The Ultimate Guide To Learning Eric Clapton's Little Wing on Guitar

Eric Clapton is undoubtedly one of the greatest blues rock guitarists of all time, and his iconic rendition of “Little Wing” is a masterpiece that every guitarist should check out. But let's face it, mastering the song can be a daunting task, especially for beginners. Fortunately, with the right approach, anyone can learn to play “Little Wing” like a pro.  

In this step-by-step guide, I'll break down everything you need to know to learn the song, from the basic chords to more intricate soloing examples. I'll also provide helpful tips and tricks along the way to help you perfect your technique and truly capture the essence of Clapton's style. Regardless of your level, this guide will help you see key insights into playing in the style of Eric Clapton and unpack one of the greatest rock guitar songs of all time. 

So grab your guitar and let’s get started!

Who wrote Little Wing?

“Little Wing” was originally written by Jimi Hendrix and recorded by the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1967. The song is a slower tempo tune with a deep soulful rhythm and blues-style groove to it.

Lyrically the song references a guardian angel type of figure and the original version is only about 2 and a half minutes long. The song begins with a beautiful guitar intro that sets the mood for the rest of the piece and features some of Hendrix’s most masterful guitar playing.

Eric Clapton’s Version

Eric Clapton has been performing Hendrix’s "Little Wing" throughout his career, starting with Derek and the Dominoes to the present.

In this post, I’ll be diving deeper into his guitar style from a live version on Youtube with Sheryl Crow. One of the first things you’ll notice in contrast to the original Hendrix version is that Clapton actually raised the key.

Little Wing Guitar Tuning

Hendrix would often tune his guitar down ½ step to E flat standard like this:

6th string = Eb

5th string = Ab

4th string = Db

3rd string = Gb

2nd string = Bb

1st string = Eb

From there he would play the song in Em on his guitar but it would sound as Ebm concert pitch.

Clapton keeps his guitar in standard tuning so:

6th string = E

5th string = A

4th string = D

3rd string = G

2nd string = B

1st string = E

Then from there, he raised the key to F#m. So technically he is playing on his guitar the chord progression that Hendrix was but up 1 whole step.

The Intro

The iconic Hendrix version opens up with him playing through the progression of the song in a beautiful rhythm and blues style of guitar playing similar to Curtis Mayfield or Cornell Dupree, two of Hendrix’s biggest influences.

Clapton however added a driving power chord rock intro that is completely different. To play the intro you’ll need 3 power chord shapes, E5, F#5, and D5.

I would play these chords with roots on the 5th string like this:

E5:

F#5 is just two frets higher:

And D5 is two frets lower than the xb

Once you have the power chords down here is how Clapton put them together for a 4-bar intro: 

Notice the syncopated 32nd-note rhythms at the end of each beat at the start of the intro. This flurry strum is done with a quick “down-up-down” pattern in the strum hand and adds an EPIC driving rock feel to this part. This is totally different than the Hendrix version. Also, this theme comes back as a little interlude at the end of the verses throughout the song.

Eric Clapton's Little Wing Chords

To play the verse section of this song you’ll need 6 chords aside from the intro power chords shapes covered above.

Here they are in order of appearance:

From there you’ll want to put them into the progression. The chord progression is 8-bars long. Let’s break it down into 4 bar chunks. The first 4 bars all have one chord per bar.

F#m (1 bar)

A (1 bar)

Bm (1 bar)  

F#m (1 bar)

The next 4 bars have a few twists and turns to them. Start with 1 bar of C#m, then move to a split bar of Bm and D, 2 beats each. Then another split bar of A to G5. Then finally, we’ll play a bar of D but this bar is going to have a time signature change to 2/4 time. So here we’ll just spend 2 beats and then we’ll play the opening intro figure but only half as long as what was played as the intro.

C#m (1 bar)

Bm, D (1 bar)

A, G5 (1 bar)

D (1 bar) 2/4 time signature

Intro figure (2 bars) – this goes right back to a 4/4 time signature

So all together it looks like this:

F#m (1 bar)

A (1 bar)

Bm (1 bar)  

F#m (1 bar)

C#m (1 bar)

Bm, D (1 bar)

A, G5 (1 bar)

D (1 bar) 2/4 time signature

Intro figure (2 bars) – this goes right back to a 4/4 time signature

Little Wing Strumming Pattern

For a basic strumming pattern to play with the chords try this:

This pattern is primarily eighth-note-based and is 2 beats long and then repeated. For strumming directions, it can be played as:

down - down - down - down - up

1          +           2   (e)    +       a

Little Wing Soloing Techniques

The instrumental sections of “Little Wing” feature incredible solos that showcase Clapton's masterful skill and creativity. The primary scale Clapton is using is the F#m pentatonic scale and can be played at the 2nd position like this:

These same frets can be thought of like this:

6th string = 2, 5

5th string = 2, 4

4th string = 2, 4

3rd string = 2, 4

2nd string = 2, 5

1st string = 2, 5

Clapton takes this scale and uses it fluently anywhere on the neck. Example 1 shows a lick starting on the 2nd fret of the 4th string and ascending up the scale in a typical pentatonic pattern. He’ll often switch between different positions on the neck with slides. He’s truly mastered freely going wherever he feels like this:

Example 2 shows a simpler way of just using 2 strings. Here we’ll begin with two hammer-ons into the root note (7th fret on the 2nd string) and then pivot back and forth from the 5th fret of the 2nd string to the 6th fret on the 3rd string like this: 

Example 3 goes the other direction in contrast to Example 1. It uses the same notes from the F#m pentatonic scale but this time descends down instead of ascending up. By doing this Clapton keeps his listeners on a roller coaster ride of flowing melodies that push and pull at their emotions.

Notice also that the lick ends with an appearance of some double-stops on the 3rd and 2nd strings before finishing out the lick with some more notes from the F#m pentatonic scale. Hendrix used double-stops extensively in his guitar playing and this influenced Clapton a lot and here you can see it in his licks. 

Conclusion

Eric Clapton's rendition of “Little Wing” is a masterpiece that every guitarist should aspire to learn. By following this step-by-step guide, you'll have everything you need to master the song, from the basic chords to strumming patterns, to even soloing. 

Remember to take it slow, and don't be afraid to experiment with different techniques and styles. Doing this is really going to improve your playing so keep practicing and for another great bluesy rock lesson check out “Crossroads” next.