Chords for Rock Around the Clock - Guitar tutorial

[Am] _ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _ [G#] _
_ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _ _
_ [C#] _ [F#m] _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _
_ _ [Am] _ _ _ _ [F#m] _ _
_ [D] _ [C] _ [G#] _ [C] _ _ [G#] _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ _ [N] .
Hi everyone, today we're going to have a look at a great rock and roll song,
the song Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley in the comments.
Guitar mainly plays rhythm through the song, except for the solo,
which we'll have a special look at later on.
For the time being though, let's just have a quick look at the basic elements of the song.
First of all, we're in the key [A] of A
_ and the [E] chords we're using, [A] of course, A [E] and then [D] D9
[Am] _ and [A] back to A, up to [Bm] E9
_ [F#] and then [A] back to [N] A.
So in terms of the harmonic structure, the song is fairly simple,
but it has a really great big band sound and a driving beat.
OK, so just to start off with, we're on the A chord
and it starts something like this.
1, 2, 1_
Well, [A] 1, 2, 3 o'clock, 4 o'clock rock
5, 6, 7 o'clock, 8 o'clock rock
9, 10, [B] 11 o'clock, 12 [E] o'clock rock
We're gonna rock around the clock
[A] OK, so what I'm doing there is I'm starting on the A chord
[G#m] I'm then moving up [C] to the next [A] A chord
a couple of frets [N] higher
and then when I do, we're gonna rock around the clock, that's on the E [E] chord.
OK, [F] and then after that we simply get into the rhythm of the [E] song
which is just playing like a, almost like a [G#] big band stab
as we go through, which is [A] kind of like _ _ _ a_
And _ _
_ [F#] _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ [Bm] _ _ _ _ _
_ [A] _ _ _ _ that's more or less the rhythm of the song
as [N] taken care of by the guitar.
The bass is playing a boogie-woogie underneath
and the drums giving you the hit on the 2 and the 4.
Effectively what we're on is the A chord
going [A] something like this. _ _ _
Or if you choose you could use the higher A chord up here _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[D#] just to punch [N] out the rhythm as the song's going through.
And then when the chord changes
it changes up to the D9th
so it starts on the A
[Am] _ and then [D] moves up to the D9th.
_ _ [N] Now, to do the D9th
use your 3rd finger to bar the first 3 strings on the 5th fret
and then come across with your index finger
catch the 4th string on the 4th fret
and just move your 2nd finger right over here
and back onto the 5th string.
[Am] So, that's the jazzy chord we get. _ _ _
And what you might also like to add to
is [G#] the little slide down at the end of [Am] the chord which _ _ _ _ goes_
OK, [E] that just gives you that _ brassy type of sound.
Then back to the A chord.
[A] _ _ _ _
_ [E] OK, and then up to [Em] the E9th chord
which is the same thing.
We're going up to [Fm] the 7th fret
barring the top [D#] 3 [G#] strings
then back to the 6th fret
we bar the 4th string
and then we [N] move right across with our 2nd finger
and we pick up the _ 5th string at the 7th [C#m] fret.
[G#] _ _ _ _ _
_ [Em] Up [A] to the A. _ _ _ _
_ [N] OK, so the rhythm chops are fairly simple.
When you're finishing off the song
you'll want to try and do something like [A] this.
[Em] _ [F#]
Or [F] _ [E] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ if you [G#] like, you can even finish off
on the _ A9th with added 6th.
_ [E] _ _
_ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [D#] _
_ [E] _ _ [F#] _ [C] _ _ _ [B] _
_ [E] _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _
[B] _ [Em] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[B] _ [Em] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [B] _ [E] _ _ _ _ _ [B] _
[Em] _ [F#m] _ _ [C#m] _ _ [C] _ [F#] _ _
[E] _ [D] _ [A] _ [B] _ [A] _ _ [F#] _ [E] _
_ [C#m] _ [B] _ _ [A] _ [E] _ _ _
[C#m] _ [B] _ _ [G#] _ _ [G] _ [F#] _ [E] _
_ _ [A] _ [C#m] _ _ [E] _ [A] _ _
_ [C#m] _ _ [A] _ _ _ [E] _
Um_
OK, [B] so let's move through [Am] it really, really slowly
[G#] and I'll try and call [C] out the frets
[N] and the strings as I go.
Here we go.
Start by barring the top 3 strings on the 4th fret
and then work down from the 7th fret, like [Em] this.
_ [E] _ [G#m] _ That's 7-6-5-4, [A#] 7 [F]-6-5-4
[F#] and then move on to the 2nd string
7 [C#m]-6 [D#m]-5-4
OK, [N] then move to the 3rd string
and it's 7-6-4 [D]-4
[C#] _
[B] _ _ OK, [N] and then after that we move to the 4th string
and it's [A] 7-7 [G#]-6
[E] and then up to the 5th string, _ 7.
[A] So _ [E] it's_ Like [A] that.
[E] _ _ OK, then still on the [G] 5th [E] string
it's 7 [D]-7 [C#]-5-4
and [A] then [G#] on the 6th string
[B] it's 7 [A]-7-5 [G#m]-4
[E] and [G#] then 4 [G]-4 [F#m]-3 [E]-2-0-0-0-0
OK, open E string.
Alright, [N] so _ that really is the whole solo.
After that you need to get back into the rhythm
which is [A] just [C] _ [E] _ [A] _ _ [C] _ [C#m] _
_ [F#] _ [Em] _ OK.
But that basically is the solo broken right down.
[Am] _ _ [A] _ _ _ _ _ [E] _ [Bm] _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ _ [Em] _ [F#m] _ _ _
_ [Em] _ _ _ _ [Am] _ _ _
_ [F#m] _ _ _ [D] _ [Bm] _ _ [Am] _
[E] _ _ [A] _ _ [F#m] _ _ _ _