LONG COOL WOMAN – Guitar Lesson

My band plays a lot of Saturday nights! The classic riff that starts The Hollies' classic Long Cool Woman instantly loads the dance floor! Enough said. Enjoy this Long Cool Woman guitar lesson.

 

Intro [2X]:

   v     v   v   v     v   v   v   v     v   v   v   v     v   v   v   v
  -------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------
  -------------------|-0-----0---------|-----------------|-----------------
  -------------0---0-|-----0-----0-----|-----------------|-----------------
  -------0-5-----4---|---2-----0-----0-|-----0-----0-----|-0-----0---0---0-
  ---0h2-------------|-------------2---|---2-----0-----2-|-----0-----------
  -0-----------------|-----------------|-3-----2-----3---|---5-----3---2---
                                                      drum accents ^   ^

starts with E chop … follow the rhythm with muted down strokes w/pick

E
Saturday night I was downtown
G A E
Working for the FBI
E
Sitting in a nest of bad men
G A E
Whiskey bottles piling high
E
Bootlegging boozer on the west side
G A E
Full of people who are doing wrong
E
Just about to call up the DA man
G A E
When I heard this woman singing a song

A
A pair of 45′s made me open my eyes
B
My temperature started to rise
A
She was a long cool woman in a black dress
G G E
Just a 5-9 beautiful tall
A
With just one look I was a bad mess
G G E
‘Cause that long cool woman had it all

I saw her heading to the table
Well a tall walking big black cat
When Charlie said I hope that you’re able, boy
Well I’m telling you she knows where it’s at
Well then suddenly we heard the sirens
And everybody started to run
Jumping under doors and tables
Well I heard somebody shooting a gun

E
Well the DA was pumping my left hand
G A E
And she was holding my right
E
Well I told her, “Don’t get scared
G
‘Cause you’re gonna be spared”
A
Well I’m gonna be forgiven
If I wanna spend my living
With a long cool woman in a black dress
G G E
Just a 5-9 beautiful tall
E
With just one look I was a bad mess
G G E
‘Cause that long cool woman had it all
E
Had it all, had it all, had it all…

{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }

Danny June 27, 2011 at 6:57 AM

I have one quick question for you regarding the Long cool Woman in a Black Dress video you posted. I have got the intro riff pretty much down. My question is what are the chords you play for the rest of the song ? I know it is kind of a 12 bar blues type of riff but I am not sure what the chords are ? I am sure it is really simple , I am just not sure ?

 
Maybe if you get the time you can post a part 2 to the video to show the remainder of the song.
 
Again I appreciate you taking your time to put together the website and the videos etc… I am really looking forward to more ! ! You have a great gift for teaching these songs and riffs to make it easy for me and I am sure many others to learn !

 
Thank You Jackson
 
Cheers !
Danny

Reply

admin June 29, 2011 at 9:51 PM

Thanks Danny …. hope you found the chords I sent you useful.

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admin July 1, 2011 at 8:30 AM

I’ll post this on the site in case anyone else is interested in the chord pattern:

starts with E chop
E
Saturday night I was downtown
G A E
Working for the FBI
E
Sitting in a nest of bad men
G A E
Whiskey bottles piling high
E
Bootlegging boozer on the west side
G A E
Full of people who are doing wrong
E
Just about to call up the DA man
G A E
When I heard this woman singing a song

A
A pair of 45’s made me open my eyes
B
My temperature started to rise
A
She was a long cool woman in a black dress
G G E
Just a 5-9 beautiful tall
A
With just one look I was a bad mess
G G E
‘Cause that long cool woman had it all

I saw her heading to the table
Well a tall walking big black cat
When Charlie said I hope that you’re able, boy
Well I’m telling you she knows where it’s at
Well then suddenly we heard the sirens
And everybody started to run
Jumping under doors and tables
Well I heard somebody shooting a gun

E
Well the DA was pumping my left hand
G A E
And she was holding my right
E
Well I told her, “Don’t get scared
G
‘Cause you’re gonna be spared”
A
Well I’m gonna be forgiven
If I wanna spend my living
With a long cool woman in a black dress
G G E
Just a 5-9 beautiful tall
E
With just one look I was a bad mess
G G E
‘Cause that long cool woman had it all
E
Had it all, had it all, had it all…

Reply

admin September 2, 2011 at 9:08 AM

Thanks for all the kind words Danny. Hope you found the lyrics and chords helpful.

Reply

Danny July 1, 2011 at 8:29 PM

Thanks Jackson !
 
Got it down now , going to practice this song with the band , I know they will like it too
 
Thanks again !
 
Cheers
Danny

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Dave August 9, 2011 at 2:25 PM

Hey Jackson!!  Love your site and enthusiasm man!!  Have the opening of "Long Cool Woman" down but having a heck of a time with the "E" chop.  Been trying to figure out your  fingers in the video, to no avail.  Would you be able to go into greater detail about the "E" chop? 
           Thanks,   Dave
 

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admin September 2, 2011 at 8:57 AM

Hi Dave! Hope that email I sent you helped …. cheers …. Jackson.

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Denny October 22, 2011 at 7:17 PM

Jackson….You have helped me with breaking these songs down.. Your patience , ease of showing just how to play is AWSOME !!!
Thank you and keep it up.. I don't come often but when I do I am here for hours..
Thanks again…

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admin October 23, 2011 at 8:15 AM

Thanks Denny … glad to have you aboard when you can make it!

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Jim November 4, 2011 at 6:23 AM

Thanks so much for your web site. I have a line 6 amp 75 watts how do you get it to sound like 60s. Have presets but still don't sound right, I have a fender strat. is it the guitar are the amp that i have are both.

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Robert Kirkendall November 7, 2011 at 7:53 PM

Jackson, thanks for the fab intro video and chords to Long Cool Women. Not an easy riff, but you make it easy with your clear explanation. The only suggestion I could offer is a tab sheet for the intro, that would help us beginners even more. Thanks for all your hard work in helping us getting better, it's really appreciated.

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admin November 7, 2011 at 8:03 PM

Thanks Robert! I’ve added the tab!

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James November 30, 2011 at 4:24 PM

Hello Jackson,
     I can't tell you how much I appreciate this site and this particular song.  It has always made me feel great when It comes on the radio and now thanks to you I can play it.  Keep up the great work!  I am glad that there is someone out there that has this vast experience and is wiling to share it and not just as a scam to make a quick buck!

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admin November 30, 2011 at 4:55 PM

Glad I could help James … it is a catch tune isn’t it?

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Paul "Pazz" Pazkowski June 27, 2012 at 11:30 PM

Hi Jackson,
I am a big fan of the Hollies in part due to their song lyrics telling a story or at least making some sense. I believe they did "Carrie Ann" and "Look Through Any Window" as well. In this song, I thought the DA man was an abbreviation for District Attorney. This seems to make sense until the line that says "Well the DA was pumping my left hand".  Any thoughts?
Great lesson by the way!
Paul
 

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admin June 28, 2012 at 6:44 AM

Hi Paul! District Attorney for sure! My thought would be paying him off for the undercover info he’s provided. And fast so they can get out of there. Miss you at songmentor.com man!

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Alan Howard October 15, 2012 at 7:08 AM

HI Jackson,
 
your site is invaluable for those of us starting the journey to better playing. I liked the intro lesson for Long cool woman and I'm practicing it like crazy. My query…the "classic rock riff" you mention and some of the termonology around it.
 
Do you think a separate lesson could be made up. To you this may seem like a simple thing …to a beginner like myself it is a mountain to climb. All the same thanks for the lessons that you have made they are really priceless.
 
Alan

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admin October 15, 2012 at 8:08 AM

Hi Allan …. I’m going to add Long Cool Woman to my songmentor.com site so that I can cover the complete song.

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Jim Lewallen October 29, 2012 at 1:11 PM

Hi Jackson,
Thank you for what you are doing; this is wonderful for folks like me who late in life try to learn to play or play better.  Is there a website where I can learn the "classic blues lick" you refer to in Long Cool Woman…. and Johnny B Goode?  Perhaps something with tableture?  I'm ok with the fingering and chords, but the blues lick doesn't come that easily, especially at the tempo it requires.  Thanks and Semper Fi.  Jim Lewallen

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admin November 24, 2012 at 9:58 AM

You are very welcome Jim! As far as websites go …. I’m afraid I’ll need to leave that search to you. Just too darn busy. My songmentor.com site is a step up from FGM though. Take care!

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Thom Warren February 18, 2013 at 4:24 PM

Hey Jackson….
What a great lesson. I LOVE the way you break the intro riff  from "Long Cool Woman" up into little pieces and then patiently put it together. Makes it so much more graspable  :)
I nailed it in about 20 minutes of concentration.
You are the best !
Keep up the great work !
Thanks so much
 
Thom

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admin February 19, 2013 at 9:12 AM

Great to hear you nailed it Thom … good for you!

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Wayne McGhee February 19, 2013 at 8:33 AM

What are the chances of you doing the song "Lies" by the Knickerbockers on the free song mentor sight, for the Sunday song?  Thank you for what you do Jackson!!           
Wayne

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admin February 19, 2013 at 9:12 AM

H Wayne ….. it’s actually not an improv … the song list is preset. But … having said that “Lies” is a GREAT tune … I used to stop at a corner store on my way home form school as they were the only folk who had that song in their juke box. Spent a lot of dimes listening to the Knicks and their Lennon-like singer. I will give that song serious consideration as an add on the my songmentor.com song list. I have a special “lifetime” membership price coming up in the next day or so … watch for it.

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David Covert July 7, 2019 at 5:40 AM

I too would like to know what is a E chop?  Thanks Jackson

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admin July 7, 2019 at 6:52 AM

Hi David. I was just referring to the standard blues riff based on the E string … open E with fingers moving from 2nd to 4th to 5th then back to 4th fret on the A string. Hope that helps.

sale.songmentor.com

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John Veltri July 26, 2020 at 12:28 PM

Jackson,

Love your website. I'm just getting back into the guitar after being away for 50+ years. I was looking at your Long Cool Woman lesson but the tab you have under the video doesn't seem to be what you're playing. Am I right about that? If I am, since I want to just use the tab and not keep going back to the video, can you update the tab to the video lesson?

Thank you. Keep it going. It's great especially for someone like me.

Reply

admin July 27, 2020 at 11:59 AM

Hi John. Generally my lessons are vids. I occassionally use tabs to support but they are not mine as I have no means to create or ammend tabs. So ….. use the tab or my video details … take your pick. But I believe my instruction is correct. Cheers!

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