How to Play Guitar: Rock Progression

How to Play a Basic Rock Progression To help you get started in the world of rock music, your best bet is to kick off with some basic rock progressions which you can later add to and vary depending on your level of skill. Start by playing the A-major chord on your guitar. Once you've gotten comfortable with the A-major, strum the guitar using downstrokes, counting 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4 . . . (4/4 rhythm). It's best to use a flat pick rather than your thumb to create a harsher and louder sound, but again, what you should be using depends a great deal on what kind of sound you wish to achieve. Play the rhythm using downstrokes ( | ) and upstrokes ( ^ ), as Patrick shows you here. Count "1 and 2 and 3 and 4," saying the numbers on the downstrokes and the "ands" on the upstrokes - sounds juvenile, maybe, but it really does help you get the count right. Keep in mind that the chord progression in rock music is mostly the same as in blues (12 bars in 4/4 rhythm). Strum the guitar, counting 1-2-3-4 for each bar ( / ) on the A-major, D-major, E-major, A-major chord progression: A/A/A/A D/D/A/A E/D/A/A. Master this progression, and you will be ready to go on to learn the basic rock riff.