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Play like ... Chuck Berry
on Tuesday 20 June 2006
by Dirk Hagemann author list print the content item {PDF=create pdf file of the content item^plugin:content.55}
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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--|-------------------------||


--------------------------|-------------------------||code]


[b]The Solo Style [/b]
-------------- 
For your practice of his solo style I have two typical solos for you, 
both in the key of D.


[code] 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: www.blueslessons.net

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lessons and more. For each Lesson here are images or GuitarPro files
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