I remember clearly the very first time I was a young musician on a gig and an older drummer turned to me in the middle of a jam and yelled "hey, play the Bo Diddley beat."
Lucky for me a few months before this when I was about 16 I got to go on a west coast blues tour opening up for John Lee Hooker Jr. On that tour we played Bo Diddley every night in the set. So when the drummer yelled that in the middle of this other song I knew exactly where to take the rhythm.
In this guitar lesson you'll learn how to play Bo Diddley by Bo Diddley.
The Bo Diddley beat is a syncopated rhythm that is super common in rock & roll and pop music.
Bo Diddley popularized this beat with his self-titled debut single, "Bo Diddley", in 1955, and in this guitar tutorial I'll break down the Bo Diddley beat for guitar players.
This is an essential rhythm and groove every guitarist needs to know. First I'll show you the rhythms/chords, and then I'll also show you more of a lead part that Bo Diddley plays as a solo using double-stops higher up the neck.
To me it is very similar to the Latin clave rhythm. It's more active and complicated than a typical rock rhythm, but less complicated than say Afro-Cuban rhythms.
Let's break it down! https://youtu.be/B0a2OVAhs24
Submitted June 03, 2021 at 11:57AM by yourguitarteacher https://www.reddit.com/r/Learnmusic/comments/nrfgzk/master_this_cool_rhythm_the_bo_diddley_beat/?utm_source=ifttt