Basic lower string riffs and bends with an open A chord

One of the most basic ways to build guitar riffs from an open A chord is to add in notes and string bends on the fifth or sixth strings. This beginner/intermediate lesson shows examples from:

Led Zeppelin: Rock and Roll
AC/DC: Back In Black
Joan Jett: I Love Rock and Roll
Aerosmith: Sweet Emotion
Queen: Tie Your Mother Down, We Will Rock You
Rush: Red Barchetta
the Who: Won't Get Fooled Again, My Generation

You'll also see some of the open string power chords and other riffs used in these examples. Most examples are shown slowed down, up close, from the player viewpoint, and include the pick hand. I'll also cover some of the music theory behind these riffs and why they sound good.

The riff shapes shown in this video are some of the many chord, riff and lick shapes you can find in my free web app "The Building Blocks Of Rock", available here:

https://guitarviz.com/bbr.html

It's just a web page, all you have to do is open it and start using the app. Nothing to download, and you don't need to sign up for anything.

Please leave any comments or questions. I do read them all!

cheers, Kevin

0:00 intro
0:17 what's in this video
0:43 how to play it
1:29 Rock And Roll
2:58 bending the lower strings
3:28 Back In Black
4:39 I Love Rock And Roll
6:30 I Love R&R: power chords etc
8:25 Sweet Emotion
11:37 Tie Your Mother Down
12:35 theory (why these riffs sound good)
13:57 We Will Rock You
14:33 Red Barchetta
15:25 Won't Get Fooled Again, My Generation
16:13 outro