How to Play 'Jailhouse Rock' - 1950s Rock 'n' Roll Guitar Tutorial - Jez Quayle

In this tutorial I teach how to play Elvis Presley's classic rock 'n' roll song, 'Jailhouse Rock', in the key of A (written by Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller).
A song sheet containing the lyrics and chords can be viewed or downloaded from my songbook blog here:
jezquaylesongb...
In this tutorial I refer to some of the guitar techniques I teach in my Tutorial #1, which can be viewed here: • Tutorial #1 - Acoustic...
...and in my Tutorial #2, which can be viewed here: • Tutorial #2 - Chuck Be...
A video of my complete, acoustic guitar version of this song (recorded in 2016) can be viewed here: • Jailhouse Rock - Elvis...
A video of me playing this song live with my band 'The Fast Rattlers' (in 2017) can be viewed here: • Jailhouse Rock - Elvis...

[@Passebani]

You become my favorite guitar player ❤🤘🏼 Rock on

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Awww, thanks!

[@SilverWuf69]

You sir are Awesome!!! 51 Trying to learn Guitar.... Thanks.. God Bless.... These Tutorials are Gold....

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Wow, thanks very much! I'm glad you're finding them useful.

[@grahamwilson2164]

This guy is my new guru

[@johnross5722]

Thanks for the history behind the song and the rhythm lesson

[@claviofernandes8686]

❤❤❤I really enjoy ur guitar style... I am learning evey day.. Thanx ❤u God bless u

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Savio!

[@allergyboys1817]

cool Rock'n'Roll guitar play and singing.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Allergy Boys! :D

[@elvisAronPresleybyRusty]

@@RocknRollSongbook teach me

[@Mikkeyboyy]

great teacher to the point great lessons thank you

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@marcozg77]

Thank you so much for this, Sir. Greetings from Switzerland (Europe).

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Hello from England!

[@melaniebuford]

Thank you so much for singing. Very helpful for singers who plays guitar.

[@КорсарПиратов-в5н]

Ролик просто супер, давно искал эту песню, это просто подарок какой-то, да ещё с такими подробностями, дай бог вам здоровья, удачи во всём, и всего самого наилучшего, с удовольствием просматриваю все ваши ролики, какие только нахожу👍🤝

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Большое спасибо! Я рад, что вам нравятся мои видео, и что вы нашли это полезным. С наилучшими пожеланиями из Англии. Джез

[@donindri]

Easy to understand format, very detailed instructions. Great job on the song and style. Thanks for posting

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much! I'm glad you found it useful.

[@filt11]

지금은 돌아가신 아버지가 좋아하신 곡입니다. 저도 좋아하고요.

[@OscarGomez-oo7im]

Just the best!!! Thank you for this teaching !!!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Oscar!

[@harryclay9017]

Love Elvis, love the lesson.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks Harry!

[@sergiohebling6238]

Jez, you really rock on the guitar. O loved your tutorial...

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Sergio! Glad you like it.

[@fransgoossens2388]

Fantastic, I learn everyday from you, thanks a lot

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Frans! Thanks great to know. Happy pickin'!

[@chriseddy7992]

Just fantastic well done videos. thank you for doing them

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Chris!

[@tradpro7485]

Sound really great and with practice I can master some of this ,your instructions are clear and precise,thanks.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much! I'm glad you found the video useful.

[@brulextrulex]

Excellent. .after all confusing explanations on web about differences between straight and shuffle rhythm one great explanations. Tnx.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks Pero! I'm pleased you found my video useful.

[@steve660917]

Brilliant!! Definitely one I'll be learning.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Steve!

[@kepbutoh]

I am picking up slowly, Thank you for making it easy to follow

[@RocknRollSongbook]

I’m pleased you’re finding my video helpful.

[@petrvondracek4493]

You are good teacher. Thx very much from middle Europe ;)

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very Petr. Hello from England!

[@michaelorfanides1413]

Hello Jez..! I've tried to play in the past I put the guitar in the closet it's done nothing but collect dust, but listening to you and your instruction makes me want to try again. Thank you so much, you're a Gem....

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Hello Michael. Thanks very much! I'm really glad my video is encouraging you to get playing again. Keep on rockin'! - Jez

[@alvarezbarbosa]

Thanks for this tutorial, the 1950s rock are the best for me, and your videos are great, very well done. Greetings from Colombia

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Luis! Greetings from England!

[@lesdunn736]

2021
Okay. Okay.
Back again.
That's how good you are.
Thank you for sharing.
Essex

[@normannoriega9557]

Well done sir . playing and explain perfect. 👍📀

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Norman!

[@retrobilly1719]

Wow you are such a Great Player and Teacher Jez,I keep at it ,Love your Techniques a nd timing

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much mate! 🎸🎶

[@thewarmantrio]

We're going to add this song to our list next, thanks for the refresher,you really are a good communicator teacher

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Rick!

[@sundowner62james69]

Very well explained ! Thank you .

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much! Glad you like it.

[@lesdunn736]

2021
Flipping good young man.
I am desperately trying to get it right.
You are a STAR,
Thank you for sharing.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Les!

[@machekl]

Great masterclass. Thanks for your time!!!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much! :D

[@MustafaBaabad]

Very cool! Thanks.
Stay healthy, keep enough sun shine exposure Sir.
Cheers from Indonesia.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Mustafa!

[@dwarfyh32]

Great explanation on the different timings

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@sweetpea7583]

fabulous. Love the details. The solo you do is great for a duo/guitar & bass. Thanks.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much! - Jez

[@oamuel]

this beyond cool my friend

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Samuel! :D

[@ringokidd387]

Awesome! Jumpin Jez Buddy Holly!!!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Ringo!

[@ringokidd387]

@@RocknRollSongbook Truly Enjoy your Videos my Brother!

[@lyphan2667]

This is my favorite song. I really liked the way you are playing. Cảm ơn rất nhiều. Và tôi cũng mến bạn nhiều lắm.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Ly! Cảm ơn rất nhiều!

[@alonsogomezjimenez4164]

So grateful for this tutorials! Greetings from Spain :)

[@RocknRollSongbook]

You're welcome! Greetings from England :D

[@yokeloonw]

Great lesson. Thank you

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@PISSEDOFF-MADABOUTIT60]

Unfair! Look at those monster paws!
Great playing jez! Looking to do something like this it's music that's lost and needs to be taught.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Hehehe. Thanks very much!

[@PISSEDOFF-MADABOUTIT60]

Amazed at the level of love for the great original hits that inspire the rest of us.

[@benjaminmendoza9219]

pure talent man!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Benjamin!

[@michaeljam2132]

Another good one Jez! Thanks for transposing! Cheers

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Michael!

[@johnhughes612]

Again excellent 👏 and thanks 😊

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much John!

[@davidmiranda5267]

Amazing Man.
Congratulations

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much David!

[@daniellapierre9798]

Thank you Jez, very nice video, fantastic timing tips! Just subscribed on your channel! Keep rocking

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Daniel! And thanks for subscribing.

[@judenyithintun4457]

Old man , old song .But for me both are still young.I like rock n roll music.

[@zaphodbeeblebrox9109]

Soo happy I found your channel, please please keep going

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much! Glad you like it. :D

[@kaycarley]

Thanks so much for doing these tutorials, Jez. I am looking forward to working my way through them when I get my guitar - hopefully next week :)

[@RocknRollSongbook]

You're welcome. Some of this stuff id quite advanced, ...but I expect you'll have it mastered in a couple of weeks! :D

[@kaycarley]

Rock 'n' Roll Songbook 2 weeks!!!! I was thinking 2 days 😆😆😆

[@AhmedMohammed-nb5kg]

I like your channel and your videos, this is my style of music 😊 thank you for sharing us

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Ahmed!

[@allantaylor5356]

Man you are the nuts. Great stuff

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Hehehe ...Thanks Allan!

[@andrewmoore193]

Class ,,, I enjoyed that wee tune chum thankyou

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Andrew.

[@smtwelve5315]

Hello , thanks for your rock n’ roll l’Essone 👉🏿🤟🏼

[@rorykarate]

Fantastic thank you for sharing☺️

[@RocknRollSongbook]

You're welcome!

[@ivanhectordemarez1561]

Very well done

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Ivan!

[@jaychancey5123]

I just started back playing guitar took lessons 40 yrs ago , never was very good but could play maybe 12 songs, then I quit, thanks to finding you on tube, I'm back to playing and am learning sooo much more from you, Thanks man , you're a good teacher and a great guitarists and singer

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Aww, Jay! That's great to know. So pleased I've got you playing again. I'm glad you like my videos. Whereabouts in the world are you btw? - Jez

[@zarroukfrederic52]

Hello good tutorial tank briantte i love style rock and roll

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@ignaciomr717]

Gracias profesor!!! Saludos desde Galicia!!!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Saludos desde Inglaterra! :D

[@martinzikovsky7112]

Jez I have no comment . . . I watched this tutorial with my mouth open. 8-) Well done m8.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Wow, thanks very much Martin! I hope you find it useful. :D

[@szmoncess]

Masterpiece!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@kevinmarsden8102]

great teacher thank you

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Kevin!

[@MrJasdog107]

TH-cam gold and i have just discovered it.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Wow, thanks James!

[@elvisAronPresleybyRusty]

This is golden I have waited more years than most have been alive. To learn this very song. All of his for that matter .all shook up etc. To start ...I'm thanking u in advance ..where can I learn more ..currently I'm tryna learn pentatonic. Then caged ..
Where I get confused / say on tabs. / it may read. 5 7,3,4.
5 7,3,4 .
Is this telling me to be in frets
5, 7 ,3 & 4 ?

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Rusty! If those are the numbers shown on the lines (which represent strings), then those are the frets, yes. 😊

[@bluestough]

That´s the 1, Jez, coolest!!!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Boyd! :D

[@n8rbos]

Just added you, gr8 explanation , clearly thanku

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@LukeMcHale]

Awhhh yeah - a personal favorite of mine!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Hey, we should make a recording of this one. :D

[@LukeMcHale]

Brilliant idea! 😁

[@ernieleem77]

Fantastic

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@jonheart5415]

You are fantastic

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Wow, thanks very much Jon!

[@wadedeeds1738]

You're the best.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Wow, thanks Wade!

[@jeffreese4194]

I may find it easier to play open A,D,E. I still love how you sing in your comfortable key 🎵🎶

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks Jeff! Yep, open A, D and E can work really well on this one. 👍👍

[@henriqueanjos8532]

Awsome, thank you for replying my comment in the other video

[@RocknRollSongbook]

You're welcome! :)

[@siripornthaworn5868]

Thank you.

[@npe56]

Hi Jez! Just Love these videos, pure, authetic, Rock’n’Roll - they don’t make this kind of REAL music anymore! I have one question for you: around 10:45 you are playing the Chuck Berry way and my question is: do you strum all the strings in the rhythm?

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much! When playing that Chuck Berry style riff I'm angling my pick so I hit just the bass strings. I have a tutorial in which I teach how to play that stuff. Here's a link: th-cam.com/video/c9KZ1mHdZQ8/w-d-xo.html

[@soledadrodriguez91]

So WoW!!! Thanks!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@lucasarmandoalvares6825]

Thanks you for this tutorial!!! Can you do a cover or tutorial "I'll make it all up to you" by Jerry Lee Lewis?

[@RocknRollSongbook]

You're welcome Lucas. Thanks for the request. That's a great song, but not one I've ever played. On this channel I specialise in playing 1950s rock 'n' roll, and 'I'll Make It All Up To You' is one of Jerry Lee's country recordings. My next tutorial will be Jerry Lee's 'Great Balls of Fire'.

[@sleepycuber]

Love this. Love your channel.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

@@sleepycuber Thanks Brian!

[@lallange57]

Merci beaucoup pour ces tutoriels clairs et précis👌continuez ainsi....
Un petit bonjour de France👋

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Je suis ravi que vous aimiez mes tutoriels. Bonjour d'Angleterre! - Jez

[@WillRomerosoul]

Great!! 👏👏👏

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Will! :D

[@2011littlejohn1]

I think Elvis/Scotty More played it tuned down to Eb and using a D shape slide from Eb to E (in reality a slide from D to Eb). But this works ok.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Yes, well done you. This is my version. There's no law against transposition.

[@2011littlejohn1]

@@RocknRollSongbook Of course you're right. The most important member of the band is the singer and you play to whatever voice range is relevant. But being old I'm very interested in the history of rock and my remark was merely an observation - as some people tend to think the original version's key is the ''correct version'' which of course is a totally primitive attitude. I play it in A. :)

[@geronimo7578]

very good

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@wieslawszewczyk5008]

Swietny przekaz

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Dziękuję Ci!

[@pascalgoblet2843]

Ok j'ai vu 🙈 merci beaucoup..

[@14141818]

très bien merci

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Merci beaucoup Daniel!

[@Меркурий-г3ф]

Super!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@andrewmoore193]

Yeeooooo my suede shoes are on fire 👏👏👏👏👏🎶🎶🎶🎸

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Hehehe ....that's good to know! 🎶🎸

[@rvrebel1929]

Hi. I’ve noticed that your Volvo ice is also of the time , so. How do you set up the echo on your mic please. ? 😎❤️

[@RocknRollSongbook]

I don't do anything to the sound/mic when I record the video. I add a little bit of 'slap-back' echo in some places when I edit the video together later on.

[@giuseppevaccaro4416]

🤙

[@milan5079]

Relaly nice

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@luizo.l.s.8106]

👍🏿😀

[@funguy4utube]

Excellent - liked and subscribed - but of course ! A good toe-tapper song for when people say “PLAY SOMETHING!”

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much! And thanks for subscribing. Yes, this one always goes down well.

[@pascalgoblet2843]

Merci pour cette belle interprétation. Pourriez-vous expliquer le rythme. Merci beaucoup 😍😍😍

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Merci beaucoup Pascal! Dans la vidéo, je parle en détail du rythme de la chanson et de la façon de gratter pendant les couplets et le solo. Pendant les refrains je continue à jouer avec un rythme swing. Je ne sais pas ce que vous devez savoir d'autre. Regardez à nouveau la vidéo et faites le moi savoir - Jez

[@jopajazzjopajazz2188]

😍

[@stevendavls2109]

Jez I'm struggling. I want to learn J R and GBOF by spring. Shoukf I take your vids to an instructor and see if that'll help?

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Getting some face-to-face lessons could be helpful if you're struggling, of course.

[@elisabethminet4676]

👍🎸🎸🎸🎸

[@javiersanchezribas7985]

Viva el Rey

[@amigo288]

Greetings from Russia.
I do the same guitar analysis for the Russian audience

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Greetings from England. Keep on rockin'!

[@lesdunn736]

2021
That is a lovely guitar.
What is it?

[@lesdunn736]

Thank you kindly.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks! It's a Gibson J45

[@lesdunn736]

@@RocknRollSongbook
It has a distinctive sound
Yes
Impressed
Thank you for sharing.

[@elinino5275]

This is better than the rockabilly version! This is more chuck berry

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Eli!

[@liamtarbet2604]

How do you silence the E string using the chuckle berry riff chords 4 and 5 x

[@RocknRollSongbook]

I mute the E string by touching it with my first finger. I have a whole tutorial on this Chuck Berry riff that you may find helpful: th-cam.com/video/c9KZ1mHdZQ8/w-d-xo.html

[@chocomepengu6295]

I want That will be the day by Buddy Holly and maybe Fun Fun Fun by The Beach Boys will be nice oh and maybe throw some Beatles lessons in there I’m going through all your tutorials

[@RocknRollSongbook]

I'll probably do That'll Be The Day. The Beach Boys and The Beatles are great, but I limit the songs on this channel to original, 1950s rock and roll, so I won't be playing their music here.

[@matthewdebartolo6692]

Hello. But the tonic not Is D Major? Thanks

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Elvis's original version was in Eb. I transpose the song down to A, as Eb is too high for my singing range.

[@lucasolari3756]

great! one lesson is still missing: HOW TO PLAY MYSTERY TRAIN !
I have several tabs, but the acoustic rhythm part played by Elvis is NEVER well transcribed...

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks Luca! Mystery Train is a 3 chord song. Elvis played it in the key of E, so he played the chords E, A and B7. It's difficult to hear exactly how Elvis was strumming on the record, but it's nothing too fancy. I'd say he's more or less playing what I call 'Strumming Pattern #3' in my Tutorial #5: th-cam.com/video/nbVEQ7gzQkU/w-d-xo.html Of course, Elvis is playing a little faster than I play in my tutorial demonstration. I hope that helps - Jez

[@lucasolari3756]

@@RocknRollSongbook thanks a lot! yes, it seems strumming pattern #3, but Elvis adds extra-strums just before starting a new verse...
and in the 12-bars blues progression of the song there is one more A bar!
Elvis was good playing drivin' rhythm strumming with acoustic guitar!