Level: 4-Mar
Tuning: Standard

This is my loose interpretation of Snooks Eaglin's fantastic rendition of Bo Diddley's tune. In order to get this song down it helps to be familiar with the New Orleans rumba rhythmic pattern. This can be heard among others in the music of Professor Longhair, Dr. John, most of the various modern brass bands, and in Snooks Eaglin's guitar playing. There are very few guitar players I am aware of who play rumba fingerstyle - one is my friend Parrish Ellis (former guitar player for the Wiyos), and the others are south central / east African fingerpickers, most of whom have passed on.

As such, this tab in many ways is an attempt to get this style out there. It's not at all easy to nail down if you are locked into alternating bass patterns. First off would be to get that rumba bass line to cooperate - it's essentially two dotted quarter notes followed by a quarter note in a 4/4 bar. After that, work on the triplet driven, Spanish guitar style strum over the verse and then begin incorporating all the snazzy left hand ornamentation.

My rendition is loosely based on Snooks Eaglin's version, but has very much taken on a life of its own now that I've been playing it for a while. Snooks's version is played out of G (so capo on the 3rd fret). I stick to Snooks's Flamenco-esque touches in the 1st two verses, but for the rest of it I really try to lock into the rumba bassline while putting lines over it, which is the main challenge of the piece.