Homepage Forums Guitar News Weekly Guitar News Weekly Archive Play like … Chuck Berry

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    Topic
  • #22481
    Guitar Expert
    Keymaster

    by Dirk Hagemann
    http://www.blueslessons.net

    Chuck Berry – Short Biography
    —————————–

    Short Excert from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

    Charles Edward Anderson Berry (born October 18, 1926), better known as
    Chuck Berry, is a highly influential American guitarist, singer and
    composer. Berry was born in St. Louis, Missouri and was part of the
    first group to be inducted into the new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
    on its opening in 1986.

    While there is debate about who recorded the first rock and roll
    record, Chuck Berry’s early recordings, including “Maybellene” (1955)
    fully synthesized the rock and roll form, combining blues and country
    music with teenaged lyrics about girls and cars, with impeccable
    diction alongside distinctive electric guitar solos and an energetic
    stage persona. Chuck Berry also popularized use of the boogie in rock
    and roll.

    The Equipment (from Gunt)
    ————————–

    On his early days Chuck used a Gibson 350ET with P90 single coil pickups
    but since 1957 with Humbucker pickups, later Gibson ES330 and mostly
    Gibson ES355 guitars. For years uptil now, while on tour, he uses two
    Fender Dual Showman for his ES355. His first amp was an Epiphone, later
    he used mostly Fender but less frequently also Orange Top amps. All
    this amps were Tube based.

    The Style
    ———

    Please notice: You can find the tab, midis and GuitarPro files of this
    lesson on BluesLessons.net!

    Chuck Berry is famous for his two-note chords (also often called Double
    Stops). He used this technique in his intros and solo play. He also
    often uses the Blues-Shuffle Rythm for the verses.

    The Intro Style
    —————

    I have here three of his famous intro licks he used in songs like
    “Roll over Beethoven”, “Back in the USA” and “Johnny B. Goode”.

    
      Intro 1                      D                                
    E||------------------------|--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--|
    B||----------------10--12--|--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--|
    G||------------11b---------|----------------------------------|
    D||------------------------|----------------------------------|
    A||------------------------|----------------------------------|
    E||------------------------|----------------------------------|
    
    
                                               D                                
    --13p12p10------------------------------|----------------------------------|
    ------------13p12p10--------------------|----------------------------------|
    ----------------------13p12p10h-11------|----------------------------------|
    ------------------------------------12--|--12--12--12--12--12--12--12--12--|
    ----------------------------------------|--12--12--12--12--12--12--12--12--|
    ----------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
                                        
                                        Intro 2
    ----------------------------------|----|------------------------|
    ------10--10------10--10------10--|----|----------------10--12--|
    --12b---------12b---------12b-----|----|------------11b---------|
    ----------------------------------|----|------------------------|
    ----------------------------------|----|------------------------|
    ----------------------------------|----|------------------------|
    
    
      D                                                                   
    --10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--|--10------------------------------|
    --10--10--10--10--10--10--10--10--|--10--13--12--10--10--------------|
    ----------------------------------|------13--12--10--11--------------|
    ----------------------------------|----------------------12--10------|
    ----------------------------------|------------------------------12--|
    ----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
                                                                         
    --------------------------------|----------------------------|------|
    --------------------------------|----------------------------|------|
    --------------------------------|--11/-9---9/--7--7/-5--5----|------|
    --12--12--12--12--12--12--12----|--12/-10--10/-9--9/-7--7----|------|
    --12--12--12--12--12--12--12----|----------------------------|------|
    --------------------------------|----------------------------|------|
    
    
    Intro 3                                                                              
    ----------------------|--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--|--7------------------------|
    ----------------7--9--|--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--|-----10--9--7--------------|
    -----------7/8--------|--------------------------|---------------7--8--------|
    ----------------------|--------------------------|---------------------9--9--|
    ----------------------|--------------------------|---------------------------|
    ----------------------|--------------------------|---------------------------|
                                                          
    --------------------------|-------------------------||
    --------------------------|-----7--9--7-------------||
    --------------------------|--8--8--8--8/-6--4-------||
    --9--9--9--9--9--9--9--9--|--------------------6----||
    --9--9--9--9--9--9--9--9--|-------------------------||
    --------------------------|-------------------------||
    
    

    The Solo Style
    ————–

    For your practice of his solo style I have two typical solos for you,
    both in the key of D.

    
     Solo 1                       D                  D                              
    E||------------------|----------------------|--------10--13--12--10----------|
    B||------------------|--------------9/--10--|----10------------------13--12--|
    G||------------------|--------------10/-11--|--------------------------------|
    D||------------------|----------------------|--------------------------------|
    A||------------------|----------------------|--------------------------------|
    E||------------------|----------------------|--------------------------------|
    
    
              G                                                    D        
    --------------------10--------------|----------------------------------|
    --10-------------12-----13p-12--10--|------10--10------10--10------10--|
    ------12--11--11--------------------|--12b---------12b---------12b-----|
    ------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
    ------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
    ------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
    
    
                  D                      G                                
    ----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
    --10------10--10------10------10--|------10----------------------10--|
    ------12b---------12b-----12b-----|--12b-----12--10------10--12b-----|
    ----------------------------------|------------------12--------------|
    ----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
    ----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
    
    
              G                                          D                
    ------10--------------------------|--10------10--10----------10--13/-|
    ------10------10--------------10--|--10------10--10------10----------|
    --12b-----12--10------10--12b-----|------12b---------12b-------------|
    ------------------12--------------|----------------------------------|
    ----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
    ----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
    
    
                    D                                  A                  
    --14--10----10------10--12--10--|----------------------------10------|
    ----------------13b-------------|--13--12--10-------------10-----13p-|
    --------------------------------|--------------12p-11--11------------|
    --------------------------------|------------------------------------|
    --------------------------------|------------------------------------|
    --------------------------------|------------------------------------|
    
    
              G                          D                              
    ----------10--10--10--10----------|--------------------------------|
    --12--10--10--10--10--10--12--10--|--12--10--------10--10--10--10--|
    --------------------------12--10--|--12--10--11----11--11--11--11--|
    ----------------------------------|----------12----12--12--12--12--|
    ----------------------------------|----------12--------------------|
    ----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
    
    
        Solo 2                              D                                
    |------------------|----10--10--10--10----------------|
    |------------------|----10--10--10--10--12--10--------|
    |------------------|--------------------12--10h11-----|
    |------------------|------------------------------12--|
    |------------------|----------------------------------|
    |------------------|----------------------------------|
                                                                    
    --10--10--10--10--10----------------|--10----------10--------10--|
    --10--10--10--10--10--12--10--------|--10----------10--------10--|
    ----------------------12--10h11-----|----------------------------|
    --------------------------------12--|--------12----------12------|
    ------------------------------------|--------------------12------|
    ------------------------------------|----------------------------|
    
    
                                   G                              
    --------10----10--------13--|--------10--12--10--------------|
    --------10----10----10--12h-|--13----10--12--10--10--12--10--|
    ----------------------------|------------------------12--10--|
    ----12----------------------|--------------------------------|
    ----12----------------------|--------------------------------|
    ----------------------------|--------------------------------|
                                             
    ----------------------------------------|
    --12-12b12--10--12-12b12--10--12-12b12--|
    --12-12b12--10--12-12b12--10--12-12b12--|
    ----------------------------------------|
    ----------------------------------------|
    ----------------------------------------|
    
    
      D                                                                         
    ----------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
    --10--12-12b12--10--12-12b12--10--12-12b|--12--10--12--12b12-12--10----10--|
    --10--12-12b12--10--12-12b12--10--12-12b|--12--10--12--12b12-12--10----11--|
    ----------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
    ----------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
    ----------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
    
    
      A                                                               
    ------------------------------|----------------------------------|
    ------------------------------|----------------------------------|
    --10--------10--------10------|--10--12--13--12--10------10--12--|
    --10----12--10----12--10--12--|--10--12--13--12--10--12--10--12--|
    --------12--------12------12--|----------------------12----------|
    ------------------------------|----------------------------------|
                                                                     
    --10--10--10--10--------------------|--------------------------||
    --10--10--10--10--12--10------------|--------------------------||
    ------------------12--10h11-11--11--|--11----------------------||
    ----------------------------12--12--|--12--10------12----------||
    ------------------------------------|----------12--12----------||
    ------------------------------------|----------12--12----------||
    
    

    For more exercises, midis and GuitarPro files for this lesson visit:

    http://www.blueslessons.net

    From the 12-Bar-Blues, the Shuffle Rythm and the Blues Turnarounds to
    the Blues and Pentatonic Scale, to Lead Guitar techniques, Slide guitar
    lessons and more. For each Lesson here are images or GuitarPro files
    and midis to listen to. Each lesson can be downloaded as textfile.
    PLUS: mp3 Blues Backing Tracks/Jam Tracks and Ebooks!

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    Replies
    • #75290
      Anturako
      Participant

      Thanks a lot for posting all this stuff Agreed! Chuck Berry is great! He put lots of efforts to be prolific!

    • #75285
      Chris Rockett
      Participant

      [quote=”john82″]thanks so much for posting this….

      i love chuck berry, he invented rock n’ roll i don’t care what anybody else says… without him the music today wouldn’t be what it is.[/quote]

      I agree, I saw him play on TFI friday with Chris Evans and at Glastonbury in the 90’s and he still had a sound that know body can come close to.

      He voice is also underated.

      Chris

      _______________________________
      Music Promotion | Music Career | Band Promotion

    • #75294
      john82
      Participant

      thanks so much for posting this….

      i love chuck berry, he invented rock n’ roll i don’t care what anybody else says… without him the music today wouldnt be what it is.

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