Horn Parts On Guitar?! How To Play You Really Got A Hold On Me

February 21, 2021 Dan

Hello again, and get excited! Today we’re going to be breaking down how to play You Really Got A Hold On Me. This is one of my favorite songs of all time. This song was first introduced to me by The Beatles, and I had the “With The Beatles” album in my truck’s CD player all the time when I was a kid.

This song is cool in many ways. From the singing to the rhythm, it’s kind of a masterpiece, so hats off the Smokey for this classic. Today we will learn how to play the main guitar riff, the piano parts, and the horn parts on your guitar. We will be basing this lesson on the Smokey Robinson & The Miracles recording of this song. If you haven’t heard it yet, go take a listen!

Check out our YouTube video lesson where we break down the piano and guitar intro, the triplets played on piano, and the horn section. And as a bonus, there’s a little guitar solo based on what the horns play during the instrumental break! Cool!

And if you’re really excited about this, the full tab is available to purchase at Sheet Music Plus! It includes chord diagrams, tabs for the lead parts, triplets, and horn section. Plus, you’ll get the lyrics too! Purchasing the sheet music gives you all the info you need to learn the song, plus you’re supporting what I do here at The Smelly Tele. Just click here: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/21972660?aff_id=721405

Now, how to play You Really Got A Hold On Me.

Gear Corner

Like we talked about above, today’s lesson is going to focus more on how to imitate what the other instruments are playing on your guitar. So gear corner this week is going to only focus on the guitar tone for the guitar part.

This is an old recording. As such, you’re going to want to try and force your guitar to sound old. While we all love Vintage gear, that’s not necessarily what I mean by sounding old. I want you to think about the recording technology that was available back then and the amplifiers that were available. That’s the old sound I’m trying to imitate.

Because recording techniques were still being tweaked and perfected, you need to take some of the higher register and some sparkle out of your guitar. I’m using a Telecaster, which is twangy and comes with a lot of bite. So to make it sound like an old recording, I switched to the darker and woodier sound of the neck pickup, rolled the tone knob off, and presto! You’ve got a vintage-sounding guitar! Let’s get into the details on how to play You Really Got A Hold On Me!

The Intro Licks

The opening lick to You Really Got A Hold On Me is played on the piano, and is quickly followed by the guitar part. We’re going to break down both the piano and guitar parts so you can play both.

The opening riff is played on a piano, but this is very easy to transpose to guitar. This is outlined in the first measure of the tablature below. It’s worth noting that this lick is played over a G chord. While this G chord is silent at the beginning of the song, the piano part is implying the G chord. The song is in the key of C, so the G chord to open the song is your V (5) chord.

After the piano intro, the guitar finishes the introduction to the song by playing the 2nd & 3rd measures of the tab above. You will repeat this twice before Smokey comes is to woo us with his singing. This lick will be played again in the verses and choruses, so keep your ears open!

The Piano Triplets

The piano triplets are fun, and they are a lot simpler to play on the guitar than you may think. Learning these piano triplets on your guitar will teach you some new chord positions and shapes. These positions and shapes are going to increase your fretboard knowledge and give you more options when playing your guitar. And why do you want more options? Because if everyone in the band strummed cowboy chords, you would have a boring chorus-like effect. While this is OK in small doses, 45 minutes of everyone playing the same chord shapes in the same positions does not make for a sonically interesting set.

So, the piano triplets. Check out our tablatures below. The chord shapes follow the song’s chord position. In the lesson video, I review the chords that these shapes are based on so you can see how these chords are derived. Have fun with the verses & choruses!

The Horn Section

Learning the horn section parts is also simpler than you may think, and like the triplets, it only requires you to learn new shapes and positions for the same chords! By the end of this lesson, you will have three different ways to play the same chords on your guitar. This is how you master your fretboard and expand your guitar playing.

Note, the horns do not start playing until about 37 or 39 seconds into the song. The tab picks up in the first chorus. These are your first alternate chord shapes. Then we move on to the verses where you will learn the bulk of the horn chords! Note, some of these licks will sound a lot like R&B licks or licks you may hear in country music. It may be shocking to some, but many of the licks in R&B translate very well to country music. You need to adjust your style and timing, but the notes and scales are essentially the same.

End of Verse, Beginning of Chorus (Dm & G7 chords)

Guitar Solo! (That’s Actually a Horn Section Solo)

“Learning how to play You Really Got A Hold On Me is fun and all, but dude what about a guitar solo!?!” I got you covered. While there is no guitar solo when learning how to play You Really Got A Hold On Me, there is an instrumental break played by the horns. Surprisingly, this transposes to the guitar very easily. Check out the tablature below!

That’s It!

Holy smokes that’s a lot of chords! The good news is you know how to play You Really Got A Hold On Me!! Now that you’ve learned how to play new chord shapes and positions, see if you can take some of these ideas and apply them to other songs you know. You’ll be amazed at some of the different sounds you can get. And if you’re at a campfire and your friend is singing, you can play some new accompaniment!

Remember, if you would like to support this webpage, please become a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smellytele! A perk of being a patron? I will make a video lesson specifically for you! If there’s a song you want to learn, but you can’t find a lesson for it, tell me! I’m here to help!

If you’re looking for country lessons, check out our Chris Stapleton lessons on Starting Over and You Should Probably Leave!

Or if you love torturing yourself on the quest to be the best guitarist ever, you can check out our lesson on Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line by Waylon Jennings!

Also, go check out some of our acoustic guitar lessons! If you’re a beginner looking for more simple chords, try Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show or Willin’ by Little Feat! These simple songs are great to learn!

And if you liked the guitar we used in today’s video, check out our full review of the Fender Classic Player 60’s Baja Telecaster!

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