When My Train Pulls In Guitar Lesson (Gary Clark Jr)

Gary Clark Jr. is widely regarded as one of the most prominent contemporary blues artists. He is playing a vital role in continuing the blues lineage into the modern era. So today I want to share with you a guitar lesson on his hit song “When My Train Pulls In”. 

This epic jam is a 12-bar blues in the key of Em. In this post, we’ll cover the chords, riffs, and rhythms you need to know to get playing in this blues guitar style today.

So make sure you’re in tune and let’s dive into this “When My Train Pulls In” guitar lesson.

Who wrote "When My Train Pulls In"

The song "When My Train Pulls In" was written by American musician Gary Clark Jr. It is one of his original compositions and showcases his exceptional talent as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The song was featured on his major-label debut album Blak and Blu, released in 2012. "When My Train Pulls In" has become one of Gary Clark Jr.'s most popular and critically acclaimed songs, praised for its soulful bluesy sound and epic guitar playing.

When My Train Pulls in Gary Clark Chords

To play “When My Train Pulls In” you’ll only need to know 3 chords Em, Am, and Bm. These three chords are what we call the i, iv, and v chords in the key of Em. 

“When My Train Pulls In” is in the key of Em, and follows a standard 12-bar blues chord progression. Here are the 3 chord shapes I would use to get started.

Em can be played in the open position using all 6 strings like this:

Clark often uses thumb chords in the style of Jimi Hendrix and many other legendary blues players. A thumb chord refers to a technique where the fretting hand thumb is used to play a bass note on the low E string (the thickest string) or the A string (the second thickest string). This technique allows the guitarist to reach low notes while simultaneously playing other chords or melodies higher up on the fretboard. Here is an example of how this can be done for Am:

For Bm, all you have to do is move the Am shape up to the 7th fret like this:

This is one of the beautiful things about playing closed-position chords. In a closed-position chord, every note of the chord is being played on the fretboard, and no open strings are involved. When you do this, you can move the chord shape anywhere on the neck. This means that any chord shape you learn can be at least 12 other chords.

In the key of E minor (Em), the chords Em, Am, and Bm are all diatonic chords, meaning they naturally belong to the key and are derived from the E natural minor scale. 

Here's a breakdown of how these chords relate to each other in the key of Em:

Em (E minor): Em is the tonic chord of the key. It serves as the "home" chord and provides a sense of stability and resolution. The notes in the Em chord are E, G, and B.

Am (A minor): Am is the sub-dominant chord in the key of Em. It is built on the 4th degree of the E natural minor scale. The notes in the Am chord are A, C, and E. Am has a melancholic and mellow quality and is often used to add emotional depth to musical progressions.

Bm (B minor): Bm is the dominant chord in the key of Em. It is built on the 5th degree of the E natural minor scale. The notes in the Bm chord are B, D, and F#. Bm has a slightly darker and more tense sound compared to Em and Am, adding an interesting harmonic color to compositions in the key of Em. Also, note that a lot of the time in a progression this chord can be a major chord. But here Clark chose to make it a minor chord.

Blues Progression

Now that you know the shapes let’s talk next about the chord progression. The chord progression follows a standard 12-bar blues.

A 12-bar blues is a classic chord progression used extensively in music. It consists of 12 bars (or measures) that follow a specific pattern of chords. 

In the key of E minor, you can create a 12-bar blues progression using the chords Em, Am, and Bm. 

Here's how it typically looks:

The i Chord (Em): The first four bars start with the i chord, which is Em in this case. The I chord is played for two bars.

Em (4 bars)

The iv Chord (Am): In the next two bars, you move to the IV chord, which is Am in the key of E minor. The iv chord is played for two bars, and then we move back to the i chord for 2 bars like this:

Am (2 bars)

Em (2 bars)

The v Chord (Bm): Finally, you move to the v chord, which is Bm in this key. The v chord is played for one bar. Then Am for one bar. And finally, we’ll end on 2 bars of Em like this:

Bm (1 bar)

Am (1 bar)

Em (2 bars)

The 12-bar blues progression is then repeated as needed for the duration of the song.

In this 12-bar blues using Em, Am, and Bm, you'll notice that the I (Em), IV (Am), and V (Bm) chords are used, which are the primary chords in the key of E minor. The progression provides the foundation for blues improvisation and allows musicians to add their own style and variations to create a unique bluesy sound.

Keep in mind that in traditional blues playing, musicians often incorporate dominant 7th chords (e.g., E7, A7, B7) to add a bluesy flavor to the progression. But these chords represent an example of the same 12-bar blues progression but this one is in minor.

How do you play When My Train Pulls In Gary Clark?

One of the signature parts of this song is the main riff. Clark plays a bluesy figure to kick off the tune. He also uses the same riff in place of the Em chord throughout the 12-bar blues progression.

This style of playing is reminiscent of Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, and Howlin’ Wolf. Here is a riff in the style of this blues:

This riff comes straight out of the E minor blues scale. Many blues musicians play in the key of E and use these notes as fundamental pitch material to choose from when creating their own solos and riffs.

Those same strings and frets can be played like this:

e|----------------------------------------0--3--|

B|-----------------------------------0--3-------|

G|--------------------------0--2--3-----------|

D|-----------------0--2----------------------|

A|--------0--1--2---------------------------|

E|--0--3------------------------------------|

Conclusion:

"When My Train Pulls In" by Gary Clark Jr. is a soulful and bluesy masterpiece that showcases the exceptional talent of Gary Clark Jr. In the spirit of blues traditions, "When My Train Pulls In" speaks to the soul, evoking powerful emotions and telling stories through its heartfelt melodies.

Be sure to practice the riff as well as the chords. Remember to take it slow and learn each section one at a time. Then when you are ready try to play it along with the recording. Happy blues jamming! And for another great Gary Clark Jr. guitar lesson check out “Bright Lights” next!