Smoke On The Water — One String Guitar Tab

1. This melody uses just the 3rd string (G string) of your guitar. The fret sequence is: 0, 3, 5, 0, 3, 6, 5, 0, 3, 5, 3, 0.
2. The riff is built from three short phrases that all start the same way: open string (0), fret 3. This repeating opening makes it very easy to remember.
3. First phrase: 0, 3, 5. A simple three-note climb. Let the last note (fret 5) ring before moving on.
4. Second phrase: 0, 3, 6, 5. Same start, but this time climb one fret higher to 6, then step back to 5. This is the moment that gives the riff its signature tension.
5. Third phrase: 0, 3, 5, 3, 0. The riff goes up and comes back down to where it started — a satisfying resolution on the open string.
6. The original tempo is around 112 BPM with a steady, mid-tempo rock groove. Start slowly and focus on the pauses between phrases — Smoke On The Water has a deliberate, spaced-out rhythm. Each phrase should feel like its own statement, not a continuous stream of notes.

Playing all the notes in a continuous stream without pauses — the original riff has clear gaps between the three phrases. Let each phrase breathe before starting the next. Missing fret 6 in the second phrase — it's the only time this fret appears, and it's what makes the second phrase different from the first. Hitting 5 instead of 6 flattens the riff. Rushing the final phrase — the descent from 5 back to 0 should feel like a resolution, not a race. Slow down as you walk back. Playing on the wrong string — this riff uses the 3rd (G) string, which is the thickest of the unwound strings, sitting in the middle of the fretboard.