Rock Guitar
Rock is the broadest guitar genre. It covers everything from the melodic songwriting of The Beatles to the arena anthems of Queen and the blues-infused riffs of Led Zeppelin. If a song has a guitar, drums and attitude, it probably fits here.
This is a great starting point if you're not sure what to learn next. Rock songs range from beginner-friendly open chords to challenging solos, and they teach you rhythm, dynamics and feel in ways that more technical genres sometimes skip.
David Gilmour 1
Dire Straits 4
Eddie Cochran 1
John Fogerty 1
Led Zeppelin 10
- 1 All My Love LESSON 1979
- 2 Houses of the Holy LESSON 1975
- 3 Misty Mountain Hop LESSON 1971
- 4 Over the Hills and Far Away TAB 1973
- 5 Ramble On LESSON 1969
- 6 Stairway to Heaven TAB 1971
- 7 Ten Years Gone LESSON 1975
- 8 Thank You LESSON 1969
- 9 The Rain Song COVER 1973
- 10 What Is and What Should Never Be LESSON 1969
Queen 9
- 1 Another One Bites the Dust LESSON 1980
- 2 Crazy Little Thing Called Love COVER 1980
- 3 Fat Bottomed Girls LESSON 1978
- 4 Keep Yourself Alive TAB 1973
- 5 Killer Queen LESSON 1974
- 6 Love of My Life LESSON 1975
- 7 Somebody to Love TAB 1976
- 8 We Are the Champions COVER 1977
- 9 We Will Rock You LESSON 1977
Surftones 1
Wicked Game 1
Why Rock Guitar Matters
Rock guitar is where most players develop their core skills: strumming patterns, barre chords, pentatonic soloing, bending, vibrato and dynamics. The genre rewards feel over speed and musical taste over raw technique. A well-placed bend in a Beatles song can be more powerful than a hundred shred notes.
The range is enormous. Smoke on the Water is one of the first riffs every guitarist learns. Stairway to Heaven takes you from fingerpicked arpeggios to a blazing solo. Bohemian Rhapsody covers half a dozen styles in six minutes.
If you want to focus on a specific era, browse 60s rock for the British Invasion sound, 70s rock for the golden age, or 90s rock for alternative and grunge. You can also explore related genres like Blues Rock or Classic Rock.