Is
there one guitar riff that is absolutely, without
question, the most commonly played guitar riff
in the world? There probably is, and maybe someday
some supercomputer can analyze all songs ever
recorded and give us the answer.
In
the meantime, I'm betting on the riff I refer
to in my private lessons as "Chuck Berry
#1." And after you learn that one, I've got
"Chuck Berry #2" here for you to learn
as well.
Chuck
Berry #1
I
refer to this riff as Chuck Berry #1, because,
well…, because this is so quintessential
Chuck Berry. Yet every lead guitarist you’ve
ever heard since has probably used this riff at
one time or another – or a lot.
Chuck
Berry #2
And
I call this riff Chuck Berry #2, because it is
something he played regularly, and something which
all the great lead players in the next generation
(Hendrix, Page, Clapton, Beck, Richards, Harrison,
etc.) worked very hard to learn and perfect as
well.
By Adam St. James
