How to Play 'Sweet Little Sixteen ' - Chuck Berry - Play Along Lesson - Jez Quayle

This great Chuck Berry song -- about a female, teenage rock 'n' roll fanatic -- is presented with the full lyrics, chords, and instruction on how to play Chuck's intro lick, so you can play or sing along with me and learn how to perform this great tune. A song sheet containing the full lyrics and chords can be viewed or downloaded from my songbook blog here:
jezquaylesongbookhome.files.w...
Rock 'n' roll songs like this are pretty easy to play: just three, easy chords (D, G and A in this case) ...or four chords, if you count the D7 I throw in at one point (but you don't have to).
As I say in the video, you could play this song in a number of different ways. On this occasion I use the Chuck Berry style riff I teach in my tutorial #2: ( • Tutorial #2 - Chuck Be... ), but its also sounds good with plain open chords, or using the rock and roll chord riffs I teach in my tutorials #1 ( • Tutorial #1 - Acoustic... ) and #4: ( • Tutorial #4 - Acoustic... )
Unlike most early rock and roll songs, this song doesn't use a 12-bar blues chord progression, but a more country style, 'three chord trick'. Watch out for the stops that appear in the verses!
'Sweet Little Sixteen' was originally released in 1958. A few years later, The Beach Boys borrowed (or you might say 'stole') the melody for their song 'Surfin' USA'. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song number 272 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.

[@dontrapani7778]

One of the very best '50s rock n roll songs, played exactly the way it sounds on the record, and an outstanding vocal. Well done!!!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much! - Jez🎶

[@noname-wt3zw]

wow, four chords and a great singer, that's all you need.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much No Name! Four chords? ....this ain't jazz! Three chords is plenty. 😀

[@elvisAronPresleybyRusty]

@@RocknRollSongbook hi. Again I'm loving your technique in my learning curve ..can't wait to pick up my " Bleu " acoustic....right now. Having just discovered u. I'm reviewing your videos . Before I actually start ..I'm observing / absorbing. Everything you r conveying...
Salute'

[@halemcdan]

There's a few guitar good teachers on TH-cam -this guy is certainly one of the very best. Subscribed!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Wow, thanks very much Dan!

[@usatrooper5045]

I agree 👍 ✌️🤪🇺🇲

[@vulcain3334]

As usual, clear,effective, another great tutorial. Enjoy everything you play and sing.Thanks for you time.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much! That's good to know. 😄

[@erwinerwin1245]

This is what I call a perfect lesson as it is so easy to follow and I also like the shown lyrics and chords. I was not even looking for any song at the moment but saw this on the right side of the screen and decided to check it out. Glad I did .

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Wow, thanks very much Erwin! That's really good to know. Glad you like it.

[@wadedeeds1738]

So glad I found your channel. Best guitar teacher ever. Thanks.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Wow, thanks very Wade!

[@raphaelrousso7124]

Tout ce qui promeut le Grand Rock'n'Roll est cher à mon cœur ! Very well done !

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Ça fait plaisir à entendre. Merci beaucoup Raphael!

[@jeffreese4194]

Very detailed instructional on the intro riff and great vocals as well

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Jeff!

[@cv6941]

Thanks Jez, great tune. Your explanation of the opening riff is first class

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much C&V!

[@facundotorres9054]

Gonna rock the house with this one! Thanks, Jez!

[@peterhaynes8258]

BRILLIANT SONG, BRILLIANT ERA, BRILLIANTLY PLAYED, THANK YOU SIR.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Wow, thanks very much Peter!

[@Garry572301]

Excellent Job... thanks for breaking everything down in each step...👍👍👍

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Garry! I'm pleased my explanation worked for you.

[@rayh72]

Excellent Jez, yet again. I like the different styles that you suggest and would not pick any one to be better than the others, just a slight change in mood. Not surprised that you are getting huge viewings for these lessons!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Ray! Yes, I like to vary how I play these songs, depending on my mood. 😁 I'm chuffed that these videos are being well received.

[@anngrilli8213]

The genius of your acoustic based tutorials is that this is how most of us are playing these songs - un-plugged and unaccompanied and undeniably delirious! Go, Jez, go!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Ann! I also play electric guitar, but I've always loved playing rock 'n' roll on acoustic like this.

[@francoistabi5765]

​@@RocknRollSongbooko0

[@paultsworld]

Perfect (and comprehensive) tutorial - thank you.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Paul!

[@smtwelve5315]

Hey !
One more time, a very good lesson .
Thanks 🎤🎸

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@matthewcrich5951]

Wow. What a great voice!!! And a great tutorial as well

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Matthew!

[@iamspartacus6713]

@@RocknRollSongbook i was reading the comments and thought it was eddie cochran singing!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

@@iamspartacus6713 Wow, thanks man!

[@juanan777ful]

Maravilloso , muchas gracias por estos tutoriales tan buenos.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

¡Muchas gracias!

[@manuelotero5183]

you are an excelent teacher...muchas gracias desde argentina

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Manuel!

[@bradnelson2637]

Thanks for posting this….it’s awesome!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Brad! Glad you like it.

[@Helmut.Widowitsch]

Großartig wie immer! Danke

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Vielen Dank!

[@paulbeckett2744]

Some really useful stuff on here and your other videos. Wish my fingers were flexible enough to play this stuff these days. Still I love your explanations, it's so useful with things like the intro which would be difficult to work out otherwise.
Keep rockin' Jez

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Paul! I look forward to hearing you tackle a bit of rock 'n' roll at The Royal some time ...go on, go on, go on!

[@RockinJohnny]

Excellent tutors brother, keep it rockin!!!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Johnny! Glad you like it.

[@waltdisnenycopyright8048]

Brilliant lesson/ demo, I'm just trying to get into guitar, I've sung for years but at 70 I thought to up the show a little, there's not much entertainment up here in mablethorpe lol, thanx for being an inspiration

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much William! It's never too late to take up the guitar. Happy strummin'!

[@MustafaBaabad]

Seems so simple yet so lively.
Cheers from Indonesia.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Yes, just three easy chords. 😁 Like a great many rock and roll and country songs.

[@timomarra3315]

You're an excellent teacher

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Tim. You're very kind.

[@harleygrandpaernie]

Great job Jez. God bless

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Ernie!

[@andyn5379]

Awesome. As always 🔥

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Andy!

[@mrc107]

Brilliant Jez - Keep rocking! Greetings from Mauritius Island

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much! Greetings from England.

[@alfredoveiga]

OMG what a great voice and beautiful guitar !! Congratulations from Germany !!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Danke schön Alfredo!

[@alfredoveiga]

@@RocknRollSongbook bitte 👍👍

[@szmoncess]

You are great teacher !

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@janetbice6920]

Love it. Gotta try this.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks Janet!

[@chrisr3480]

Another great lesson, thank you

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Chris!

[@haroldwhitaker4558]

This is probably the best guitar teaching channel on TH-cam. I’m new here, but I’ve subscribed and look forward to seeing more of your videos. 🙏🏼

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Wow, thanks very much for those words of support. And thanks for subscribing - Jez 😊

[@GaryBook]

Great Reverb on the vocals! Sung like a Pro!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Gary! 😀

[@paulmurphy3406]

Awesome lesson, thanks!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@gordonangell1171]

OUTSTANDING JOB

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Gordon!

[@Dekyongpao]

Thank you so much Jez !

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Glad you like it.

[@jgxerb7221]

Uooooo i need to play It... Amazing... Thanks

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@larryblackburn8946]

It's great..keep it rolling .

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Larry!

[@nunozach]

New subscriber..first person I've seen play the intro right..great voice too..thanks!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much! And thanks for subscribing!

[@frankdsouza2425]

Almost as foot-tapping as Chuck himself. Take a bow, Sir.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Frank!

[@user-jh1vx7le5f]

11#20日福井けん、より、見てるよまつもと、てす、🧡勝山し、より、❤️

[@bluesybruce]

Found this ''by accident'' Jez, glad I did - hope you are keeping well Bruce.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Bruce!

[@abraa0joserribeirodeolivei651]

Very good .

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@Parisindahouse]

Excellent, thank you

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Paris!

[@davidmeister_ch]

Great tutorial, I've learnt something :-)

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much David! That's good to know.

[@thpdv5123]

How good singer you are !

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@ominoguitar]

Nice! Thank you. Thumb up for you!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@wolfenrico]

Great! Regards from Germany

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Erich! Hello from England.

[@patrickribeirodasneves4976]

Excelente!!!!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

¡Muchas gracias Patrick!

[@user-bt3tj6we7b]

dude thanks you

[@crazy-horsecrazyhorse8543]

Brill tutorial subbed your channel....from Washington DC USA thanks and Peace Crazyhorse ✌️. ❤️. 🎼.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Crazyhorse!

[@felixelipe4741]

Super toto ! Merci !

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Merci Felix!

[@Alrights600]

cool cover. get around the d flat thing by tuning your guitar down a step and play it the exact same way

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks!

[@renedifrancesco7424]

great thx

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Rene!

[@patrickgueguin792]

clear as alwyas

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Patrick!

[@psychedelicwriter5051]

Great!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@martinbroers3760]

Super erklärt und ne richtig geile Stimme......

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Vielen Dank Martin!

[@joseluisdossantosdossantos2283]

Muito bom.👏👏👏

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much!

[@daniellapierre9798]

So cool Jez, you’ve got such a great rock and roll swing in your picking! Really nicely done!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Daniel! That's nice of you to say.

[@robbo9854]

Nice tutorial jez, have you done a cover of completely sweet by eddie Cochran? That’s one of his underrated songs

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Robbo! I really like that one too, but I'm not sure I could do it justice. Eddie was great at using the studio technology of the day to layer the instruments and build up a great sound. I think Completely Sweet needs at least another guitar and probably other instruments to make it sound right. That's also true of songs like 'Sweetie Pie', which is another song I love of Eddie Cochran's.

[@dakotahstr]

Hi Jez. Have you done a tutorial on how to hammer down. it makes such a different sound. id love to do this because then people would think I could play. Great tutorials.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks. Do you mean 'hammer-on' ?

[@bladerunner9646]

Really enjoyed this tutorial. Would you consider doing another for Johnny Be Good? :-)

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much! I've noticed that there are quite a few tutorials for Johnny B Goode here on TH-cam already, so I decided to give that one a miss. I have done one for the lead guitar parts in Roll Over Beethoven though, if that's of any interest to you. Here's a link: th-cam.com/video/96xJJ_OCHAo/w-d-xo.html

[@contractorwolf]

If you are trying to learn to play I recommend looping the video (use a browser extension) from 3:58 to 6:27 and setting the playback speed to something that you can get used to playing along (try 75%)

[@colinsykes6883]

Another good song to play, with good explanation. Is a lyric sheet available please Jez ?

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks Colin. And thanks for reminding me about the song sheet -- there's now a link in the video description.

[@kaycarley]

Been having fun today playing your ‘play alongs’ on the uke 🎶. Do you happen to know how to do the intro on the uke in this key?

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Playing the intro in D on the uke is a little bit awkward, so I play it in C instead. Here's a video of mine I recorded about 9 years ago: th-cam.com/video/aJMU4V5khVM/w-d-xo.html
I play it the same as I explain in this video, but start with my fingers on the 7th and 8th frets. I play it using all down-strokes with my thumb. To play it in D you just need to move it all up a couple of semitones, so you start on the 9th and 10th frets ...it gets a bit awkward (for me anyway) playing that high up on a uke fretboard! Here's a song sheet for the song in the key of C: jezquaylesongbookhome.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/Sweet-Little-Sixteen-uke-in-C.pdf

[@kaycarley]

@@RocknRollSongbook - fabulous! I did try it yesterday as per your video and thought it sounded about right but didn’t want to persevere with mastering it if it ended up being wrong! Finally having smaller hands is an advantage 😀!

[@martinzikovsky7112]

You are a devil . . . :-) This is really a great turorial Mr. Jez!

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Hehehe ...thanks very much Martin!

[@wari1961]

thanks 👍 👏👏👏🤙✌️🏍️🇮🇲🎸

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks Wari! 😊

[@plaineduloup184]

Thanks a lot for the great lesson!!! What guitar strings are you using? Keep rocking my freind! Best regards from Switzerland! Alex

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much! I use Martin strings (.012 to .054 gauge).

[@plaineduloup184]

Thanks Jez!

[@stevemenor5910]

Isn’t this also Surfin’ U. S. A. ??? Love the videos. Keep up the good work.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Steve! Yes, The Beach Boys took the melody for 'Surfin' USA' from this older song.

[@mike6572693]

2 for the price of one!

[@jopajazzjopajazz2188]

👍

[@mikejones8198]

Excellent lessons. What do you use to get the echo on your guitar and voice please?

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Mike! It's an effect that's available in the sound processing part of the video editing software I use (Shotcut). I adjusted the settings so it sounds as much like 1950s 'slapback' echo as I can make it.

[@mikejones8198]

Hmm, I wondered how you switched it on for playing and off for speaking,! You have inspired me to re-listen to my live slap-back sound and aim for your post- recording version. Many thanks for your reply.

[@mikejones8198]

Hi again, regarding the slap-back, may I ask if your programme shows the number of milliseconds and % feedback ? What are these settings please?

[@RocknRollSongbook]

@@mikejones8198 I used 0.15 s delay, and -41.1 db feedback.

[@carlotomass119]

Brilliant !! Is that a j45 ?

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Carlo! Yes, it is.

[@dannymeyer8259]

Where can I find the tutrials?

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Here you are: th-cam.com/play/PL3k8ba924QgZ_-jUIMEvUcfn8iBdZBwuH.html

[@martinseffi4507]

💪

[@funguy4utube]

Hell’s Bells ..... I hear Surfing USA ! Revelation .... two lessons in one.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Yes, The Beach Boys took Chuck's melody from this song and added their own lyrics. Chuck gets a writer's credit on 'Surfin' USA' though -- that probably earned him more money than he earned from 'Sweet Little Sixteen'!

[@rickardagren935]

Yes RAa

[@darreneves928]

Where can I get you r+r book?

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Search for 'Jez Quayle Rock and Roll' on Amazon or Lulu.com

[@mikec3777]

I need a longer pinky!

[@mariosergiovieira7623]

👍👏🙏😀

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much Mario!

[@AnOpwriter]

Great, It seems you listened the Eddie Cochran version too much :D

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks very much! Hehehe ....yes, you may be right.

[@christianloquet9160]

Décidément je ne parviens pas a me priver de tes leçons (c'est fou l 'histoire du rock 50 ans que cela dur)avec moi-même

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Je suis ravi que vous trouviez mes vidéos utiles

[@Kukowatauva]

HAHAHAH, the beach boys looks so suspicious HAHS

[@christianloquet9160]

J'ajouterais a mon commentaire que le desciptif des accords solo compris plus texte du chant apporte une plus grande comprehension a la l etude de la pratique du chant accompagne a la guitare ( merci a vous)

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Merci Christian. C'est bon à savoir!

[@Teajonmustard]

This whole time I thought they where saying, they really rocking in bathrooms

[@pedrodebarros4949]

Same as Surfing USA by the Beach Boys

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Yes. As I say in the video description, The Beach Boys took the melody for 'Surfin' USA' from this song.

[@fablapp]

wow, txs but seems that the beach boys have compeltely copied this song or not?

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Yes, they used Chuck's melody ....but they did give him a writers' credit.

[@naytch2003]

A bushy bushy blonde hair do..surfin usa!! They both sound the same?

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Yes. The Beach Boys used Chuck Berry's melody for their song, 'Surfin' USA'. For that reason, Chuck is credited as a co-writer.

[@naytch2003]

@@RocknRollSongbook oh..that explains it

[@benhurh3002]

First

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Have I won a competition?

[@reginalcarrar9478]

Beach boys ripped this song off. Almost note for note "surfing usa". Chuck was not happy.

[@RocknRollSongbook]

👍

[@usatrooper5045]

👍🍺🤪🇺🇲

[@RocknRollSongbook]

Thanks!