Learn to Play Rhythm Guitar Like Keith Richards

In this lesson we break down the rhythm guitar playing style of Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones.

Keith Richards often played in Open G tuning, and many of the classic Stones hits have the signature sound of Open G. In Open G tuning, both E strings are tuned down to D, and the A string is tuned down to G.

In Open G the strings in sequence from low to high are tuned D - G - D - G - B - D.

Practically speaking, it is not always possible to re-tune your guitar to get this sound. So in this lesson, we look at how riffs and voicings originally played in an open tuning can be played in a standard tuning and adapted to any given chord progression.

This lesson is intended for an intermediate audience. It can be quite a hand-stretch and fingering workout. If you are having trouble with the stretch, you might try practicing up around the 10th fret, where the frets are closer together. Then you can gradually bring your fingers down to the first position as you get used to the pattern.

The guitar string mutes in this lesson can also be a challenge for beginning guitarists. The muting gives control over the rhythmic elements of the sound. Note that you need to mute both with the left and right hands.

This lesson examines the techniques used to create the classic sound of Keith Richards. It is part of a larger series of lessons from Guitar Tricks called "Playing Rhythm Like the Masters" that includes profiles of Jimi Hendrix, Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, James Hetfield and more great guitarists.