Rock City Guitar Lesson

The first piece we're going to look at is a rock song called Rock City. Here, you can see I'm using my Les Paul.

Getting the Right Sound

• Guitar Setup:
  • Turn the distortion channel on or increase the gain to achieve that heavy overdriven sound.
  • Use the bridge pickup (all the way down) to get that treble, cutting through the distortion for clarity.

Playing Technique

Power Chords

• We'll be playing power chords with our first finger on the first fret.
• Using the one finger per fret method, we'll move up one fret each:
  • Finger 1: Fret 2 (middle finger)
  • Finger 2: Fret 3
  • And so on...

Sheet Music Overview

• The sheet music has four lines, which is much longer than previous examples.
• This is why building good technique is essential; it helps improve our stamina for longer playing sessions.

Key Signature

• There is one sharp in our key signature, indicating that every F is an F sharp.

Rhythm Breakdown

• The rhythms are quite simple:
  • Start with quarter notes, followed by a bar of half notes, then another bar of quarter notes, finishing on half notes.
• Notes to use:
  • D String: 2nd fret (E) to open D.
  • A String: 2nd fret (B) to open A.

Bar Analysis

• Bar 1: Notes played as discussed.
• Bar 2: Play G with the middle finger on the big E string, then the open E (half notes).
• Bars 3 and 4: Build up using open E to G, then A to B, finishing with two open E's (two beats each).

Lines Comparison

• Line 1: Same notes and rhythms; starting with the second fret on the D string.
• Line 2:
  • Bars 1 and 2 have identical rhythms to Line 1.
  • In Bar 3, there's the first rest on beat three:
    • Rest, 2, Rest, Rest.

Power Chords in Action

Line 3

• Use our first finger to play power chords:
  • A5 chord: Lasts for a whole note (4 beats).
  • Move down to the D power chord‚ same shape, just lower (open D and 2nd fret on G).
  • Use rolled finger technique; this helps transition between chords.

Transitioning Back Up

• After the D chord, return to A, holding for two beats (half notes).
• Finish on the E5 chord (open E string, rolling up to A string, 2nd fret).

Line 4: Final Comparison

• Compare Line 4 to Line 1. There's only one difference:
  • In Bar 4, hold that E for a whole note instead of two half notes.

Practice Recommendations

• Work on this song one bar at a time, then one line at a time, eventually putting all four lines together.
• It's important to take it slowly and build good habits rather than rush through.

Listen and Play

• I'm going to play it now along with the backing track.
• After that, you can give it a go on your own.
• Remember, you can slow down and loop bars with your interactive music tools.

Happy practicing!