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

Keith Richards Guitar Style

Besides other guitar players with fast and complicated playing
techniques Keith Richards guitar style looks quite simple. He mainly
uses Fender Twin Amps and Fender Telecasters with Ernie Ball strings.
His favourite Telecaster is a 50s Butterscotch Tele with a black
pickguard. He uses only 5 strings because he removed the sixth string
(E) and realy often uses the Open-G tuning (DGDGBD).

His guitar licks are more like from a rhyhtm guitar player but he has
that great feeling to create great licks which go right into your ears.

The Equipment

Guitars: Mainly Fender Telecasters, sometimes a Stratocaster or a Gibson
Les Paul Junior. The low E string is removed.

Strings: He uses Ernie Ball strings from .010 or .011 strength.

Amps: In the studio he uses mainly Fender Twins and he combines it on
the road with Marshall heads. (that´s what I read, correct me if I´m wrong)

Tunings: Standard and of course Open-G tuning

If you like to get a feeling of Keith Richards guitar style I created
a little “song” for you which includes several of Keith Richards great
guitar licks. The song is in Open-G and I think this should give you
some idea of his guitar style (don´t forget to remove your sixth
string 😉 Have fun with it!

Keith Richards Style Song

PLEASE NOTE: On BluesLessons.net are images, a midi and GuitarPro file
of this exercise. It might come handy to listen to the midi first!
http://www.blueslessons.net

Tuning: Open-G (D G D G B D)

From Honkey Tonk Woman
                   G5                                              
D||-------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
B||-------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
G||----------------0--|--------0----0----0--|--------0----0----0--|
D||----------------0--|--------0----0----0--|--------0----0----0--|
G||----------------0--|--------0----0----0--|--------0----0----0--|
D||-------------------|---------------------|---------------------|


                                                   From Brown Sugar
      D                                                C                
-----------------------|--------------------------|--------------------|
------3----3-----3-----|--3--3--0-----0--3--0-----|----5------5--------|
------2b---2b-0--2--0--|--2b-2--0-----0--2--0--0--|----5------5--------|
-----------------------|-----------2--0--0--0--0--|----5------5--------|
-----------------------|-----------------------0--|----5------5--------|
-----------------------|--------------------------|--------------------|


                   A#                                                  
-----------------------|-----------------------|----------------------|
--5------5----5----3-3-|--3----3----3------5-5-|----5--5----5----5----|
--5------5----5----3-3-|--3----3----3------5-5-|----5--5----5----5----|
--5------5----5----3-3-|--3----3----3------5-5-|----5--5----5----5----|
--5------5----5----3-3-|--3----3----3------5-5-|----5--5----5----5----|
-----------------------|-----------------------|----------------------|


                                                   C  F                
-----------------------|----------------------|-----------------------|
--0--------------3--0--|--5--3----0--------5--|----5--6----5--6----5--|
--0--------------3--0--|--5--3----0--------5--|----5--5----5--5----5--|
--0-----------0--3--0--|--5--3----0--------5--|----5--7----5--7----5--|
--0--------4--0--------|----------0--------5--|----5--5----5--5----5--|
-----------------------|----------------------|-----------------------|



                           From Tumbling Dice
------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
----5--6----5--6--5--0--|-------------0--------0--|-------------0--------0--|
----5--5----5--5--5--0--|----0--------0--------0--|----0--------0--------0--|
----5--7----5--7--5--0--|----0--2-----0-----2--0--|----0--2-----0-----2--0--|
----5--5----------5--0--|----------0-----0-----0--|----------0-----0-----0--|
------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|


                                                      D  G     G    Cadd9    
-------------------------|-------------------------|-----------0----0--0----|
-------------0--------0--|-------------0-----------|--7--8--7--0----1--0----|
----0--------0--------0--|----0--------0-----------|--7--7--7--0----0--0----|
----0--2-----0-----2--0--|----0--2-----0-----2-----|--7--9--7--0----2--0----|
----------0-----0-----0--|----------0-----0-----0--|--7--------0------------|
-------------------------|-------------------------|------------------------|


                           C        C5 C        D       D  G                  
-----------0----0--0----|--5--------------------7--|-------------------------|
--7--8--7--0----1--0----|--5--5--7--------7-----7--|-------8--7--7--8--7-----|
--7--7--7--0----0--0----|--5--5--5-----5--5-----7--|----7--7--7--7--7--7-----|
--7--9--7--0----2--0----|--5-----7--5--5--7--5--7--|----7--9--7--7--9--7-----|
--7--------0------------|--5--------5--------5-----|----------------------0--|
------------------------|--------------------------|-------------------------|


>From Midnight Rambler
                                                   
|--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|
|----0----0----0--------0--|----0----0----0--------0--|--------------------------|
|----0----0----0--------0--|----0----0----0--------0--|--5--5--7--5--8--5--7--5--|
|-----------------3h-4-----|-----------------3h-4-----|--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--|
|--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|


                                                From Start me up
                                                C       F             C   
--------------------------|-------------7--5-------|---------------------|
--------------------------|-------------6--6----5--|----6--6----------5--|
--------------------------|-------------5--5----5--|----5--5----------5--|
--5--5--7--5--8--5--7--5--|--0--0--3------------5--|----7--7----------5--|
--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--|--0--0--0------------5--|------------------5--|
--------------------------|------------------------|---------------------|


                             A#5                                          C   
--------------------------|------------------------|-------------------------|
--5--6--6p-5--5--5--6-----|------------------------|-------------3--3--3--5--|
--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--0--|--3----3----3-----3--3--|-------3-----3--3--3--5--|
--5--7--7p-5--5--5--7--0--|--3----3----3-----5--3--|----3--5--3--3--3--3--5--|
--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--0--|--3----3----3--3-----3--|----3--3--3-----------5--|
--------------------------|------------------------|-------------------------|
                    
-------------------||
--0----------------||
--0----------------||
--0----------------||
--0----------------||
-------------------||

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