Santana - Smooth - Guitar Cover

Supernatural (Remastered)

1999 4:55

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About Smooth

Few guitar parts from the late 1990s are as immediately recognisable as the "Smooth" riff, a tight, syncopated figure in A minor that sits right in the pocket at 94 BPM. Playing it well means keeping your right hand locked to the groove rather than letting notes ring loosely. The riff leans heavily on muted strumming and precise string damping, so sloppy fretting hand technique will kill the feel fast. Santana layers that signature sustained lead tone over the top, which means you will need to balance two very different jobs: tight rhythm work and singing, vibrato-heavy lead lines. Both lives in E Standard tuning, so no retuning is needed, but do not underestimate how much control the lead passages demand. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the main riff slowed down until your picking hand is truly in the Funk Rock pocket before bringing it back up to tempo.

• The signature riff is built on a syncopated A minor pattern that requires tight palm muting and precise pick attack to lock in with the rhythm section.
• The lead tone relies on heavy sustain and wide vibrato, so work on your vibrato control before tackling the solo sections.
• At 94 BPM the groove feels relaxed, but keeping the muted rhythm parts clean at full tempo is harder than the speed suggests.