How to Play Rock on the Guitar

Learn the basic rhythm for rock guitar, practice strumming, and learn a basic fingering pattern.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Acoustic Guitars
• Electric Guitars
• Guitar Amplifiers
• Guitar Cables
• Guitar Cases
• Guitar Picks
• Guitar Slide
• Guitar Stands
• Guitar Straps
• Guitar Strings
• Sheet Music For Guitar
• Electronic Tuner For Guitars

Basic Rock Rhythm

1. 

   Play the A-major chord on your guitar.

2. 

   Strum the guitar using downstrokes, counting 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4 . . . (4/4 rhythm).

3. Use a flat pick rather than your thumb to create a harsher and louder sound.

4. Play the rhythm using downstrokes ( | ) and upstrokes ( ^ ). Graphically, the sequence looks like this: | ^ | ^ | ^ |

5. 

   Count "1 and 2 and 3 and 4," saying the numbers on the downstrokes and the "ands" on the upstrokes.

Basic Rock Chord Progression

1. Note that the chord progression in rock music is mostly the same as in blues (12 bars in 4/4 rhythm). See "How to Play Blues on Guitar" in the Related eHows.

2. Strum the guitar, counting 1-2-3-4 for each bar ( / ) on the A-major, D-major, E-major, A-major chord progression: A/A/A/A D/D/A/A E/D/A/A.

3. Master this progression, then go on to learn the basic rock riff.

Basic Rock Riff

1. Press down with your ring finger on the fourth fret of the fourth (D) string and then release it quickly - while fingering the A-major chord in bar position, with your left index finger holding down the first, second, third and fourth strings on the second fret. This is called the hammering bass technique.

2. Come down with your ring finger or little finger on the fourth fret of the third (G) string and lift it up again on the D-major chord.

3. Come down on the fourth fret of the fifth (A) string and release it on the E-major chord.

4. Play the hammering bass, using downstrokes only, on the basic rock chord progression described above. This technique was first introduced and made popular by rock guitarist Chuck Berry.

Tips & Warnings

• You can play this riff on any type of guitar, but you'll need an electric guitar to get all the effects that rock musicians achieve through amplification and distortion.

• Listen to as many recordings by rock guitarists as you possibly can. Have fun!