Hey, guitar enthusiasts! Ready to unleash your inner rockstar? Today, we're diving into the wild world of rock guitar techniques for beginners! Whether you're dreaming of shredding like Hendrix or riffing like Page, we've got you covered.
From power chords that'll make your amp scream to killer palm muting that adds that extra punch, we'll break it all down step by step. So, grab your axe, crank up the distortion, and get ready to shred.
Power Chords
The holy grail of rock guitar…Power Chords! These are like the secret sauce for beginner and advanced guitar players, packing a punch with just two or three notes. Power chords are easy to learn and make you feel like a rockstar instantly.
These are typically 2-3 finger moveable chords that are used in most rock songs. The power chord has a very strong sound known to cut through the rest of the noise. They do take some strength to master, but overtime your fingers will get used to it.
If 2 and 3 finger power chords are tricky, you can also try some open power chord shapes like E5 and A5 in the 2nd fret on the guitar. You only need 1 finger to play those!
Open Chords
Open chords: the friendly neighborhood chords of guitar world! They're your entry ticket to strumming paradise. They can help unlock countless songs.
But open chords aren’t just used in Pop and Country music! Although most Rock songs are made up of power chords, most of our favorite songs also use these chord shapes like A, C, G, and D.
Songs from Motley Crue, AC/DC, Queen, Beatles, Bon Jovi, and more will refer back to these chords shapes. Don’t let the open shapes get ignored!
8th Notes
8th notes are just one common type of rhythm used in Rock! You can play this rhythm with both downstrumming and alternate strum patterns. If you’re looking for a heavy sound, downstrumming works great for that. Some songs will play 8th notes one after another counting “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and” while others will mix things up by strumming certain beats louder and softer. “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and”. There is a whole world of rhythm to explore, but this will get us started!
Palm Muting
Palm muting is what makes those songs sound extra heavy! We wouldn’t have the driving force behind most Classic Rock songs without this. By placing the palm of your strum hand on the strings and leaving it there as you strum, we’ll get a more muted sound. Add some distortion, and those are the main ingredients! Be careful not to press to hard with the palm or we might get no sound at all!
Advanced Skills
If you’re looking to dive into more advanced skills, take a look at 16th note strumming, the Pentatonic Scale shapes, Bends, Pinch Harmonics, and the 12-Bar Blues. And that’s just some, there are so many more!
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