Let me show you something cool on the B string. It’s a vertical solo riff that sounds way more complicated than it actually is. The trick? A drone note holding down the fort while you play melody on top.

We’re working in E major here, boys and girls, and you’ll want to use that B string as your drone note. That B is the 5th of E, so it sits real nice underneath whatever melody you’re playing. The E major scale and its relative minor, C# minor, both work beautifully over this.

Building Your Four-Bar Solo

Here’s the pattern you’ll play. Start up at the 14th fret and get comfortable there. Then we’re going to descend: 12, 10, 9. That’s your first little run. Now switch back up to 10, then 9. We’re bouncing, not just sliding down.

When you cross to the 3rd string, hit 11, 9, then 8. Listen to how those notes sit against your drone. Finally, end with those harmonic intervals: 12, 10, 9, 7. That’s your landing spot.

The key here is picking technique. Don’t let your fleshy edge touch that drone string. Keep your pick nice and clean. You want the drone to ring out clear and true while you’re working the melody above it. It’s melodic playing versus harmonic playing, and they’ve got to dance together.

If you want to lock this in with a real jam track, head over to riffninja.com/rifftrix and find the one that matches this key. Playing along with a track makes it stick way faster than practicing alone. You’ll hear where the groove lives.

This is the kind of riff that opens up a whole new way to think about the fretboard. Once you’ve got the technique down, you can apply it to any key. Want more on this? Check out our guitar riffs pillar page and explore our switchbacks technique post.