Weekend riff: The Kinks - You Really Got Me
Guitar riffing for beginners
This surely counts as one of the easier riffs you can learn on the guitar. Perfect if you're new to the instrument!
Beginners should focus first on mastering the basic chord shape. The same shape is used in two positions on the guitar fretboard and the two chords are called F5 and G5. The letters tell you the lowest note in each chord (so one is based on an F note; the other on a G) and the '5' tells you that these are a particular kind of chord known as a 'powerchord'
Still, don't worry about the theory; just practise the basic shapes and changing between them. Picking-wise, it's all about delivering with plenty of gusto. The risk when picking hard is that you hit strings that are supposed to remain silent so make sure to practise slowly and gently at first.
Click here to download the 'You Really Got Me' preset for the Peavey Vypyr VIP-2
'You Really Got Me'
© 1965 The Kinks
Tutor: Steve Allsworth
Videographer: Martin Holmes
Check back every Friday at 16:00 (UK time) for a new riff
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“A well-crafted sequence is successful wherever you may wish to use it”: Use these tried and tested chord progressions to build an engaging song
“Sometimes you don't want to be overtly happy or sad and a suspended chord strikes that perfect balance”: How to understand and use suspended chords effectively