How to Play Rockabilly Guitar: 7 Easy Songs for Beginners

Ready to learn about rock and roll’s cousin from the south? If so, you’re in the right place! In this article, music teacher Christopher S. explores some of the most influential rockabilly songs of our time and shows you how to play them on guitar…

The History of Rockabilly

The rock and roll style, dubbed rockabilly, is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950’s and comes from the good ol’ USA, especially from the south. It’s a blend of sounds from Western musical styles like country, sometimes bluegrass styles, and that of rhythm and blues. The style’s name in itself comes from the combination of “rock” (from the 1950s) and “hillbilly” music, a common term being used to describe country music of the 40s and 50s.

This style was very important for the development of rock and roll music, and it was the basis and influence of many famous bands from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. It was a style which was, in a sense, a rite of passage to play if you wanted to play rock and roll.

The style’s defining features include strong rhythms, vocal twangs, and often the use of tape echo. It also tends to have fast lyrics and distorted guitars, which gives it a progressive feel, thus attractibg the ears of young listeners.

Notable Rockabilly Players

The first major artists to be associated playing rockabilly music were Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Bob Luman, and Jerry Lee Lewis.

The style started a legacy of rock and roll which spawned a variety of sub-styles and influencing styles such as punk rock. If you want to play rock and roll the way famous guitarists such as Jimi Page, Jeff Beck, and Jimi Hendrix did, then you have to learn, at minimum, the basics and some songs by the very first rock and rollers who played rockabilly.

Here are seven rockabilly songs that are easy to learn and will teach you how to play rockabilly guitar.

1) Hello Mary Lou by Ricky Nelson

This song was recorded and released in 1961 in California. Although it’s one of the later and poppier songs in our timeline of rockabilly music, this song is easy to play on the guitar and makes for a good intro to the musical style.

Below is a guitar tab showing how to play it. You’ll notice most of the song is played with chords. You just have to get that good country guitar rhythm down, and then there’s a short but sweet solo to learn.

2) Be-Bop-A-Lula by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps

This song is a classic and probably one of the slower tunes of the rockabilly scene. It has a very swampy but typical singing style with country-influenced twangy guitar sounds. Below is the chord chart for the song. The strumming is a very simple down strum on the beat of a 4/4 rhythm. It’s a very easy song to learn because of its slow tempo.

3) Train Kept A-Rollin’ by Johnny Burnette and The Rock and Roll Trio

This is a great song because it really shows the rebellious side of the rockabilly sound and its true roots as the precursor to rock and roll. It begins with a rockin’ guitar lick and strummed chords with the rumbling sound and rhythm of a train. This song was considered almost a rite of passage for bands to play in the 70s and 80s. The well-known band The Yardbirds, with guitarists Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, also made this song well-known in the late 60s.

The easy part about this song is that you can almost get away with playing the chords by using only the top and the bottom string. Below is the intro riff and the chord charts.

4) Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On by Jerry Lee Lewis

This is another great tune that was a hit in 1957. The song acutely has its compositional origins from a pianist and club owner named Dave “Curlee” Williams – however, Lewis had been performing it and he released it on his recording session for Sun Records which made it hit the Billboard magazine charts.