Chords for Top 10 Classic Rock Guitar Riffs

[Cm] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [G] They really got us with these.
_ _ _ _ _ Welcome to WatchMojo [Gm].com and today we're counting [Abm] down the top [D] 10 classic rock guitar riffs.
[E] _ _ [D] _ [E] _ _ _ _
For this list, we've chosen one song [B] per artist and stuck to what we felt were their
[Db] most signature guitar [Ab] riffs.
[G] We've also [Db] excluded instrumentals.
_ _ [Ab] [G] Number 10 [Db] Sunshine of Your Love by Cream
_ [Ab] _ _
_ _ [F] _ _ [Eb] _ [Ab] Can't help thinking of the 60s when you hear [B] the opening [Gb] riff of this Cream hit.
[Ab] The Jack Bruce penned riff seamlessly [B] sets the atmosphere for the [Gb] blues and [Ab] psychedelic rock track.
_ [Db] _ _ [B] _ _ [Gb] _
_ [Ab] _ _ _ Sunshine _ _
_ _ _ [Db] _ _ _ [Ab] of Your [G] Love is also [Eb] significant for exemplifying [Dbm] Eric Clapton's distorted
and muted [B] guitar sound dubbed [Ab] the woman [Gb] tone.
[Db] _
_ _ [Ab] _ [G] _ [Db] _ _ _
Add Ginger [G] Baker's flamboyant jazz [Db]-inspired drums and you've got a gold-certified [Gb] single
by the world's first [Db] successful supergroup.
_ _ [Ab] _ [G] _ _ _
[F] _ [Abm] _ [D] _ _ _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ _ [D] _ _ [E] Number 9 Rebel Rebel by David [D] Bowie
_ [E] This _
_ _ _ [D] _ simple but [E] spirited glam anthem [Db] features Ziggy [D] Stardust on guitar instead of [E] his usual
lead axeman Mick [D] Ronson.
_ _ [E] _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ [E] _
_ _ _ [D] _ _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ [D] The end result is a [E] dirty rockin' good time [D] built around an inescapable riff.
_ [E] _ _
_ _ _ [D] With an almost earworm-like [E] quality, the song's [B] guitar parts [D] drive the melody along.
[E] As his goodbye to the glam rock movement, [D] it's also known for its lyrics, [E] which are
as sexually ambiguous as [D] Bowie himself.
_ [E] _ _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _
[F] _ _ [Cm] _ [Bb] _ [Gm] _ Number 8 Money for Nothing by Dire Straits _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [G] Whether you're listening [Bb] to the studio [G] version with its extended intro or the [F] short and [G] single
version, Money for Nothing's main guitar riff is sure to keep you hooked the whole way through.
_ _ _ _ [Bb] _ _ [C] _
[G] By successfully fusing blues, rock [Gm] and new wave, the Grammy-winning hit and [F] its parent
album Brothers [Gm] in Arms topped [Eb] the charts.
_ _ _ [Bb] _ _ _ _ [Eb]
Despite controversial [Gm] lyric, the song also made waves for its innovative music video.
_ [F] _ _ [G] _ _ [F] _
_ _ Number 7 Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy
_ [Eb] _ _ [Ab] While The Boys Are Back in Town was also popular, it's with Jailbreak that Thin Lizzy really
shows us there's gonna be trouble. _ _ _ _ _
_ Thanks to the double lead guitars of Scott Gorham and Bryan Robertson, [F] The Boys and Me
now have the perfect soundtrack [Eb] for Bustin' Out.
_ [Ab] _ _ _ _ _
Also notable for its wah-wah pedal sound, the song continues to air in regular rotation
on classic rock radio.
_ [Bb] _
_ _ _ [Eb] _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ [Am] _ _ Number 6 La Grange by [D] ZZ Top
[A] _ _ _ _ [Am] _
Based on a classic [N] blues rhythm, this groovy ZZ Top tune makes you wanna get up and [A] boogie. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ La Grange is filled with the hard, heavy blues rock that allowed Billy [C] Gibbons to flaunt
his guitar prowess and now serves as a model for aspiring [D] guitarists [A] everywhere.
_ _ [C] _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ As one of the American Outfit's most [D] played radio singles, it also [G] often appears in pop culture.
[A] _
_ _ _ [C] _ _ [A] _ _ _
[Bm] _ _ _ _ [B] _ Number [E] 5 Day Tripper by The Beatles
_ _ Though it's George [B] who played the famous riff on the recording, [E] credit for this hit's trippy
[B] feel should go [A] to John.
_ _ _ [G] _ [E] _
_ After composing the main guitar parts, Lennon performed the [Gb] guitar solo in studio while
songwriting partner Paul handled the verses and [B] bass and Ringo added drums [E] and tambourine.
_ [Bm] _ _ _ _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ _ [Bm] With [C] a funky yet smooth riff [A] and their soulful vocal harmonizing,
it's no wonder Day [Gb] Tripper [Db] was a worldwide smash.
_ [B] _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ [B] _ _ [E] _ [D] _
_ _ [Bb] _ _ _ [C] _ _ [D]
Number 4 Layla [Gm] by Derek and the [C] Dominoes
[Dm] _ _ _ _ _ _ [C] _ _
[Dm] _ _ _ _ _ _ [C] _
[D] Layla and other assorted love songs [Bb] may have been Derek and the Dominoes' [C] only album,
[Dm] but this blues rock classic is often considered [C] Eric Clapton's [Dbm] magnum opus.
_ _ _ [Abm] _ _
_ Here, [Dbm] you'll find Slow Hand [C] revealing [E] his unrequited love for George Harrison's then [Gbm]-wife
[B] Patti Boyd on [E] the standout track [A] Layla.
[Dm] _ _ _ [Bb] _ _ [C] _ _
[Dm] _ _ _ _ [Bb] Proving the [C] song had staying power, [Dm] Clapton's unplugged [E] solo version won [C] a Grammy over [Dm] two decades [C] later.
[Dm] _ _ [Bb] _ _ _ [C] _
_ [D] _ _ [Dm] _ _ _ _ [Bb] _
[D] _ _ _ [C] _ [G] _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ Number 3 [G] Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd
_ _ [D] _ _ [C] After _ [G] _ _ these free birds of southern rock turned it up on this second helping single,
they quickly climbed the charts.
[D] _ _ [C] _ _ [G] _ _ These [Em] redneck [D] rockers also earned a multiple [G] platinum record thanks to their fusion of blues,
hard [D] rock and [G] country and Ed King's unmistakable [Am] guitar [D] riff.
_ [C] _ _ _ [G] _
_ With [D] their remarkable solos, [C] defiant rock'n [G]'roll swagger and amped up [C] live [G] jams,
Lynyrd Skynyrd became fixtures of [D] the southern rock scene.
_ [C] _ _
[G] _ _ _ _ [C] _ [D] _ _ _
[C] _ _ _ [G] Number [C] _ _ _
[G] 2 _ _ _ _ _ _ You Really Got Me by The Kinks _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [C] _ _
[Gm] As of the opening notes, this [C] blues-based [A] recording bombards you with its dynamic [D] power chords. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
After topping the UK charts, the single launched [Am] The Kinks' American success
and [G] positioned them as a member of the British [G] invasion.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [Gm] _ _ _ Thanks to its distortion-heavy guitar sound,
it also helped the band lay the foundation for hard rock, punk rock and heavy metal. _ _
_ [A] _ _ _ _ _ _ [B] _
_ [D] _ _ _ [Db] Number 1 I Can't Get No Satisfaction by The [E] Rolling Stones
_ [D] _ _
_ _ _ England's newest hitmakers became an [E] international [B] sensation
when Mick Jagger and [E] Keith Richards teamed up to [A] pen this rock'n'roller.
_ [E] _ _ [D] _ _
_ [E] _ _ [D] Though Richards allegedly conceived the [Em] song's now famous riff in [D] a dream
and imagined it for [N] horns, the fuzz tone of his guitar ultimately won out.
Hey, [Em] hey, _ [D] hey!
_ Oh, why [E] I said it!
[D] _ And it's a good thing [Em] too, because it gave The Rolling Stones their [E] first American chart-topper
and [B] gave us one of the [E] most recognizable and satisfactory [Am] riffs in [D] rock [E] history.
I can't get [B] no!
_ [D] _ I [A] mean, [E] never no!
You [D] agree with our list?
[A] [E] What's your favorite classic rock riff?
[D] Well, well!
If you didn't find the [A] one you're looking for,
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for our top 10 heavy metal and hard rock guitar riffs.
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