Richie Sambora

Birth name : Richard Stephen Sambora
Born : July 11, 1959 (1959-07-11) (age 51)
Perth Amboy, New Jersey, United States
Genres : Hard rock, glam metal, heavy metal
Occupations : Musician, songwriter
Instruments : Guitar, vocals, mandolin, sitar, ukulele, bass,
banjo, piano,keyboards, drums, flute, trumpet,
saxophone, accordion, bouzouki, mandocello, talk box
Years active : 1983–present
Labels : Mercury
Associated acts : Bon Jovi, Message, Dean Fasano

Richard Stephen "Richie" Sambora (born July 11, 1959) is an American rock guitarist, producer, musician, singer/songwriter who is the longtime lead guitarist of the popular rock band Bon Jovi. He and frontman Jon Bon Jovi form the primary songwriting unit of the band. He is also a solo artist, having released two solo albums; Stranger in This Town in 1991, and Undiscovered Soul in 1998.

Sambora was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, the son of Joan, a secretary, and Adam Sambora, a factory foreman. Sambora is of Polish descent and was raised Catholic. He grew up in Woodbridge, New Jersey and attended Woodbridge High School there, graduating in 1977. He began playing the guitar at the age of 12 following the death of guitar legend Jimi Hendrix in 1970. From his early days Sambora was strongly influenced by blues and 60s rock 'n' roll. His most important influences were Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Winter, Jimmy Page, Joe Perry and George Harrison. He was also influenced by Spanish classical music and began a life long love of the Spanish guitar. Classical music directly inspired several of his songs, such as The Answer which was originally written on piano.

Richie Sambora
'Stranger in this Town'

E-|----9---9-------7---7------5---5-------4h5p4----4ss2--|
B-|---------------------------------------5--------5ss3--|
G-|------9---9-------7---7------6---6--------------4ss2--|
D-|------------------------------------------------------|
A-|--7-----------5----------4-------------2--------0-----|
E-|------------------------------------------------------|

E-|----------------------------------|
B-|----------3---------3-------------|
G-|------2---4--4p2----4---2---------|
D-|--2h4------------4----------4sss--|
A-|----------------------------------|
E-|----------------------------------|

E-|----9---9-------7---7------5---5-------4h5p4----4ss2--|
B-|---------------------------------------5--------5ss3--|
G-|------9---9-------7---7------6---6--------------4ss2--|
D-|------------------------------------------------------|
A-|--7-----------5----------4-------------2--------0-----|
E-|------------------------------------------------------|

E-|--------------------------------------0-----------------|
B-|----------3----3----3-----2-----------2-----------------|
G-|------2---4----4----2-----2--------2--------------------|
D-|--2h4----------------------------2----------------------|
A-|--------------------------4----4------------------------|
E-|-------------------------------------------0--2--5--2h5-|Start Verse


VERSE: Repeat each part as needed
E-|--------------------------------------------0------|
B-|--------2-------------------------------------3----|
G-|------2---2---------1-----------2---------1-----1--|
D-|----2-------2-----2---2-------4---4-----2----------|
A-|--0-------------2-------2---4-------4--------------|
E-|--------------4-----------2-----------0------------|
|
Sometimes the following set of
lead can be heard here, too:
E-|-5s7-7-7---5---------------|
B-|-7s9-9-9---7---------------|
G-|-7s9-9-9---7--4b6rb4p2---2-|
D-|-----------------------4---|
A-|---------------------------|
E-|---------------------------|

E-|--3---2---0------------------3---2---0----------------|
B-|--3---3---2----2--3--2-------3---3---0----------------|
G-|--4---2---2-------------2----4---2---1---1--2--1------|
D-|--5---0---2------------------5---0---2------------2---|
A-|--5---0---0------------------5---0---2----------------|
E-|--3--------------------------3-------0----------------|

E-|--------------------------------------------2------|
B-|--------------------3-----------5---------3---3----|
G-|--------4---------4---4-------6---6-----2-------2--|
D-|------5---5-----4-------4---6-------6-0------------|
A-|----5-------5-2-----------4------------------------|
E-|--3------------------------------------------------|

E-|--------------------------------------|
B-|--------2-----------3-----------------|
G-|------2---2-------4---4---------2-----|
D-|----2-------2---4-------4-----4---4---|
A-|--0-----------2-------------4-------4-|
E-|--------------------------2-----------|

E-|------4---2----------------------------------------------------------5-|
B-|--2---5---3----------------------------------------------------------5-|
G-|--2---4---2------2-4b6rb4-2---2--------2-----------4-----------6-----6-|
D-|--2---6---4----4------------4--------3---3-------5---5-------7---7---7-|
A-|--0--------------------------------3-------3---5-------5---7-------7---|
E-|---------------------------------1-----------3-----------5-------------|

E-|--------------|
B-|--------------|
G-|--------------|
D-|--------------|
A-|--------------|
E-|-0--2--5--2h5-| Start Verse Again


That is the structure for the verses. Along the way, a lot of little
blues leads get thrown in. I don't know all of them, and I'm not going
to try to show where every one of them fits in. What I do know is that
they are usually part of an F blues scale (I think the song is in the
key of A and this is one of the related scales that you can use to
construct leads). Here are a few examples of the leads:
Example #1 Example #2 Example #3
E-|------------7b8.5rb7----7---|--12b14vvvvrb12-|----------------0--|
B-|-----7--10-----------10--10-|----------------|-7-7-5---3-3-2--0--|
G-|-6-9------------------------|----------------|-7-7-6---4-4-2--1--|
D-|----------------------------|----------------|-------------------|
A-|----------------------------|----------------|-------------------|
E-|----------------------------|----------------|-------------------|
Example #4
E-|-----14----14----17b19vvvvrb------------|
B-|-s14----14----14------------------------|
G-|----------------------------------------|
D-|---------------------------------11sss7-|
A-|----------------------------------------|
E-|----------------------------------------|

That should give you some idea of what I mean. They seem to all
be parts of the F blues scale all over the neck. I'm not going
to try to tab all of them or I would go nuts, miss a bunch, and
make this tab much, much longer... And it's starting to get pretty
long as is.

Solo (over the Verse structure, I think)
E-|-------12-12-12-12-------12------------------------------------|
B-|-12b14-------------12b14hhhh14rb12--10vvv--12b14vvvv-rb12vvvv--|
G-|---------------------------------------------------------------|
D-|---------------------------------------------------------------|
A-|---------------------------------------------------------------|
E-|---------------------------------------------------------------|

E-|--14p12-----12b14rb12-14-14-14-14p12-----------|
B-|--------14---------------------------14--------|
G-|----------------------------------------14vv---|
D-|-----------------------------------------------|
A-|-----------------------------------------------|
E-|-----------------------------------------------|

E-|-14----17b19vvvvvvrb17vvvb19vvrb17-17-16-16-14-14-------------|
B-|-14-14--------------------------------------------17-17-15-15-|
G-|--------------------------------------------------------------|
D-|--------------------------------------------------------------|
A-|--------------------------------------------------------------|
E-|--------------------------------------------------------------|

E-|------------------------------------------------------------------|
B-|-14h15p14----14h15h17-14h15p14---14h15h17-----17b19rb17b19rb17----|
G-|----------16------------------16-------------------------------14-|
D-|------------------------------------------------------------------|
A-|------------------------------------------------------------------|
E-|------------------------------------------------------------------|

E-|-----17----17vvvvvvvvv----17p15-------------17-15b17rb15--------------|
B-|-s17----17----------------------17-15b17-17--------------15b17rb15----|
G-|-------------------------------------------------------------------17-|
D-|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
A-|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
E-|----------------------------------------------------------------------|

E-|-20b22-20b22--20vvv------------------------------------------------|
B-|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G-|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
D-|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
A-|-------------------------15h16h17--17b18.5vv17b18.5v17b18.5rb17vvv-|
E-|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

E-|------------------------------------------|
B-|------------------------------------------|
G-|-5--------------7--------------9----------|
D-|-5--------------7--------------9----------|
A-|-3--------------5--------------7----------|
E-|------------------------------------------|

E-|--------------------------------------------------------------|
B-|-----------------------19-19-17-------------------------------|
G-|-----------14----14s18----------18-16-14----16bb18rb16-14vvv--|
D-|-----14-16----16-------------------------16-------------------|
A-|-s16----------------------------------------------------------|
E-|--------------------------------------------------------------|

Hate to dissapoint everyone, but this is all I'm going to tab.
The leads for the rest of the way out (I think) remain in the F
blues scale, but it also sounds like he throws in som changes, maybe
with some E or A blues leads--I'm not certain, maybe I'll try to
figure it out later.

Remember, this tab (especially the solo) is not written in stone.
I'm sure there are things that 'won't sound quite right.' I hope
it's good enough and you can piece the whole thing together from
it. Let me know what you think.