will not feel as strong as the other fingers, but that only means you'll have to practice harder.

👉 Next, we'll learn to play easy 3 Chord Songs! :)