Description
In this lesson I’ll show you how to play a driving rhythm very similar to the style that Bo Diddley would often use. He used this rhythm in songs like “Who Do You Love”. Other artists would later use this rhythm style in songs like “Hand Jive” by Eric Clapton. I’ve added a few extra twists in it to make it more interesting (including a Steve Cropper style turn around at the end of it). This is definitely a rhythm style that you should learn and become familiar with (if you haven’t already) because you’ll use variations of this throughout your playing.
Bo Diddley Style Rhythm Guitar Lesson
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Hey Brian I just found your site on you tube when I was going through some classic Bo Diddley tracks. This site is awesome. I’ve always been a huge fan of the Diddley sound and could never get it right. yet with your video instruction I started to get it down almost immediately. Just lovin it!! It’s also great that you’re providing alot of rhythm guitar rather than the usual emphasis on lead guitar on most sites. Can’t tell you how many guitar players I know that can play a great lead by themselves but couldn’t work their way through an actual song with a band if their life depended on it. Keep up the good work
Hey man, meangean - thanks! Glad to hear you dig the Bo Diddley rhythm stuff as much as I do. I totally agree with you that there aren’t enough good rhythm guitar lessons out there… so I’m trying to put together these little mini-lessons on lots of different rhythm styles (at least as many as I’m comfortable with). And I also know what you mean about those guitar players out there that love to solo, but have no clue how to hold down a steady rhthm and actually accompany other musicians in a band. There’s a time and a place for a guitar solo, but it should be a small percentage of the song, the rest of the time your job should be trying to make the other guys sound good.
A big thanks for what you are doing. Loving the rhythm guitar stuff. Your style is very easy to learn from and the jam tracks and tab make it even better. Cheers!
After some study it appears to me that the rythem pattern in the video lesson does not match the rythem pattern in the tab. Please correct me if I am wrong. Other than that, great lesson.
Thank you,
Great site.
Congrelations.
Just joined active melody. Man this is all great stuff!! I was recently loaned a little Martin 0-15 acoustic guitar and have been learning some guitar. After 30 years of memorizing licks for the mandolin your approach to improvisation using blues scales is really refreashing and just what the docter ordered. I hope to be able to improvise one day and come up tasty leads if I keep working on your supurb lessons. Needless to say the rythum tracks are great too. What an amazingingly wicked site you’ve put together. Many thanks for all your efforts.
Just joined active melody.Because i was looking for bo diddley lessons because i just bought an old 60ties Amp with tremelo on it, so must sound great with this music. I also want to play: hee bo diddley and Can’t judge a book…but this is a great start . many thanks
Brian,
Your lessons are awesome. I recently stumbled upon your website and I am loving it!! This Bo Diddely lesson has so many great aspects to it. When is the next video coming out?
The tab on this doesn’t match up or makes sense. You don’t have the muted parts noted, and it doesn’t match up to your strum pattern.
Brian,
How do you do it??? Your free lessons are far better than many of the premium lesson I see out there…. You are a great teacher, keep up the good work, you are inspiring many to greater heights. I would like to buy your Hendrix Lesson, will you ever be accepting PayPal??
@shoofta - thank! I will be adding PayPal as a payment type. Thanks for reminding me to do that!
Brian ….. I’ve only just discovered your site in the past week and already i am reaping the benefits of my discovery. I’m a 65+ years old shoulda-been-a-axe-man-in-another-life retired cop and retired college professor with enough time now to learn more about this wonderful instrument and it’s happiness inducing qualities. You’re a great instructor and I love the simplicity of your lessons, especially compared to almost any other guitar instuction site I have found. Thanks, man. Love it. Keep up the great guitar evangelism.
Brian excellent lesson……………just got into this site and wow…….can you do LOLA by the kinks at some time please.
GordM
Hey Brian
One of the benefits of of being over 60 and growing up in Toronto is that the house band of my youth was Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks; Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel. Their highlight number ,100% of the time, was Bo Didley/Who Do You Love? Nice to learn how to play it after all these years. I’ve heard though, that their recorded version of Bo Didley included Roy Buchanan playing the very wicked guitar solo
I beg you for more lessons…. Pleaze…. Demmy
When watching the video, which is great, you tell us to download the jam track, “for free” but when you click on it, you have to be a premium member for $5 before you can get it.????
Another great lesson! Thanks. I like the rhythm stuff. I like all the stuff!
For those who are rhythmically challenged. Which notes in the down up down etc pattern are you muting.? I just can’t tell!,, For those inexperienced, it would be helpful on the tab to indicate we’re the down beats are
Thanks. (Bo diddely)
Love this lesson but must admit barring chords has always been a bit of a stretch for me. Being an old bass player who has tried to play rhythm for the last 20 years I’ve picked up some bad habits. Especially going straight into learning power chord shapes I have a habit of having my fingers arched on the neck.
Have to get out the old finger rack so to get all those notes ringing out clear and not half muted as usually happens when I’m trying to barre all strings with one finger :-(