Cochise Guitar Lesson

Cochise is a really fun and high-energy song to play, and it’s all based around the E minor pentatonic scale.

If you like Tom Morello’s playing style, this is a great track to get into his techniques and unique sound. The timing can be tricky at first, but we’ll break it down bit by bit!

The Intro

For the cool intro that Tom Morello plays, you’ll need some overdrive and a delay.

Make sure your delay is set to give you one single repetition, at the same volume as your regular signal.

Basically, when you play a note, you should hear it twice at the same volume!

Mute the strings of your guitar with your fretting hand, by placing it flat on the strings, and use your strumming hand to gently slap the strings. Have a play around with it, for example, you can move your fretting hand’s position to change the pitch of that super cool “helicopter sound”, and add more movement!

Same thing with your fretting hand, try to slap the strings in different spots to see what you like!

Main Riff Part 1

The main riff is in the key of E minor, and we’re mostly playing around shapes 2 and 3 of the E minor pentatonic scale, with a few open strings from shape 1.

As I always say, if you don’t know these pentatonic scale shapes, but still want to learn the song, go for it! You don’t need the theory to play it, but it does help with understanding what’s going on.

Focus on the notes above to visualise where you’re playing. Even if you’re not super confident with your pentatonic scale shapes, it’s a great way to start seeing how they all connect.

The timing for this first part of the riff goes:

Once you’re comfortable with it, try adding a nice little detail on the first note of the riff. We’re starting the riff with the note E, on fret 7 of the A string.

But try adding a hammer-on from fret 5 (the note D) to 7. It add a nice bit of colour.

This hammer-on should be super quick, we barely want to hear the D that you’re playing on fret 5.

One thing I say all the time when dealing with fast hammer-ons like this is to think of it almost like “fixing a mistake”. As soon as you pluck the string, hammer-on to fret 7!

Main Riff Part 2

The second part of the riff is very close to what we’ve seen before. Think of it as a lighter version of the first part.

We’re still playing over the same exact shapes, and playing the same notes on these shapes, but we’re spending less time on shape 3.

And since it starts on the same E as the first part, don’t forget to add that quick hammer-on again!

The timing of the second half of the riff is:

Even though there are fewer notes, the rhythm of this section of the song is way more syncopated!

I’d recommend (as always) singing the riff along with the track to really get the feel of it.

If you can sing or hum a riff and feel where the notes land, that usually means you’re comfortable enough to start nailing it on the guitar too!

Transition Into The Chorus

To play that transition, we’ll need a D5 and an Eb5, but with a twist!

Instead of playing them from the root note on the A string, we’ll play these two powerchords with the fifth on the bass.

We’ll therefor call them D5/A, and Eb5/Bb.

To add that bass note to your regular powerchord shape, simply flatten your index finger to fret the low E string on the same fret as your root note!

You’ll probably come across this new shape in other songs, so try to get it in your fingers!

The Chorus

The chorus is very similar to what we’ve seen before, we still play over the same shapes of the E minor pentatonic scale, and we start from the same note with the same quick hammer-on!

We're adding a few extra notes from the scale shapes we've already seen on the main riff, so let's have a look at our scale shapes again:

The timing of the chorus goes:

And then, on the cool little turnaround Tom Morello plays:

Variations And Conclusion

You might see me play the note A using the open A string now and then, rather than fretting fret 5 on the E string.

It is, of course, the same note, and it’s hard to hear the difference, but Tom Morello does play it on fret 5 on the E string.

You can definitely play around with this if you want to! It’s a matter of personal taste, and it’s actually a very good way to understand how the same note appears in different places across the neck.

Take your time with this riff, and remember to dig in hard with your strumming hand to get the right energy!