Although the electric guitar originated with blues music, it is rock & roll that gave its popularity. With rock & roll music, the electric guitar became a incredibly expressive instrument. All guitar lessons usually touch on rock as well, but if you want to learn to play rock guitar, there are special modules you will want to take up. These modules focus exclusively on rock music.

The things you will be taught when you learn to play rock guitar can be roughly spread into three modules: first lessons, where you will learn the basics about playing the guitar, electric guitar improvisation and the power chords.

First Lessons

These lessons are mostly for beginners. If you have some knowledge about playing the guitar, you may skip some of these. This is up to your teacher to decide.

However, if you’re holding a guitar for the first time, this is where your teacher will usually start. You will be taught the fundamentals about playing a guitar in general and playing rock guitar in particular. You will learn the basics about rock lead guitar and power chords. After these first lessons, you will have some idea on how to play classic rock guitar. If you get these right, you are on your way to actually playing rock guitar.

Electric Guitar Improvisation

In the next lessons, you will probably be taught various rock techniques, such as sliding, string-bending, pull-offs, vibrato and hammer-ons. These tips will enable you to play some fairly good rock solos. You will also learn about scales and chords that will help you start making up your own music.
There might be a lot of blues references within these lessons. Going through all these will help you understand the relation between blues and rocks, which is essential if you want to learn to play rock guitar like a pro.

The Power Chords

The Power chords are two or three string distorted sounding chords used in many of the most popular rock songs of all times. You will learn to play several rock songs during the first few lessons of this module. Afterwards you will be very familiar with the fretboard and surprise yourself with the sounds you will be able to play.

If you seriously want to learn to play rock guitar, don’t get frustrated or discouraged if you’re not playing the way you would like to at the beginning. If you enjoy playing, the progress will come at some point. Find a guitar teacher you communicate well with, design a workable schedule to practice and, most importantly, try to have fun while you’re learning.

Martin Barre (Jethro Tull) Inteview

by Rick Landers.
During the 1970s, Martin Barre’s gritty guitar work helped propel Jethro Tull up the charts with now classic tracks such as “Aqualung,” “Bungle in the Jungle,” “Cross-Eyed Mary,” and “Locomotive Breath.” While his riffs on “Aqualung” echoed vocalist Ian Anderson’s broken-luck lyrics, they also convulsively shoved the song into the dark cavities of our minds. Anderson’s dramatic on-stage antics and huffing flute work would have overshadowed most guitarists, but with uncanny precision, Barre always knew when to weave in and out and when to pounce. Guitar Player readers voted Barre’s playing on “Aqualung” as one of the top guitar solos of all time. Later, a Guitar World reader poll would rank it as the 25th Greatest Guitar Solo. But, to better appreciate Barre’s musical senses and guitar talents it’s valuable to listen to several albums, including Martin’s fine solo work. No one trick pony, Martin Barre knows how to musically frame and drive a lyric by loading up with a heavy hitting lead or a more delicately nuanced riff…

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