One of the appealing elements of rock music in the early days was that it was simple and easy to play. Unlike jazz and more complicated forms of music, rock music could be played once you learned a few basic guitar chords and could get your hands on an electric guitar. To a large extent, this is still the case. Rock music has certainly produced master guitarists and virtuosos but a lot of rock music is still simple and basic. Grasp the idea of power chords and guitar riffs and you are ready to rock.



Follow this Instructions :

  • Purchase an electric guitar and amplifier. Rock guitar songs can be played on an acoustic guitar -- think of Peter Townsend from the Who -- but an electric guitar will make the task much easier. 

  • Learn to play power chords. Power chords are the chords most commonly used by rock guitarists. Power chords are bar chords, meaning that the finger controlling the string's pitch is held straight and pressed flat against the fretboard. A power chord is typically played on the sixth, fifth and fourth strings The emphasis on the bottom end gives the chord a thick and full tone.

  • There are two main types of power chords: chords with the root on the sixth string and chords with the root on the fifth string. The open E shape chord is an example of the first and the open A chord is an example of the second. The chords move up and down the neck chromatically. For example, lay you finger across the first fret concentrating on fretting the F on the first fret of the sixth string. Fret the third fret of the fifth string and the third fret of the fourth string. Play the sixth, fifth and fourth strings to play an F power chord. Move the shape to the third fret to play G, to the fifth fret to play A and so forth.
 

  • Learn how to play guitar riffs on the sixth, fifth and fourth strings. A riff is like a mini-melody, usually only a few to a dozen notes long, but distinctive and catchy. Besides power chords, guitar riffs are the other essential element of rock songs. Think of songs such as "Satisfaction," "Smoke on the Water," and "Purple Haze" -- the riffs are as memorable as the sung melody. See Resources for a list of the hundred greatest rock riffs.

  • A lot of rock riffs are simple and easy to play. The majority of rock riffs are based on the root note, a flatted 3rd and a flatted 7th. Don't worry about the terms if they're unfamiliar to you; it is easier than it sounds. Take the key of G, for example. G is the root, Bb is the flatted 3rd and F is the flatted 7th. Play G on the third fret of the sixth string. Play Bb on the first fret of the fifth string. Play G again followed by F, the first fret of the sixth string and then G one more time. The same pattern can be played an octave higher. Play G, fifth fret of the fourth string. Bb is the third fret of the third string and F is the third fret of the fourth string. Create your own riffs using different sequences and rhythmic parts based on these notes. The pattern is movable. If you start on the fifth fret of the sixth string you are now in the key of A and you are playing A, C and G.
 

  • Learn to read guitar tablature. Guitar tabs are very popular with guitar players. They are simple and easy to read. Guitar tabs represent the six strings of the guitar. The tabs for a particular song illustrate which strings and frets to play. Free guitar tabs are available online for almost any rock song you can think of. Decide which rock song to learn. The tabs will show you how to play the particular power chords or guitar riff for the song.
 

  • Find the right guitar tone to make the song sound authenticate. Rock guitarists use a variety of guitar sounds ranging from cleans sound to warm overdriven tube sounds to extremely distorted sounds. Additional features may be reverb, delay, chorus and various effects. Learning to control an amp to produce guitar effects is essential skill for an aspiring rock guitarist.