Rock Rhythm Guitar
When to read this: after Session 26 (optional), “How to Use This Handout”, “Blood Brothers” (verse and chorus chords) (10 minutes); after Session 32 (optional), “Paranoid” (verse and interlude chords, simplified) (10 minutes). None of this reading is part of a session’s 50 minutes.
How to Use This Handout
Section titled “How to Use This Handout”This handout holds the five rock song charts of the course in one place. Each is a copy of the chart in its own session, with a table of what was left out of it. Nothing here is new to practise, nothing is added to a chart, and no row of a practice plan points here.
The charts, in the order of their sessions. Read a section once its session has been done:
| Section | Session |
|---|---|
| ”Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (its four-measure chord progression) | Session 7 |
| ”Planet Caravan” (verse chords, simplified) | Session 14 |
| ”Blood Brothers” (verse and chorus chords) | Session 26 |
| ”Smells Like Teen Spirit” (introduction and chorus chords, in the Push Study’s pattern) | Session 31 |
| ”Paranoid” (verse and interlude chords, simplified) | Session 32 |
When Session 26 sends you here, you can read the first three. The last two wait for Sessions 31 and 32.
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Song excerpt — A part of a song, printed only as far as two published sources agree, and named by what it prints: for example “verse and chorus chords”. A chart is called complete only when every section of the song is printed. (Session 7)
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Course form — The form of a song chart that you play at the course tempo: which sections, how many measures in each, and how long it lasts (about four minutes at most). You practise it in sections. (Session 7)
Each section of a song has one of six statuses: agreed; the sources differ; one source; not compared; not sourced; not chords on the recording. Only an agreed section is printed, and not every agreed section is: a section that the course form does not use is left out too.
No chart here is called complete, and no lyric and no sung melody of these five songs is printed anywhere in the course.
”Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (its four-measure chord progression)
Section titled “”Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (its four-measure chord progression)”Credits: Written by Bob Dylan. Recorded by Bob Dylan on the soundtrack album Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973).
Listen first: Find Bob Dylan’s recording of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, 1973) and listen to the whole song three times before you pick up the guitar. Listen for: (1) one pattern, four measures long, that never changes: two chords share the first measure, one chord fills the second, the same two chords share the third, and a different chord fills the fourth; (2) where the singing starts and stops, so that you can tell the introduction, the two verses and the two refrains apart when you make your song map.
What this is: A chord chart of the song’s one four-measure progression, set out section by section: verse, refrain, verse, refrain, and an ending. The order of the chords is the same in the publisher’s songbook and in four other sources. One is a transcriber’s own website; the other three are websites whose charts are made by their users. The songbook writes the second chord as Am with one note added. Three of the other four sources have plain Am, and this chart prints Am. The down-up strum is the course’s own choice of pattern. By three of the sources the recording begins with an introduction before the singing starts. Two transcriptions made by users give it as the same four measures, twice; a printed edition with a piano part gives two measures. Because the sources differ, it is not printed, and you count it yourself on your song map. The songbook marks the end “repeat and fade”; the ending here is written for the course. The recording is about 69 to 70 BPM. The sources that show the guitar write it in standard tuning with open chords, so you can try playing along once you reach 70 BPM. Nobody has checked that the recording is exactly at concert pitch: if it sounds out of tune with your guitar, go back to the metronome. Not yet play-tested.
Key: G major
Time: 4/4
The chart’s tempo and its practice rows are in Sessions 7 and 8.
Copy of Session 7: “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” - its four-measure chord progression, by section
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" - its four-measure chord progression, by section Key: G major Time: 4/4 (four beats in a measure) Verse 1, 8 measures: | G D | Am | G D | C | | G D | Am | G D | C | Refrain, 8 measures: | G D | Am | G D | C | | G D | Am | G D | C | Verse 2, 8 measures: | G D | Am | G D | C | | G D | Am | G D | C | Refrain again, 8 measures: | G D | Am | G D | C | | G D | Am | G D | C | Ending (written for the course), 3 measures: | G D | Am | G | Strum the last G once. Introduction: not printed: the sources differ.
Copy of Session 7: “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” - the four measures in the down-up strum
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" - the four measures in the down-up strum Chord: G D Am Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | Strum: D U D U D U D U | D U D U D U D U | Chord: G D C Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | Strum: D U D U D U D U | D U D U D U D U |
Down on the numbers, up on the &s. Your hand keeps swinging down-up even when it does not touch the strings.
What was left out of the song, and why:
| Section | Status | Why it is not printed |
|---|---|---|
| the ending: the recording fades over the progression’s first two measures | agreed | the chart’s three-measure ending is written for the course |
| introduction | the sources differ | eight measures in the tab and in the user’s chart, two in the printed edition, none in the two songbooks: not printed |
”Planet Caravan” (verse chords, simplified)
Section titled “”Planet Caravan” (verse chords, simplified)”Credits: Written by Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward. Recorded by Black Sabbath on the album Paranoid (1970).
Listen first: Find Black Sabbath’s recording of “Planet Caravan” (Paranoid, 1970) and listen to the first verse three times before you pick up the guitar. Listen for: (1) two chords taking turns, one measure each, from the first measure onwards; (2) the guitar picking the notes of each chord, mostly one at a time, with a clean sound, where this chart has you strum.
What this is: A simplified chord chart of the verse: plain Em and D, one measure each, in the down-up strum. The order of the two chords comes from two sources that agree. One is a printed transcription of the album. The other is a transcription of the recording on a tab site; it is the work of the site’s users, not of a publisher. The printed transcription writes the two chords as Em and D with extra notes added, and shows the guitar picking them, mostly one note at a time. Plain Em and D leave notes out of those two chords and change none. That is the course’s simplification, and the strumming pattern is the course’s own. So are the eight measures in the middle, where the same two chords go on and you strum them like the rest, and the ending: the recording fades out. Phrases of your own over these two chords are a separate task, played over a backing you record: “Eight measures of your own over Em and D”. By both sources the same two chords are played for four measures before each verse. The verse itself is longer than these sixteen measures: 24 measures the first time and 22 the second. The guitar solo is not printed: the sources differ on the names of its chords. The recording is about 86 to 89 BPM, a little faster than this chart, so you cannot play along with it yet. The transcriptions write the song in standard tuning; nobody has checked that the recording is exactly at concert pitch. Not yet play-tested.
Key: E minor
Time: 4/4
The chart’s tempo and its practice row are in Session 14.
Copy of Session 14: “Planet Caravan” - verse chords (simplified)
"Planet Caravan" - verse chords (simplified) Key: E minor Time: 4/4 (four beats in a measure) Verse, 16 measures: | Em | D | Em | D | | Em | D | Em | D | | Em | D | Em | D | | Em | D | Em | D | The same two chords go on (the course's own section), 8 measures: | Em | D | Em | D | | Em | D | Em | D | Verse again, 16 measures: | Em | D | Em | D | | Em | D | Em | D | | Em | D | Em | D | | Em | D | Em | D | Ending (written for the course), 1 measure: | Em | Strum the last Em once. Guitar solo: not printed: the sources differ.
Copy of Session 14: “Planet Caravan” - the two verse measures in the down-up strum
"Planet Caravan" - the two verse measures in the down-up strum Chord: Em D Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | Strum: D U D U D U D U | D U D U D U D U |
The chart is strummed from its first measure to its last; your own eight measures over Em and D are a separate task, “Eight measures of your own over Em and D”, played over the backing you recorded in Session 14, and that task is in Blues And Improvising.
What was left out of the song, and why:
| Section | Status | Why it is not printed |
|---|---|---|
| introduction, and the four measures between the verses | agreed | the same figure with no voice: not printed, the course form does not use them |
| guitar solo to the fade | the sources differ | the order is agreed (an E chord, then a D chord, one measure each); the three name the chords differently: not printed |
No play-along with the recording is offered here: the recording is about 86 to 89 BPM, a little faster than this chart.
”Blood Brothers” (verse and chorus chords)
Section titled “”Blood Brothers” (verse and chorus chords)”Credits: Written by Steve Harris. Recorded by Iron Maiden on Brave New World (2000).
Listen first: Find Iron Maiden’s recording of “Blood Brothers” (Brave New World, 2000) and listen from the first verse to the end of the first chorus (there are two verses before it) three times before you pick up the guitar. Listen for: (1) four chords going round and round at an even pace, a new one about once a second; (2) the order in the verse, which this chart writes as Em, G, C, D; (3) the chorus, where the second and third chords change places: Em, C, G, D.
What this is: A chord accompaniment for the verse and the chorus only, with two chords to a measure: each chord lasts three counts. The album’s printed tab book writes this song in 6/4: six counts to a measure in two groups of three, with a new chord on counts 1 and 4. This chart writes the same six counts as 6/8, the time this session teaches, so one count here is one quarter note there. Writing it in 6/8 is this course’s choice. Change chord on count 1 and on count 4. The order of the chords is the same in that book and in two transcriptions posted by users, a tab and a chord analysis. The book and the tab write the guitars’ part as power chords on these four roots. The open chords Em, G, C and D are this course’s fuller version of them, taken from the key of E minor. The chord analysis writes the same four full chords; the book and the tab leave the extra notes out. The strumming pattern is this course’s own too: it is not taken from the recording. By the book and the tab, the recording has two verses before its first chorus. By the book, its later verses are not the same as the verse printed here. This chart goes verse, chorus, verse, chorus, which is a shorter form made for the course, and the ending is written for the course. The later verses, the introduction, the solos and the other sections are not printed. By these sources the recording is in standard tuning and in E minor, so these chords should be at its pitch. Nobody has checked that with a tuner. By the same sources the recording moves at about one chord a second, much faster than you will play this chart, so do not try to play along with it yet. Not yet play-tested.
Key: E minor
Time: 6/8
The chart’s tempo and its practice row are in Session 26.
Copy of Session 26: “Blood Brothers” - verse and chorus chords
"Blood Brothers" - verse and chorus chords Key: E minor Time: 6/8 (six counts in a measure) Verse, 8 measures: | Em G | C D | Em G | C D | | Em G | C D | Em G | C D | Chorus, 8 measures: | Em C | G D | Em C | G D | | Em C | G D | Em C | G D | Verse again, 8 measures: | Em G | C D | Em G | C D | | Em G | C D | Em G | C D | Chorus again, 8 measures: | Em C | G D | Em C | G D | | Em C | G D | Em C | G D | Ending (written for the course), 1 measure: | Em | Strum the last Em once. Introduction, solos and other sections: not printed.
Change chord on count 1 and on count 4.
In the week of Session 26 the chart is played with one downstroke on count 1 and one on count 4, and the 6/8 pattern is added only when the changes are clean: the strokes are drawn in Session 26, and no strum block is printed here.
What was left out of the song, and why:
| Section | Status | Why it is not printed |
|---|---|---|
| the last two verses | the sources differ | not the printed verse (in the book every fourth measure is D5 alone), and the two sources differ in part: not printed |
| introduction, and the same figure between sections and in the outro | not compared | read once in each and not compared measure by measure: not printed |
| guitar solos, interlude and middle | one source | not printed |
”Smells Like Teen Spirit” (introduction and chorus chords, in the Push Study’s pattern)
Section titled “”Smells Like Teen Spirit” (introduction and chorus chords, in the Push Study’s pattern)”Credits: Written by Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl. Recorded by Nirvana on Nevermind (1991).
Listen first: Find Nirvana’s recording of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Nevermind, 1991) and listen to the introduction and the first chorus three times before you pick up the guitar. Listen for: (1) the introduction: the guitar plays the four chords alone, twice round, then the band comes in and they go round four more times; (2) the chorus: the same four chords in the same order, six times round; (3) two chords to a measure all the way: F5 and Bb5, then Ab5 and Db5.
What this is: A simplified chord accompaniment for the introduction and the chorus only: four three-string power chords, two to a measure, in the strumming pattern of the Push Study. That pattern is this course’s own; it is not the rhythm of the recording. The publisher’s full transcription writes the introduction with fuller four-string shapes on the same four roots, and a strum of the open strings on the way from one measure to the next. A tab posted by users writes the chorus with the three-string shapes printed here. The order of the chords in the introduction is the same in that transcription (Hal Leonard’s guitar book of the album) and in the tab. For the chorus it is the same in the tab and in a chord analysis, both posted by users. No publisher’s page for the chorus was seen. The verse, the pre-chorus, the post-chorus and the solo are not printed. In the verse and the pre-chorus the tab writes two single notes for the guitar, not chords. For the post-chorus the sources differ, and the solo was read in one source only. By the published transcription the recording is in standard tuning in this key, so these chords should be at its pitch; nobody has checked that with a tuner. By the same transcription the recording runs at about 116 BPM, more than twice as fast as you play this chart, so do not try to play along with it yet. The ending is written for the course. Not yet play-tested.
Key: F minor
Time: 4/4
The chart’s tempo and its practice row are in Session 31.
Copy of Session 31: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” - introduction and chorus chords (simplified)
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" - introduction and chorus chords (simplified) Key: F minor Time: 4/4 (four beats in a measure) Introduction, 12 measures: | F5 Bb5 | Ab5 Db5 | F5 Bb5 | Ab5 Db5 | | F5 Bb5 | Ab5 Db5 | F5 Bb5 | Ab5 Db5 | | F5 Bb5 | Ab5 Db5 | F5 Bb5 | Ab5 Db5 | Chorus, 12 measures: | F5 Bb5 | Ab5 Db5 | F5 Bb5 | Ab5 Db5 | | F5 Bb5 | Ab5 Db5 | F5 Bb5 | Ab5 Db5 | | F5 Bb5 | Ab5 Db5 | F5 Bb5 | Ab5 Db5 | Ending (written for the course), 1 measure: | F5 | Strum the last F5 once. Verse, pre-chorus, post-chorus, solo: not printed.
This block is for reading here: play it in its session and in the week’s row, not from this handout.
Three-string power-chord work: no more than 5 minutes a day in total.
Fast strumming: if your strumming hand or forearm aches, that is tension. Stop playing for today, and next time loosen your grip on the pick.
Pain rule: tender fingertips are normal. Pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles, numbness or tingling, any sharp pain, or pain that lasts into the next day means stop. The full rule is in START HERE.
If your hand, wrist or thumb aches during the chart, stop playing for today: the pain rule comes before the plan.
The pushed pattern you play this chart in is the course’s own, the pattern of the “Push Study”: it is not the rhythm of the recording. The pattern is drawn in Session 29, and on this chart’s chords in Session 31; no strum block is printed here.
What was left out of the song, and why:
| Section | Status | Why it is not printed |
|---|---|---|
| pre-verse, verse, pre-chorus | not chords on the recording | a two-note figure for the guitar, not chords: not printed |
| post-chorus | the sources differ | not printed |
| guitar solo, outro and the recording’s ending | one source | not printed |
| the strumming pattern of the recording | not compared | not printed: the chart uses the course’s own pushed pattern and says so. By these sources the second chord of a measure is struck on the ’&’ of 3 on the recording |
”Paranoid” (verse and interlude chords, simplified)
Section titled “”Paranoid” (verse and interlude chords, simplified)”Credits: Written by Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward. Recorded by Black Sabbath on the album Paranoid (1970).
Listen first: Find Black Sabbath’s recording of “Paranoid” (Paranoid, 1970) and listen to the first verse and the passage that follows it three times before you pick up the guitar. Listen for: (1) in the verse, a muted chug on one chord for two measures, the same chug a little lower for a third measure, and a fourth measure of quick chord hits that leads back to the start; (2) straight after the verse, three long held chords across two measures, and then the chug on the first chord again for two measures.
What this is: A simplified chord chart of two passages: the verse, and the passage that follows it, which this chart calls the interlude. The chords are three-string power chords found by their roots on string 5, in palm-muted eighth notes. The order of the chords in the verse is the same in six sources: four printed transcriptions, and two transcriptions made by the users of two websites. Five of the six give the interlude as well, and they agree on it. Two things are simplified, and each is the course’s own doing. First, the fourth measure of the verse. The transcriptions give it G5 for half a beat, D5 for a beat and a half, and E5 on the third beat. On the fourth beat they give one short hit or two low notes. This chart leaves out the short G5 at the start of the measure and prints D5 for two beats and E5 for two. Second, in the interlude the transcriptions hold the first three chords as long notes; this chart keeps the eighth notes going. The palm-muted eighth notes with down-up strokes are the course’s pattern. The form (verse four times, interlude twice, verse four times) is the course’s, not the recording’s, and the ending is written for the course. The introduction, the bridge, the guitar solo and the outro are not printed. The recording is about 164 BPM, far faster than this chart, so you cannot play along with it. The transcriptions write the song in standard tuning. One of them says the recording is tuned a little above concert pitch; nobody has checked that. Not yet play-tested.
Key: E minor
Time: 4/4
The chart’s tempo, the line about its tempo after the course, and the steps of the week are in Session 32: in that week the chart is played first with one downstroke on each chord, and the palm-muted eighth notes are added only when the verse has gone four times through in a row with every chord down on its count.
Copy of Session 32: “Paranoid” - verse and interlude chords (simplified)
"Paranoid" - verse and interlude chords (simplified) Key: E minor Time: 4/4 (four beats in a measure) Verse (four times through), 4 measures: | E5 (string 5) | E5 (string 5) | | D5 (string 5) | D5 (string 5) E5 (string 5) | Interlude (twice through), 4 measures: | E5 (string 5) | C5 (string 5) D5 (string 5) | | E5 (string 5) | E5 (string 5) | Verse again (four times through), 4 measures: | E5 (string 5) | E5 (string 5) | | D5 (string 5) | D5 (string 5) E5 (string 5) | Ending (written for the course), 1 measure: | E5 (string 5) | Strum the last E5 once. Verse measure 4 simplified. Rest of song not printed.
This block is for reading here: play it in its session and in the week’s row, not from this handout.
Copy of Session 32: “Paranoid” - the verse in palm-muted eighth notes (simplified)
"Paranoid" - the verse in palm-muted eighth notes (simplified) Chord: E5 (string 5) E5 (string 5) Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | Strum: D U D U D U D U | D U D U D U D U | PM: PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | Chord: D5 (string 5) D5 (string 5) E5 (string 5) Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | Strum: D U D U D U D U | D U D U D U D U | PM: PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM |
PM = palm muted. O = let the string ring (palm lifted).
This block is for reading here: play it in its session and in the week’s row, not from this handout.
Copy of Session 32: “Paranoid” - the interlude in palm-muted eighth notes (simplified)
"Paranoid" - the interlude in palm-muted eighth notes (simplified) Chord: E5 (string 5) C5 (string 5) D5 (string 5) Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | Strum: D U D U D U D U | D U D U D U D U | PM: PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | Chord: E5 (string 5) E5 (string 5) Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & | Strum: D U D U D U D U | D U D U D U D U | PM: PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM | PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM |
This block is for reading here: play it in its session and in the week’s row, not from this handout.
Three-string power-chord work: no more than 5 minutes a day in total.
Pain rule: tender fingertips are normal. Pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles, numbness or tingling, any sharp pain, or pain that lasts into the next day means stop. The full rule is in START HERE.
If your hand, wrist or thumb aches during the chart, stop playing for today: the pain rule comes before the plan.
The beginner course picks the riff of this song with downstrokes (Beginner Session 13); this chart is its chords, in the down-up palm-muted pattern of Beginner Session 9.
What was left out of the song, and why:
| Section | Status | Why it is not printed |
|---|---|---|
| bridge | agreed | not printed: the course form does not use it |
| introduction and outro | agreed | not printed: the course form does not use them. The band score has the introduction too |
| the verse chords with no voice, and the guitar solo | agreed | not printed: the course form does not use them |
| the short G5 at the start of the verse’s fourth measure | agreed | its fourth measure is printed as D5 for two beats and E5 for two, the short G5 left out: the course’s simplification, said on the chart |