This is a quarter note.
It lasts for one beat.
There are four quarter notes in one bar of * time.
A Riff is a pattern of notes that is repeated throughout a progression. Exercise 205 demonstrates a riff that can be played against an A chord. The first note in this riff is an A note at the fifth fret of the 6th string. This riff is in * time, is one bar long and uses four quarter notes. Use a downward pick motion (a) for each note and be sure to use the correct left hand fingering as indicated by the small numbers under the tab.
This same pattern of notes can be played over a D chord by commencing on a D note at the fifth fret of the 5th string.
Notice that the pattern the notes have on the fretboard looks the same for both riffs. The left hand fingering is also the same. To play this same riff against an E chord, start on the E note at the seventh fret of the 5th string.
After practicing these riffs you can join them together and play them as a 12 Bar Blues in A, as written out in full in this exercise.