In this set of lessons Franco takes you through the entire song, including the lead, rhythm and chords for the classic Red Hot Chilli Peppers song. By the end of the lessons you will be able to play every aspect of this awesome tune!
To kick off our tutorial of 'Californication' we have recored the full rhythm part, from start to finish. This will really help you guys see exactly how the song is played, and be able to get a good feel of the rhythm and groove. So let's start by watching through the entire play through before starting the actual lesson series. Have fun!
The really good news is that the intro and verse are exactly the same, so we just need to learn one section and repeat. The chords we are using are simply an A minor, F major, G major (a simple version), D minor & C major. The chord shapes are shown below.
The pre-chorus uses just two chords, the A minor and the F major. The F major you can play in a few ways, depending on your current skill level. Try both and see how you get on.
As for the rhythm on the pre-chorus, you are using the following rhythm pattern, as Franco describes in the video.
When we get to the chorus you need the following chord shapes, which we have used during the verse as well
When it comes to the strumming pattern in the chorus we are using simple down strums until you get to the third bar. In the third bar you hit the "4 and" upwards strum and let it ring out into the next bar, giving you one bar rest before starting again.
When we get to the solo part of the song the key actually changes and we have new chords to have some fun with! The chords are a little more advanced than the rest of the song as they use a wider range of barre chords higher up the neck. If this is a little over your head, don't worry, just focus on the actual solo in the next video. The chords are:
When we get to the strumming it is very simple. There are two parts, firstly for the F#m to D progression, which is shown here:
Secondly, for the Bm, D, A & E progression, we use basic down strums as shown here:
In this video Franco takes you through the entire solo for Californication, including a play through at the start. The whole solo is based in the key of F# minor and John Frusciante uses predominantly the minor pentatonic scale. He also lends in a few notes from the full F# minor scale, as shown in the box shapes below. Try to ensure you can see the shapes when you are playing this solo!
Ready to move on? Remember to check out every lesson in this unit first – then try the next unit...
This is an absolute masterpiece of how guitar, drums and bass can work together to create an unbelievable groove. Thomas takes you through every single part of this tune, including the main riff, chords and even solo.