How to Play Boom Boom by John Lee Hooker on Guitar

Due to popular demand, here's how to play the iconic intro and verse to Boom Boom by John Lee Hooker! www.secretguit...
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Abridged Script
Here’s a blues classic that I have received requests to learn from 16 different people so I have decided to take a closer look at how John Lee Hooker played this song on the occasions where he played it entirely unaccompanied.
Researching several different recordings, the first thing that I noticed was that when he did play it solo he simply stuck to the one chord - E7. What is interesting to me is that any time he had other musicians accompany him on the song, they failed to keep the sequence this pure and couldn’t help play basslines, chords, riffs or licks that at least implied the odd change up to the A7 chord.
So, the first thing to say about this song is that It is not about chords or even really about fancy licks - it is all about rhythm and feel. Let’s look at the intro.
The first lick starts with a slide from 2-4 on the G string. Then the D note at fret three on the B string then back down the same slide with a hint of a pull-off to the open string at the end of it, then E at fret 2 on the D string, open D and back to the E. In keeping with the call and response them e of early blues, we answer this lick with a bass line that goes. Open E up to G at fret 3 on the same string, open A and back to the open E.
Of course, you can do all this with a plectrum, but, John Lee Hooker very much used thumb and fingers to play guitar so I would encourage you to experiment with this if you want to get close to the sound and feel of his style.
The next lick starts on the E at fret 2 on the D string via the open G string to A at fret 2 on the G string, back to G and then E D E again on fret two of the D string. Follow each of these licks with the same bass lick. The next lick is a slight variation on the first lick - so, instead of the slide we use a bend at fret three on the B string then off to open B before concluding with the E D E same as the first lick.
This is followed again by the same bass line lick and then the fourth line is a repeat of the second line. So that whole intro in slow time and at something like full tempo.
Once the vocals start we have the same basic lick repeated no less than 16 times, once in response to each vocal line.
(sings) Boom boom , boom boom! I’m gonna shoot you right down.. Right off of your feet.. Take you home with me..
This starts with the D at fret three on the B string then open B then before bending the A at fret two on the G string up and hit the top string or top and second string like this..
Then it’s back to working the A at fret 2 on the G string which we bend up, release and pull-off all in one very smooth motion.
Unless you have large hands like old John Lee had, then this is extremely hard to play exactly like he did. My advice is to find a way to play something like it, in a way that suits your fingers and then listen carefully to the original recordings and gradually work at emulating that amazing freestyle feel that he had.
We’ll continue exploring this song in the next lesson in this series. Meanwhile, I’ll leave you to practice this with the health warning that, if you are not used to using your fingers, give them time to recover between each practice session or you will soon get some pretty mean blisters!

[@rickeyshaw5761]

You make it look so easy, and it becomes easier, Smooth and relaxed kinda vibe, thanks so much for your lessons

[@helpIthinkmylegsaregone]

As a black person, middle aged white men unironically make the world go round.

[@AnthonyMonaghan]

Lovely. Very true to John's sound. He could do incredible things with a chord and seemingly only a few notes. A very sly and deceptive sounding guitar player. What I love about John Lee is that he never played the same song twice. We was always improvising around his basic theme. His sense of rhythm was incredible and you really hear it when he plays unaccompanied. Thanks sir.

[@TheDMcGinley]

So true!

[@zvezdanstojanovic3724]

Thank you so much!

[@basilclay6363]

Can't stop playing this now. Cheers, great lesson.

[@kprice5877]

So cool! Really the best description. Rhythm and Feel. Like has been said before " Not a wasted note" Thank-you

[@danielcastillo1225]

I just subscribed just because I'm a big fan of John Lee Hooker, great teaching vid

[@robertcaffrey6097]

Thanks for the brilliant simple lesson. As far as I am aware the Funk Brothers were the backing session musicans on the hit recording of J L Hookers Boom Boom, it's a great classic song but it sounds all over the place and hard to pin down to the bare bones.

[@jeffsnedden3843]

Thank you for this! Love this song, keep those old blues lessons coming!

[@Scottish_Canuck]

Simply fantastic lesson- thanks!

[@anthonyslattery8808]

Thankyou great tutorial I've only been playing guitar for 5months and this was the song that inspired me to start. Played the ukulele for 2 years so have some finger dexterity 👍

[@janpeckart9015]

Richtig gut nach 10min.hat ich das Stück im Sack. Total super. Werde mir auf jeden Fall mehr Lessons geben . Zu empfehlen

[@JoshHopkinsYT]

Thank you sir for taking the time to make the video. I can finally play along with the song :)

[@BrljoMrljo]

God I do love yt algorithym sometimes. This is by far my favourite blues song and I love your tutorial! Thank you on your effort.

[@minime6339]

I just love that you took the time to research this and posted a simple easy to follow video about it. Just a joy to watch.

[@stephbootie6514]

cracking lesson blues for cold winter nights

[@ed9709]

You are good sir.

[@JusSteve53]

Awesome session. This will be in my repertoire soon.

[@santiagodelmonte2341]

Exiting. One of the very best on this site.

[@barriesansom2070]

Top tutorial Sir! Thankyou!

[@shivabreathes]

Thank you for this lesson!

[@masonsteven77]

You're a gifted instructor, and besides, you seem like a very decent fella. Cheers

[@shawnjbray]

Great lesson

[@thomasturchi10]

2024 still learn great job 👏🏾 thank you from Italy 🇮🇹

[@jasonhall947]

Excellent. Thank you.

[@dione32]

Thank you, from Brazil.

[@psutter5]

Great instructional guitar video. Thank you boom, boom, boom, boom

[@Beachbumartist]

Great lesson man, I have watched him playing this in concert videos and it seems he never does the slide move, maybe he only did that for recordings. Thanks so much.

[@veroniquenerou4850]

Great feel!!!! Great teacher !!!!!Great Musician!! Thank you!

[@SecretGuitarTeacher]

Thanks for your kind feedback 🙂

[@michaelmojo9598]

Best 9 minutes I've spent on KZbin. So clean, not a wasted note in that very very simple bit. Thank you.

[@macstil585]

Agree 100 percent so good

[@JerAtoZ]

Superb. A great video for people to learn a classic song. Thanks.

[@EternallyRound]

Beauty. Thanks for posting, mate.

[@lamelovidz7730]

Maby add some tab but other then that great teaching video, it was really easy to understand and it was really fun!

[@katiera011]

Thanks!

[@rodjacob1000]

Brilliant, got it! Thanks

[@SecretGuitarTeacher]

Great!

[@AgnieRF]

Excellent, clear lesson, thank you!! I am actually getting somewhere! First time playing electric without a pick, I thought it would be too hard to even try (for a beginner+) but I'm loving it. Looks like I'm a natural thumb player :) More lessons like this (blues classics)!

[@展瑞-z3i]

thank you sir

[@bh8365]

Thanks so much for this. Well done. The great John Lee.

[@chriskeith1000]

great lesson

[@SecretGuitarTeacher]

Thanks - glad you liked it 🙂

[@Arthur-Silva]

Great lesson! Thanks!

[@hansschetselaar1657]

Very well explained! Also good was that you played slow and showed clearly how to put fingers on strings, pull off and bend

[@darkdefender1111]

Great lesson. Your style of teaching makes it very easy to understand and learn quickly. I'm playing now along with you. Subscribed.

[@chocodiledundee1]

Man THANK YOU SO MUCH, I knew this song but no so well polished like you’ve done .... so cool thank you heaps . Australia 🇦🇺

[@LeifSkyving]

Great lesson thanks!

[@ZeroManO3]

Loved the end I got blisters on my fingers ... please expand this it’s really funny

[@phapstech]

Ringo Starr shouted that after the 18th take on 'Helter Skelter'

[@rcautomotive5399]

Great patient lesson I learned a lot 👍

[@fritzruttimann1517]

Thanks a lot for the superb blues lessons Nick (Texas Blues as well as Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom) I love to practice them 'n to play them!

[@4dogsannacat]

Freaking awesome fun, thanks!

[@BlueDreamMicrogreens]

Tank you berry much

[@mutanthoover1]

excellent-thank you!

[@stringman509]

Love the song enjoyed it thank you Colin uk

[@salkkispalkkis1323]

Ad: don't watch youtube guitar lessons, download this app Me: No...

[@joetroutt7425]

I'm surprised that ad is even on a KZbin video since it discourages viewing guitar tutorials

[@papenfuscharlie5567]

Me: fac off

[@ronwoodard9391]

thank you sir. i was way over complicating things.

[@FirstLast-gk4bk]

This video would have helped Me a month ago I learned this the hard way

[@irondawson]

Great!

[@Lostinlifeiam]

wow thx sooooo much, this is really helpful

[@jamesu.8626]

Great, thanks!!

[@manoelluiz2697]

TOO GOOD., BOM DEMAIS, obrigado por compartilhar. maneco - Porto Alegre-RS - Brasil.

[@karolsmentoch4159]

Thank You very much:) By the way I learn English with great teacher:)

[@davidAll5]

beautiful, thanx

[@PastorZeke33]

Good stuff!

[@r4pidra]

Legend mate 👍👍

[@rogerlittreal642]

Thank you.... very cool!!!!

[@joepasquarello1273]

Groovy

[@benmaguire4098]

What a brilliant lesson .. actually nothing I didn't know .. but so refreshing to hear some one tell the truth .. Boom Boom Boom .. excellent Hey yeah .. Have you done Roadhouse blues yet ? some tricky bits in there & Mercury Blues .. I just found you site this last ten minutes ago .. so bye for now keep on going ..

[@ssmedz4335]

Awesome! Boom boom boom. Classic

[@EugenMick]

Its great THNX a lot !!!

[@marksarkaquariums9056]

Great Video.I subbed and am going to be watching this Video a bunch.Lol

[@aaronwatts7471]

Great tutorial..what guitar are you playing,,its beautiful

[@ZPX945]

Nice lesson! Can you please do "Snatch it Back & Hold it" as Junior Brown did it? Thanks :-)

[@montypeel]

What model of guitar is he playing?

[@HikingFeral]

I think once I finish learning 12 bar blues and the different licks and shuffles I'll learn this and move on. I am not a super blues fan but I respect it and do love the rhythm and call and response. Without the Blues - music would be pretty boring, even if you are not a blues fan like me there's no denying that much.

[@nabeelahmed1675]

what are these guitars that blues player play?

[@marklewis5145]

What guitar is that?? Its stunning

[@RJVB]

Is there a score to go with this lesson?

[@DETROITBULLET]

are you in standard tuning ? you didn not mention it ..

[@СергейМанько-ж7л]

E

[@meledge55]

what tuning is this?

[@meledge55]

@@SecretGuitarTeacher thanks

[@wolfis4146]

I like the guitar - what guitar model is it?

[@elektrolyte]

pause it @ 05:39 .... it is definately an Ibanez. which one, im not sure yet

[@elektrolyte]

Looks like Ibanez AF75 BS Artcore Jazz Archtop Thinline

[@robertmailloux3720]

👍👍👍

[@bradpamp5699]

Great lesson.

[@oeschmann]

Great lesson thanks a lot!

[@dexranch]

I just stumbled across this video. Wow, what I've been looking for for a long time. A simple, slow, patient lesson. You sir are a godsend. Thanks subbed

[@BillyBobDingo1971]

Excellent. Thanks.

[@cltcwarrior1]

Great lesson, thank you.

[@cottonwoodslim3497]

This gentleman really seems to get the feel of this song. Great lesson.

[@skaybaltimore]

Thanks. I never would have even attempted to play this tune but you made it so clear and accessible. I really appreciate it!

[@Gunny_101st]

Well crap. Now I've got to go watch The Blues Brothers.

[@mike20ak]

Stephen G one of my favorite movies

[@mike20ak]

Lord Chanka of course it’s right before they had 4 fried chickens and a coke

[@steveoconnor7069]

Best concert seat I ever had was watching him at Purdue University in the mid 1980's. I was solo and the girl at the ticket booth gave me center seat front row!

[@thegreenfrisbee]

My dad built the blues mobile from the movie, old 74 Monaco

[@kensaville5233]

@Lord Chanka how how how how

[@ericheine2414]

That was an excellent lesson. Good instruction accompanied with good advice. Bravo

[@TheDMcGinley]

One of the very best overall lessons I've ever had, and I've been playing this song for years. I was getting further away from the roots of the song, and this brought me right back. He is such a great teacher and understands how this is very bass driven, and the more you stay to the simple beat etc., the better it is. You can get crazy on the solo part - you can always do that, and JLH had his moments - but the heart of it is call and response, and reminds me of a more brutal "Hey Joe", with the lyrics so vivid and threatening between licks (though much less lethal LOL, more metaphorical). Anyway . . . this guy is a great teacher with great advice. Learn this and watch the JLH videos, you will own this song soon enough.

[@Bennett-d4o]

Prezactly.

[@MrBenjigee]

Jimi Hendrix was a John Lee Hooker tribute act essentially. I'm not shitting on the legend Jimi, he was a great player. But not as good as the original, JLH.

[@dogxhot]

I usually avoid any YT channel that claims to reveal secrets ,or amazing quick methods,or has an opening screen of someone showing how fast they can play. Despite the name of this channel this guy has some substance and depth. One of KZbin's better instructors

[@NoGreedSeeds]

I love the Blues!! Jesus, this is so thorough, thanks for sharing!!! 🎸🎢

[@tonyechtzeit]

Dude, it was so great, I have to leave a comment and I write NO comments !!! "so clean" directly to my last two remaining guitar synapses! I think they also forced me to write that to you. God bless you, Bing and Bong

[@hansspa3892]

@Antonio K. That’s a pretty long NO comment dude. Or was it just the Bong?

[@donnacolwell3988]

Thank you so much! Excellent lesson. Your instructions are clear and concise. I'll give it a try playing without the pick.

[@mattdunes5065]

Great tutorial. I now know I've been doing it wrong for 25+ years...

[@micheldesrosiers2922]

just got my new guitar and start learning playing at 65 (but 35 in my head) So well explained and good photo plan to see hands disposition . Thanks again and one of those days, maybe you ll see me on TV at those rock concerts for elderly lol

[@SecretGuitarTeacher]

Welcome to the brotherhood! Never too late to start learning guitar - enjoy the trip 🙂

[@橋本絵莉子]

Hahahaha the 1st time I had guitar saw Tabs saying John Lee Hocker, I did look down the Tabs and I thought: Yea nice that so easy for Beginners like me, I played it and I thought wtf is that serious music writen down there- that sounds awful, Years later I heard the 1st time the song and I was holding my head tell myself wtf you totally misunderstood what was writen down there 1st time you try to play that. Then I get my Guitar again into my Hands and played the John Lee song right, thinking: Yea thats how music can be good, when you get the right rhythm down.

[@windyworm]

Saw John Lee Hooker, Curtis Jones and Big Joe Williams in 1969 at the Fairfield Halls in Croydon. First concert I ever saw and it sort of spoilt it for all the concerts that followed. A M A Z I N G !!!

[@Kowasi]

I'm not jealous... I'm jealousy itself.

[@gabriel.hodges9959]

2nd day on guitar and with an 9 minute video I can play this perfectly! Thanks

[@FernandoRamirez-ub4zw]

Great lesson!! Thanks

[@philipSilverstone]

I’ve been playing this for some years and I tend to vary it lots, including using chord shapes at 6th and 9th frets. I keep the basic riff but what makes it interesting to play are the personal variations one can bring to it. I really don’t want to play it exactly as John Lee Hooker plays it and, of course, he varied it tremendously, so there is no definitive version. Nevertheless, I took away a couple of things from the video which I will certainly enjoy messing around with 😊

[@freesanatani914]

You must be fun at parties

[@andykemp5336]

It's surprising what you find when you are not looking for it ."Great "