The Stumble (Freddie King) Guitar Lesson with Backing Tracks + TAB

In this guitar lesson, you’ll learn a note-for-note transcription of the entire tune from beginning to end - Try it with a Backing Track!

The Stumble | TAB

It took me days to work all this out, so let’s start from the top. I strongly encourage you to go through everything with a fine-tooth comb.

Once you can play it as Freddie King did, let go and see what comes out naturally as you play along with the backing track. The second video in the playlist above is the original, just remember it is not in tune like my backing track is.

Verse 1

Here’s the main theme — stick with this until it feels easy, as everything that follows is built on the same ideas.

Let’s break down what’s going on:

It’s a 16-bar blues with stops, starting on the IV chord.
The first lick uses the E major pentatonic in a G shape.
The second lick uses the E minor pentatonic in an Am shape.
The B7 to E7 movement is broken up by playing the bass note, then the chord, then sliding down.
The A9 is initially omitted, so you hear A7 first, then A9.
For the A7 with stops, bend from the 10th to the 12th fret — experiment with gradually increasing the pitch.
The turnaround starts on the “and” of 1, using a mix of E major and minor pentatonic ideas.

Verse 2

Here’s the second verse — essentially a development of verse 1.

The A9 appears straight away.
Bar 7 includes two notes before the slide.
Bars 9–12 feature different licks, still using E minor pentatonic.
The turnaround remains the same until the final bar.

Verse 3

Verse 3 has no stops. The chords remain the same, but the licks are all new and follow the harmony more closely rather than relying on a blanket pentatonic scales.

In bar 2, we move from the major 3rd to the minor 3rd over A.
Bars 3–4 use E minor pentatonic without the B7 lead-in.
Bar 6 introduces A major pentatonic with a b7.
Over B7, a new chromatic hammer-on idea appears.
Where stops previously occurred (bars 9–12), we now play through: using 5th and b7 over E, or 9 and sus4 over A.
The turnaround becomes more complex, while the lick in bar 15 is retained.

Verse 4

Verse 4 follows the same chord structure as verse 3, with these differences:

We continue developing the idea that ended the previous verse.
Bar 2 remains the same.
Bar 4 introduces a new rhythm with a similar melodic idea.
Bars 5–6 use A major pentatonic with a minor 3rd.
After repeating the chromatic B7 idea, a new lick starts in E major pentatonic before shifting to E minor pentatonic.
Bar 10 features a bend that gradually increases in pitch.
The A#dim7 is approached using E minor pentatonic ideas.
The turnaround begins with a classic E minor pentatonic lick, then shifts into the E minor blues scale.
Bar 15 outlines minor pentatonic with a 6th (or an implied A major sound).

Verse 5

Verse 5 closely resembles verse 2 — see if you can spot the differences.

The turnaround begins an eighth note early. This feels like a mistake, but notice how it resolves and lands on the same lick used in verses 1 and 2, a great save!

Verse 6

The final verse is similar to verse 5, with new ideas in bars 9–12, again using minor pentatonic language. A cool downward bend appears in bar 11.

The turnaround remains consistent, and the ending follows the TAB. If you prefer, you can switch to chords here — both approaches work well.

Once you can play through all the TAB, return to the chord lesson and see how much has stuck as you play using only the chart.

The Stumble Backing Tracks + TAB | Related Pages

The Stumble | Chords

You can learn The Stumble by Freddie King using chords, analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording

Instrumental
| A7 | A7 | E7 (F#7 F7) | E7 |

Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics