How To Play Just Like Heaven On Guitar | The Cure Lead Guitar Lesson + Tutorial

In today's video you'll learn how to play this classic intro lead guitar part to "Just Like Heaven" by the Cure. 

This lick is completely diatonic, which in music theory terms means it uses strictly the notes of the scale. The scale at use here is an A major scale. The lead riff descends down and ascends up almost the entire fretboard of the guitar all on one string using step-wise motion. 

Step-wise motion is where you move in scale steps, so essentially you are moving with no big interval jumps, you would just move to the next note of the scale either ascending or descending. 

Employing this "all on one string" technique will give your single note lead playing a unique vocal quality, and this concept is one of my favorite ways to play a melodic sounding solo. 

In today's example this technique is also coupled with a droning open string that accompanies the scale part making it a double stop as the open strings ring throughout the whole riff.

All of these techniques combined together have created the song's central hook that appears between the verses and comes in and out throughout the rest of the tune.

I'll break it all down for you in today's featured lesson.

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