Rock Guitar

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INSTRUCTIONAL BOOK

LEARN NOTES,CHORDS, RHYTHMS, LICKS, AND SONGS

PLAY-ALONG AUDIO CDWITH EXERCISES AND SONGS

LEARN & PLAYROCK GUITARThe First Act® Learn & Play Rock Guitar method is an

easy and enjoyable way to learn to play the guitar.

Teach yourself how to play by following the method,s

step-by-step approach. You’ll be jamming in no time!

WITH THE FIRST ACT® LEARN & PLAY GUITAR METHOD, YOU CAN:LEARN TO PLAY CHORDS AND MELODIES TO MORE THAN 15 SONGS

PLAY ALONG WITH A GREAT-SOUNDING BACK-UP BAND ON CD

LEARN CHORDS USED IN THOUSANDS OF POPULAR SONGS

LEARN & PLAY ROCK GUITARPRINTS CMYK 100% BLACK

1

First Act Inc. 745 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02116

LEARN & PLAY ROCK GUITARFOR ACOUSTIC AND ELECTRIC

BY DEBBIE CAVALIER

First Act and the First Act logo are trademarks of First Act Inc.

Copyright © 2009 First Act Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the Publisher.

CONTENTS

MEET yOUR GUITAR

HOLdING THE GUITAR

GETTING IN TUNE

MUSIC THEORy ANd NOTATION

RHyTHM GUITAR

CHORdS

STRUM THIS!

THE OpEN pOSITION CHORd SOURCE

pOwER CHORdS

pOwER CHORd BLUES

pOwER CHORd GROOvES

MORE pOwER CHORdS

MOvE IT ON OvER!

MORE GROOvES

THE 6TH pOwER

“BOOGIE BLUES”

LEAd GUITAR

RIFF BLUES

MELOdIC LICKS ANd TRICKS

IT’S ONLy ROCK ‘N ROLL

FIR

ST

AC

T

FIR

ST

AC

T

Pickup

Input Jack

Tone/VolumeControls

3

INTROdUCTIONPlaying the guitar is a lot of fun, and the Learn & Play Guitar method is a great way to get started. You’ll learn the chords and melodies to lots of well-known songs, as well as the tools needed to play hundreds of popular music titles. The Learn & Play Guitar method will give you the skills to add music making to your life.

ABOUT THE CdThe accompanying CD contains orchestrated play-along tracks to go along with the lessons. When you play along with these recordings, the accompaniment ranges from a click track to a full-on rock band with drums, bass, and guitar.

pARTS OF A GUITAR

MEET yOUR GUITAR!

When you see the CD icon, go to the track shown to play along.

Acoustic Guitar

Headstock

Tuning Keys

Nut

Neck

Frets

Soundhole

Strings

Bridge

Headstock

Tuning Keys

Nut

Neck

Frets

Pickguard

Strings

Bridge

Electric Guitar

FIRST ACT

4

HOLdING THE GUITARHold the guitar in a comfortable sitting or standing position. Make sure the body of the guitar is not tilted. Avoid slanting it to look over at the strings. The neck of the guitar should be angled slightly upwards.

HOLd ME!

SITTINGSTANdING

5

THE pICK Hold the pick firmly with your right hand, between your thumb and your pointer finger.

Use the tip of the pick to play the strings.

FINGER NUMBERSYour left hand or "fretting" fingers are numbered 1 though 4 from your pointer to your little finger.

Your left hand thumb should rest comfortably behind the neck of the guitar. Try not to let your left hand palm touch the back of the neck.

1st2nd

3rd

4th

6

TUNINGTuning your guitar corrects the pitch for each string. Pitch means how high or low a musical sound is. Adjust the pitch by tightening or loosening the strings using the tuning keys located on the head stock. There are four ways you can tune your guitar:

1. Tune up with the tuning track on the CD. The recording on track 1 plays each string twice, from the lowest pitch to the highest. Tune your guitar by playing the same string as the recording and adjusting your tuning keys. Adjust each string until it sounds the same as the recording.

2. Tune up to a piano or keyboard. Play the keys one at a time, and tune each corresponding string.

3. Use an electronic tuner. An electronic tuner detects the pitch of each string, and indicates if the pitch is too high or too low.

4. Tune the instrument to itself; this is called relative tuning:

E String First, tune the 6th string to an E on a piano or a keyboard, or any other instrument that is already in tune.

A String Press the 6th string behind the 5th fret and tune the open 5th string to it by turning the 5th tuning key until the two strings sound the same.

D String Press the 5th string behind the 5th fret and tune the open 4th string to it by turning the 4th tuning key.

G String Press the 4th string behind the 5th fret and tune the open 3rd string to it by turning the 4th tuning key.

B String Press the 3rd string behind the 4th fret and tune the open 2nd string to it by turning the 2nd tuning key.

E String Press the 2nd string behind the 5th fret and tune the open 1st string to it by turning the 1st tuning key.

STRING 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st

NOTE E A d G B E

T U n i nG T i pA good tuning rule to remember: the tighter the string, the higher the pitch.

B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D A

STRING 6 5 4 3 2 1

MIDDLE C

1

GETTING IN TUNE

E A d G B E

6 5 4 3 2 1

A d G E

B

7


A SOLId FOUNdATIONThe next few pages contain some important information about music notation you’ll want to refer to from time to time. So, check it out and then come back whenever you have a question.

Music has its own language made up of notes (musical pitches) and rhythms (beats). Learning this language will help you become a better player.

Rhythm notation indicates how long to play a note or rest). Here are the notes and rests you will be using.

LINE

SPACE

LINE 5

LINE 4

LINE 3

LINE 2

LINE 1SPACE 1

SPACE 2

SPACE 3

SPACE 4

NOTES

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

Whole notes get four beats each Half notes get two beats each

Quarter notes get one beat each Eighth notes get a half of a beat each

RESTS

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

Whole Rests get four beats each Half Rests get two beats each

Quarter Rests get one beat each Eighth Rests get a half of a beat each

R E STSWhole and half rests are attached to a bar on the staff. The whole rest usually sits in the middle of the measure.

Music is written on a staff that contains five lines and four spaces.

A clef indicates where notes appear on a staff. Guitar music begins with a treble clef.

8

TIME SIGNATURE

A time signature tells you how many beats are in each measure.

For example:

A B C d E F G

BAR LINETREBLE CLEF DOUBLE BAR LINE

MEASURE


Music is divided into measures by bar lines. A double bar line means the end of a song.

Means there are four beats to a measure.

Means a quarter note gets one beat (see page 7).

NOTES ANd RHyTHMSMusic is made up of notes (pitches) and rhythms (length of notes). The notes are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet. Music notes appear on the staff in alphabetical order. The first line on a treble staff is E. The notes that extend above and below the treble staff use ledger lines.

.

. ..

.

.

REpEAT SIGNS

Means repeat everything in between the signs.

Means repeat from the beginning.

9

Line notes are easily remembered with sayings such as:

Empty Garbage Before dad FlipsEvery Good Boy does Fine

Space notes are best remembered with the word the letters spell from the lowest to the highest space:

F A C E

E

Every

G

Good

B

Boy

d

does

F

Fine

F A C E

NOTE NAMESThe treble clef gives the staff lines and spaces the following note names. Memorize the note names and where they fall on the staff.

& 4

4

Whole Notes (4 Beats)

|

1 2 3 4

Half Notes (2 Beats)

| |

1 2 3 4

Quarter Notes (1 Beats)

Û Û Û Û

1 2 3 4

Eighth Notes (1/2 Beats)

Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &Count:

RHyTHMIC NOTATIONCommon in guitar music, rhythmic notation contains slash marks for rhythms.

pUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

This is a G (2nd line) half note (two beats).

This is a C (3rd space) whole note (four beats).

This is an A (2nd space) quarter note (one beat).

10

TABLATURE

T A B

3

T A B

3 5

T A B

0 0 1 3

OPEN 1ST FRET 3RD FRET

1ST STRING 2ND STRING 3RD STRING 4TH STRING 5TH STRING 6TH STRING



OPEN

T A B

3 2

1

6 5

4

Tablature, or tab notation, indicates where to place your fingers on the fretboard.

T A B

3

T A B

3 5

T A B

0 0 1 3





OPEN

T A B

3 2

1

6 5

4

This indicates the 3rd fret of the 6th string, the note G.

This indicates the 5th fret of the 5th string and the 3rd fret of the 6th string.

1

2

3

4

5

6

®

T A B

3

T A B

3 5

T A B

0 0 1 3





OPEN

T A B

3 2

1

6 5

4

pUTTING IT ALL TOGETHERThe treble staff above the tablature indicates the notes and rhythms. Read the tablature from left to right. A zero indicates that you should play the string “open.” In other words, don’t press the string to the fretboard.

TREBLE STAFF

11

1

3

1

2

3

6 5 4 3 2 1

Don’t Play Play Open String

Fretting Finger

X

FR

ET

S

STRINGS

2

Let’s play some chords. Follow the chord frames, tab, and music notation provided. Use a pick and strum downward over the strings until you get a clean clear sound. Practice each chord until you are comfortable playing it.

Practice playing the D chord. Just for this exercise, take your fingers off of the fretboard in between notes, so you can practice ‘grabbing’ the chord.

pLAyING CHORdSA rhythm guitarist defines a song’s groove using chords. Chords are a group of notes you strum together at the same time. Knowing just a few chords will enable you to play a large number of songs.

CHORD Tip If you get a buzz sound instead of a musical tone on a fingered string, it means you either have to press the string harder or move your finger farther away from the fret.

CHORd FRAMESChord frames (shown to the right) are pictures that tell you which notes to play and which strings to strum. An X above a chord frame tells you to avoid that string. An O indicates an open string (no left hand fingerings), and dots with numbers are fretting finger positions.

RHyTHM GUITAR

2

2 3

0

T A B

2

2 3

0

2

2 3

0

2

2 3

0

2

2 3

0

X

D X

TAB

D Chord

2

23

0

1

3

XD

X

2

2

12

TAB

C Chord

10

0

23

1

3

XC

2

G

1

32

TAB

G Chord

2

30

3

00

X

DX X

DXX

CX

CX

C

X

DXX

C GG

TAB

2

23

0

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

TAB

2

23

0

2

23

0

0

01

232

30

3

00

2

30

3

00

X

DX X

DXX

CX

CX

C

X

DXX

C GG

TAB

2

23

0

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

TAB

2

23

0

2

23

0

0

01

232

30

3

00

2

30

3

00

Try playing a C chord. When you are comfortable with the C, practice switching between the C and D chords, as shown in Practice A below.

Here’s the G chord. Try switching between the three chords, as shown in Practice B below.

pRACTICE A

pRACTICE B

3

4

13

X

D X X

C

T A B

2

2 3

0

2

2 3

0

0

0 1

2 3 2

3 0

3

0 0

2

3 0

3

0 0

G

X

D X X

C G G

T A B

2

2 3

0

2

2 3

0

2

2 3

0

2

2 3

0

0

0 1

2 3

2

2 3

0

0

0 1

2 3

2

2 3

0

0

0 1

2 3

2

2 3

0

0

0 1

2 3 2

3 0

3

0 0

2

3 0

3

0 0

2

3 0

3

0 0

2

3 0

3

0 0

X

C

Play your new chords in the following progression using half notes (two beats eat). Notice this progression sounds like the chords to the classic rock song “Sweet Home Alabama.”

X

D X X

C

T A B

2

2 3

0

2

2 3

0

0

0 1

2 3 2

3 0

3

0 0

2

3 0

3

0 0

G

X

D X X

C G G

T A B

2

2 3

0

2

2 3

0

2

2 3

0

2

2 3

0

0

0 1

2 3

2

2 3

0

0

0 1

2 3

2

2 3

0

0

0 1

2 3

2

2 3

0

0

0 1

2 3 2

3 0

3

0 0

2

3 0

3

0 0

2

3 0

3

0 0

2

3 0

3

0 0

X

C

Try the same chord on another familiar groove. This one sounds like the chord progression to “Wild Thing.”

6

5

14

STRUMMINGThe guitar is strummed with the right hand. So far, the songs and examples in this book use a downward strum, or downstroke.

STRUM THIS!

G GX

DXX

C

G GX

DXX

C

THE dOwNSTROKE: The following strumming examples show the downstroke and the upstroke.

dOwNSTROKE UpSTROKE

Start with the 6th or heaviest string and strum downward, striking all six strings.

Start with 1st or thinnest string and strum upward.

7

G GX

DXX

C

G GX

DXX

C

THE UpSTROKE:

8

15

X

DXX

CG

T A B

2

23

0

2

23

0

2

23

0

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

232

3 0

3

0 0

2

3 0

3

0 0

2

3 0

3

0 0

X

C

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

G G X

D X X

C

2

30

3

00

G

X

DXX

CG

T A B

2

23

0

2

23

0

2

23

0

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

232

3 0

3

0 0

2

3 0

3

0 0

2

3 0

3

0 0

X

C

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

G G X

D X X

C

2

30

3

00

G

X

DXX

CG

T A B

2

23

0

2

23

0

2

23

0

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

232

3 0

3

0 0

2

3 0

3

0 0

2

3 0

3

0 0

X

C

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

G G X

D X X

C

2

30

3

00

G

THE dOwN-UpSTROKE:

STRUMMING pRACTICE This strumming pattern works well for many rock grooves.

Let’s add chords to the strumming pattern you just practiced to play a groove used in many rock tunes including “Hang On Sloopy.”

ROCK GROOvE 3:

9

10

16

A tie connects two of the same notes together to be played as one.

The next rhythm and strum pattern is similar to the “Sloopy” groove with the addition of some ties and upstrokes. Practice this rhythm on a single chord.

Now try the same rhythm and strum pattern in the style of the Beatles’ “Twist and Shout.”

ROCK GROOvE 4:

Û Û

G

TAB 2

30

3

00T

AB

X

DXX

CG

2

23

0

2

23

0

2

23

0

2

23

0

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

232

30

3

00

2

30

3

00

2

30

3

00

X

C

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23 2

30

3

00

G

G

TAB 2

30

3

00T

AB

X

DXX

CG

2

23

0

2

23

0

2

23

0

2

23

0

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

232

30

3

00

2

30

3

00

2

30

3

00

X

C

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23

2

23

0

0

01

23 2

30

3

00

G

11

17

Here is a classic rock rhythm written in rhythmic notation. Notice the same two-bar strumming pattern is used throughout the entire groove.

X

D X

X

DX

X

C

G

G

Old Time Groove

G

|

12

18

A

432

X

B7

432

X

1

1

3

XD

X

2

1

3

E

2

3

X XF

2

11 11

Am

32

X

1

1

3

XC

2

1

3

XDm

X

2

3

Em

2

1

3

G

2

A7

32

X

1

3

XC7

2

4

1

3

XD7

X

2

E7

2

1

1

3

G7

2

You’ve mastered three important open position chords: G,C, and D, but there are many more to learn. The following is a chart containing the other open position chords available. Memorize these chords and work them into your playing.

*Make a “bar” with your 1st finger across the 1st fret

*

THE OpEN pOSITION CHORd SOURCE

19

One of the most important tools in a rhythm guitarist’s tool kit is the power chord.

power Chords are made up of two or three notes. They are among the most common sounds in rock music providing a foundation and a big, fat, driving sound.

Practice these power chords until you can comfortably change chords using half notes.

TAB 7

5

75

97

75

A5 D5 E5 D5

TAB

A5 Chord

75

A5

3

X

1

X X X

5th fret

TAB

E5 Chord

97

E5

3

X

1

X X X

7th fret

TAB

D5 Chord

75

D5

3

X

1

X X X

5th fret

pOwER CHORdS

13

20

pOwER CHORd BLUES

You probably already know that the “blues” is a style of music. But it is also a song form: 12 bars (measures) and three chords used in a very specific order. Check it out. Play the chord progression to “Baby Blue.”

TAB

TAB

TAB

75

75

75

75

75

75

75

75

75

75

97

97

Baby Blue

A5

D5 A5

E5 A5

14

21

pOwER CHORd GROOvES

Let’s put these power chords to work and jam on some familiar rock grooves. The rhythms might look fierce, but you have probably already heard these grooves for years. Work through the TAB and the rhythm notation.

This groove is in the style of “Louie Louie.”

The following groove is in the style of Joe Jackson’s hit song, “Is She Really Going Out With Him?”

ROCK GROOvE 5:

ROCK GROOvE 6:

TAB 7

575

75

75

75

75

75 7

5

97

97

97

A5 D5 E5 D5 A5

D5

TAB 7

575

75

75

75

75

75

75

75

75

75 7

5

97

97

97

97

A5 E5 A5TAB 7

575

75

75

75

75

75 7

5

97

97

97

A5 D5 E5 D5 A5

D5

TAB 7

575

75

75

75

75

75

75

75

75

75 7

5

97

97

97

97

A5 E5 A5

15

16

22

MORE pOwER CHORdS

ROCK GROOvE 7:

B 5

TAB 5

353

5353

53

31

31

31

31

31

F5G5 G5 G5

Here are some more power chords and rock grooves to try.

TAB

G5 Chord

53

G5

3

X

1

X X X

3rd fret

T A B

F5 Chord

31

F5 X X X X

3

1 1st fret

T A B

B 5 Chord

31

B 5 X X X X

3

11st fret

17

23

The shift slide lines mean to move smoothly from the first note to the next. For this example, slide your finger up two frets (7 to 9). Be sure to play both notes with you pick hand.

Sometimes songs begin after the first beat of a measure. The notes in an incomplete first measure are called pick-up notes.

TAB 5

353

31

31

31

F5 F5F5 G5 G5

53

TAB

7 9

TAB 5

353

31

31

31

F5 F5F5 G5 G5

53

TAB

7 9

TAB 5

353

31

31

31

F5 F5F5 G5 G5

53

TAB

7 9

ROCK GROOvE 8:

18

24

MOvE IT ON OvER!

T A B

F5 Chord

31

F5 X X X X

3

1 1st fret

F F /G G G /A A A /B B C C /D D D /E E

6th string

A /B B C C /D D D /E F F /G G G /A A E

5th string

®®

B5XX X X

3

1

F F /G G G /A A A /B B C C /D D D /E E

6th string

A /B B C C /D D D /E F F /G G G /A A E

5th string

®®

6TH STRING pOwER CHORdS:

5TH STRING pOwER CHORdS:

Power chords are movable. That means you can play them on any fret. The root, or name of the power chord, is always played by the first finger. Memorize the following names and positions, and you’ll have access to the whole world of power chords.

25

MORE GROOvES

T A B 6

4

6 4 3

1

3 1

F5 D 5 B 5 A 5

T A B 6

464

64

643

1 31

31

31

31

F5 D 5 F5B 5 A 5

T A B

T A B 6

4

6 4 3

1

3 1

F5 D 5 B 5 A 5

T A B 6

464

64

643

1 31

31

31

31

F5 D 5 F5B 5 A 5

T A B

T A B 6

4

6 4 3

1

3 1

F5 D 5 B 5 A 5

T A B 6

464

64

643

1 31

31

31

31

F5 D 5 F5B 5 A 5

T A B

Let’s use the new power chord positions to play some more familiar rock grooves.

A muffled string sound is produced by the fret hand pressing lightly while the pick hand plays. Keep your fingers on the strings so that they don’t ring open, but don’t press so hard as to fret them! These are sometimes called “chucks” or “cuts.”

MUFFLEd STRING pRACTICE

Use the muffled string technique and your new power chords to play a groove in the style of Nirvana.

ROCK GROOvE 9:

ROCK GROOvE 10:

20

19

26

Use your new power chords to play a rhythmic groove in the style of Green Day.

Create your own rock grooves with the power chords and the classic rock grooves you’ve learned so far. The last page of the book has more space for you to write your own grooves.

ROCK GROOvE 11:

My ROCK GROOvE:

T A B 4

242

425

3 53

53

53

53

53

53

75

75

75

75

G5 G5C5 D5D5 B5

T A B

T A B 4

242

425

3 53

53

53

53

53

53

75

75

75

75

G5 G5C5 D5D5 B5

T A B

21

27

THE 6TH pOwER

Power chords can be altered to create a sixth chord by lifting the third finger and adding the fourth, as shown below. Used in combination with the standard power chord, the sixth chord gives you a “boogie” sound made famous by such artists as The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Van Halen, Chuck Berry, and more.

ROCK GROOvE 12:

ROCK GROOvE 13:

T A B

75

75

95

95

95

95

75

75

75

95

95

95

75

75

75

A5 A6 A5 A6 A5 A6 A6 A5 A5

D5 D6 D5 D6 D5 D6 D6 D5 D5

T A B 7

575

95

95

95

95

75

75

75

95

95

95

75

75

75

T A B

75

75

95

95

95

95

75

75

75

95

95

95

75

75

75

A5 A6 A5 A6 A5 A6 A6 A5 A5

D5 D6 D5 D6 D5 D6 D6 D5 D5

T A B 7

575

95

95

95

95

75

75

75

95

95

95

75

75

75

A5X X X X

D5X X X X

A6X X X X

D6X X X X

T A B

A5 Chord

75

T A B

D5 Chord

75

TAB

D6 Chord

95

T A B

A6 Chord

95

5th fret

5th fret

5th fret

5th fret

A5X X X X

D5X X X X

A6X X X X

D6X X X X

T A B

A5 Chord

75

T A B

D5 Chord

75

TAB

D6 Chord

95

T A B

A6 Chord

95

5th fret

5th fret

5th fret

5th fret

A5X X X X

D5X X X X

A6X X X X

D6X X X X

T A B

A5 Chord

75

T A B

D5 Chord

75

TAB

D6 Chord

95

T A B

A6 Chord

95

5th fret

5th fret

5th fret

5th fret

22

23

A5X X X X

D5X X X X

A6X X X X

D6X X X X

T A B

A5 Chord

75

T A B

D5 Chord

75

TAB

D6 Chord

95

T A B

A6 Chord

95

5th fret

5th fret

5th fret

5th fret

(Make this stretch with your 4th fretting finger)

28

palm muting is a common rock guitar technique.Use the heel of your picking hand to mute the strings and get a thicker, more percussive sound. Use this technique when you see the abbreviation P.M. under the notes. This signature sound can be heard in a variety of songs including “My Best Friend’s Girl” by The Cars, “Barracuda” by Heart, and many others.

ROCK GROOvE 14:

ROCK GROOvE 15:

E5 E6 E5 E6 E5 E6 E6 E5 E5

T A B

97

97

117

117

117

117

97

97

97

117

117

117

97

97

97

T A B

A5 G5 A5

75

75

75

75

75

75

75

75

75

75

53

75

P.M. ------------------------ -----------------

P.M.

------------------------------------------

E5 E6 E5 E6 E5 E6 E6 E5 E5

T A B

97

97

117

117

117

117

97

97

97

117

117

117

97

97

97

T A B

A5 G5 A5

75

75

75

75

75

75

75

75

75

75

53

75

P.M. ------------------------ -----------------

P.M.

------------------------------------------

E5X X X X

E6X X X X

T A B

E5 Chord

97

T A B

E6 Chord

117

7th fret

7th fret

E5X X X X

E6X X X X

T A B

E5 Chord

97

T A B

E6 Chord

117

7th fret

7th fret

56

78

9

56

78

9

24

25

29

Using the blues form and sixth chords, try a boogie blues. Notice the call for palm muting (P.M.) under the first measure.

Boogie Blues

T A B 7

5 75

95

95

95

95

75

75

75

75

95

95

95

95

75

75

A5 A6 A5 A6

D5 D6 D5 D6

T A B

A5

T A B

E5 A5 A5

97

97

117

117

117

117

97

97

97

97

117

117

117

117

97

97

P.M. Throughout

75

75

95

95

95

95

75

75

75

75

95

95

95

95

75

75

75

75

95

95

95

95

75

75 7

5 75

95

95

95

95

75

75

75

75

95

95

95

95

75

75

75

75

95

95

95

95

75

75

75

75

95

95

95

95

75

75

75

75

75

95

95

95

95

75

75

26

30

The lead guitarist’s role is to play melodies, solos, or riffs while the rest of the band keeps the rhythmic groove going. A riff is a pattern of notes that can be repeated.

(Each riff is played four times)Here is a riff that can be played over a G chord.

Here is that same riff with notes that can be played over the C chord.

Here is that same riff with notes that can be played over the D chord.

LEAd GUITAR

TAB

3

30

0

X

DXX

CG

TAB 3

31

0 TAB

32

1

0

TAB

3

30

0

X

DXX

CG

TAB 3

31

0 TAB

32

1

0

TAB

3

30

0

X

DXX

CG

TAB 3

31

0 TAB

32

1

0

27

28

29

31

RIFF BLUES

Let’s put them together and play this riff over a blues progression. Have a keyboard player or guitarists play the chords to accompany you.

X

D X

X

C

G Riff Blues

T A B

T A B

T A B

3

3 0

0

3

3 0

0

3

3 0

0

3

3 0

0

3

3 0

0

3

3 0

0

3

30

0

3 3

30

0

3

3 1

0

3

3 1

0

3

31

03

21

0

G

X

C G G

30

32

ROCK GROOvE 16:

IT ’S ONLy ROCK ‘N ROLL!

ROCK GROOvE 17:

Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end of the book! You can play chords, power chords, riffs, grooves, and licks. There is so much more to know. Listen to recordings of your favorite guitarists and try to figure out what they are playing. Pick up more instructional guitar books and DVDs. Find a guitar teacher who can coach you along your path to becoming an accomplished rock guitar player. Good luck!

Let’s put all of your new rock tools to work. The following grooves contain licks, riffs, and power chords.

Here’s a groove that is in the style of The Rolling Stones.

Here’s one in the style of Ritchie Valens.

T A B

3 0 2

3 0 2 3

02

122

323

00

00

3

02

120

0

00

3 3 0 2

T A B 2

222 0

22 0

22 0

22 2

T A B

3 0 2

3 0 2 3

02

122

323

00

00

3

02

120

0

00

3 3 0 2

T A B 2

222 0

22 0

22 0

22 2

31

32

33

TAB

TAB

TAB

TAB

TAB

34

CONGRATULATIONS FOR COMPLETING THEFIRST ACT®

LEARN & pLAy ROCK GUITAR METHODYou have learned the basics of your instrument and

how to tune the guitar. You are reading music, playing

notes and chords and understanding music notation.

You are well on your way to having lots of fun learning

and playing the guitar.

First Act, the publisher of the First Act Learn & Play

Rock Guitar method, is committed to providing quality

musical instruments, accessories, and learning methods.

As a guitarist, you may be interested in our First Act

line of guitar accessories including strings, picks, straps,

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First Act products are available at retailers worldwide and

online at FirstAct.com. Visit our website for guitar tips

and tricks, tuning instructions, printable guitar chord

charts, and more!

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INSTRUCTIONAL BOOK

LEARN NOTES,CHORDS, RHYTHMS, LICKS, AND SONGS

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LEARN & PLAYROCK GUITARThe First Act® Learn & Play Rock Guitar method is an

easy and enjoyable way to learn to play the guitar.

Teach yourself how to play by following the method,s

step-by-step approach. You’ll be jamming in no time!

WITH THE FIRST ACT® LEARN & PLAY GUITAR METHOD, YOU CAN:LEARN TO PLAY CHORDS AND MELODIES TO MORE THAN 15 SONGS

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