Brown Sugar | TAB
There’s a lot of TAB in this tune, so let’s start with the opening riff and build from there.
Intro
The initial riff is played like this:
On top of this, there’s a second guitar. You don’t need to learn this first, as the first guitar is more important and it’s difficult to combine the two, but here it is:
After these eight bars, the first guitar plays the main riff, which I’ve called the instrumental intro because the same concept returns later in an instrumental section:
Notice the subtle variations in this riff—you need to vary it or it will sound too rigid. The main change is how we end this section without playing a C before the F/A.
You don’t need to repeat these variations in exactly the same spot every time; Keith Richards likely never does.
Instrumental
Here’s the instrumental section. It’s played differently from what we did in the intro:
Solo
During the solo, we stick with this same concept, adding more subtle variation:
Verse
The first verse is played like this:
In the second verse, slash chords are applied to the F and C, like this (feel free to vary in verse 3):
Chorus
The chorus blends a big G, a lick, and the C – F/A riff:
The ending differs depending on the next section. The outro is similar but not identical:
There’s a lot of TAB in this tune! Once you can play it, try following along with the backing track and chord chart above.
Brown Sugar Backing Tracks + TAB | Related Pages
Brown Sugar | Chords + Backing Tracks
You can learn how to play Brown Sugar by The Rolling Stones using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording
| C | C |
Gold Coast slave ship bound for cotton fields…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
- (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
- All Right Now
- Honky Tonk Women
- Money (That’s What I Want)
- You Really Got Me
