How to Play I Love Rock N Roll by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts on Guitar

Step 1: Learn the chords and the licks for "I Love Rock N' Roll"

You can play "I Love Rock N' Roll" using just three chords and a lick. The chords you will have to know are the E5, A5 and B5. To play the lick, you will use the second string on the 15th fret and the second string on the 12th and 14th frets. According to Jen Trani, this can be a difficult lick to play on acoustic guitar. It may be easier to play the same lick on the 12th and 10th frets.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Adnl1I3gSA

Step 2: Learn the Introduction for "I Love Rock N' Roll"

To play the introduction you will have to play the chords in the following order. Start with E5, then  play a  G-note on the sixth string, then A5, B5, G-note, E5, B5, A5, E5. It's important to get the timing of the song right, as this song uses pauses. Finish off the introduction with the lick you learnt earlier.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Adnl1I3gSA

Step 3: Learn the verse for "I Love Rock N' Roll"

The verse continues after the first lick. It goes: E5, lick, B5, lick, A5, B5, E5, A5, B5, E5, B5. It is important to hold the final E5 note of the verse before moving on to B5. Do eight notes on B5, and then return to the introduction. To give the song a more genuine feel, add some claps to the chorus, while singing "I Love Rock N' Roll."http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Adnl1I3gSA

About the Song

The song was originally performed by London-based rock trio The Arrows in the 1970s.http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-play-i-love-rock-n-roll-by-joan-jett-and-the-blackhearts-on-guitar/#reference_1 It was later recorded by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, who turned it into a number-one hit in 1981.http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-play-i-love-rock-n-roll-by-joan-jett-and-the-blackhearts-on-guitar/#reference_2http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-play-i-love-rock-n-roll-by-joan-jett-and-the-blackhearts-on-guitar/#reference_3  Jett heard the song on a television series hosted by The Arrows, and tried to get her band, The Runaways, to cover it in the mid-1970s. However, she only recorded the song 1981, after The Runaways broke up.http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-play-i-love-rock-n-roll-by-joan-jett-and-the-blackhearts-on-guitar/#reference_4

Rolling Stone Magazine rates "I Love Rock N' Roll" as number 89 on a list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time.http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-play-i-love-rock-n-roll-by-joan-jett-and-the-blackhearts-on-guitar/#reference_5 The magazine credits the song for changing Jett from a "teenage girl-group novelty" with The Runaways to a "leather-clad tough-girl" and "one of the fiercest female guitarists of all time."http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-play-i-love-rock-n-roll-by-joan-jett-and-the-blackhearts-on-guitar/#reference_6 The song spent seven weeks at number one and Billboard rated 56 on the Hot 100 All-Time Songs list.http://www.mahalo.com/how-to-play-i-love-rock-n-roll-by-joan-jett-and-the-blackhearts-on-guitar/#reference_7

More Mahalo Guitar How-To Lessons

Watch the video to master the song, "You Should've Listened," classic track. Listen to Trani's commentary and also watch the chords played close-up to learn how to play the song. This video is one of a large series of Guitar guides, which can help you learn to play the Guitar. These are published for free on the Mahalo.com channel of YouTube.

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