EasyClassic Rock
Sunshine of Your Love
Cream
- Starts on
- D string, open
- This excerpt
- Main riff
- Strings used
- D, A
- Written in
- D (open strings)
The tab
Tab is short for tablature: a picture of the strings. Numbers are frets. 0 means play the string open.
Computer notes — not the original recording.
The hook
D
middle-thick
0
0
0
A
2nd thickest
3
wait
The walk down
D
middle-thick
0
A
2nd thickest
4
3
1
0
Rhythm in words
Daa da-da daa. Da da-da-da daaaa.
How to play this
- 1Bar 1: open D, a quicker open D, A string fret 3, then open D again. Wait.
- 2Bar 2 walks a D blues line. Original key does the same riff up the neck: D, F, C, B♭, A, G.
- 3That chromatic walk is what makes people grin. Keep the short notes even.
Practice slowly
Open-string version sits in first position. Flip to original key for the 12th-fret blues riff. Start with Hear the notes at full speed or slower, then copy on the guitar. If a note buzzes, press a little closer to the fret wire — not in the middle of the space.
This arrangement is a simplified educational excerpt for learning. Playback is a computer playing the tab notes, not the original recording. It is not a full transcription and is not affiliated with Cream.