Cliff Richard Pack

Lessons

• Lesson 1: Summer Holiday

  Summer Holiday is a song recorded by Cliff Richard and the Shadows. It’s taken from the movie of the same name, and was released as the second single in 1963. 

  This song is surely fun to play, seems easy and straightforward, but has several challenges, no matter what key you play it in. 

  This lesson shows how to play it in the key of the original recording, the key of E. This includes a couple of barre chords, which are also moving fast since most chords are only two beats. 

  To make it even harder, it changes keys at the end of the 2nd middle eight, going up a half step. This means more barre chords, even though you could play some of those as open chords in first position as well. 

  Of course you could play this in the key of D (capo II), facing the same challenges. Instead I chose to teach it in the key of C (capo IV). The advantage is you could 'easily' incorporate the little lead guitar part in the intro and other parts of the arrangement. 

  Another advantage is that the chords would be relatively easy. Then again, moving up a half step results in barre chords only, high up the neck. 

  Thankfully the strumming with swing feel should be doable for anyone. We break that down too. 

• Lesson 2: Living Doll - Cliff Richard - Guitar Lesson

  Cliff Richard is a singer from the UK, who has had a career for almost 60 years. With his backing group, The Shadows, who were first known as The Drifters, he dominated the British popular music scene in the pre-Beatles period of the late 1950s to early 1960s.
  
  Living Doll, released in 1959 and re-released in 1986, was his 5th record and first No. 1 single.
  
  This lesson shows how Richard plays it himself, which he does in the key of A, as done on the original recording.
  
  We cover the little intro bassline, the chords, including a few different shapes and the strumming. The latter should be done with swing feel and picking out alternating bassnotes for chords I and IV.
  
  We also take a quick look at how to transpose the progression to the key of G, which is easier for beginners or for those who’d like to sing it lower.

• Lesson 3: The Young Ones

  The Young Ones, recorded by Cliff Richard & The Shadows, is the title song to the 1961 film and its soundtrack with the same name. It was released as a single the following year and went straight to No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart, the first British single to do so. 

  The arrangement is done in the key of G with relatively easy chords, and a straightforward progression, which should make it doable for every guitar player. 

  Beginners could, of course, keep the strumming really simple, but the challenge for the ones who are already comfortable doing so would be to include a 'bounce'. This is a typically Shadows sound in my opinion, sometimes done by the drums, or the guitar, or both etc. 

  It makes the song, along with the several 'breaks' throughout the arrangement, much fun to play. It certainly adds to ones rhythm guitar playing skills. 

   

   

• Lesson 4: Move It - Cliff Richard - Guitar Lesson

  Move It is a song, written by Iam Samwell and recorded by Cliff Richard and The Drifters, later known as The Shadows. It is credited with being one of the first authentic rock ‘n roll songs produced outside the US.
  
  It was released as Richard’s debut single in 1958 and became his first hit record.
  
  This lesson shows how Cliff plays it by himself in the key of E. It breaks down the progression, the chords and strumming, and the little intro riff.
  
  We in particular take a look at how he somewhat dresses it up, when there is no lead guitar player to fill in the spaces between the vocal lines.
  
  For example, he does that by picking out individual bass notes, which requires accuracy from the strumming hand.

• Lesson 5: Lucky Lips

  Lucky Lips is a song written by the famous songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. 

  It was originally recorded by Ruth Brown in 1956 and successfully covered by Sir Cliff Richard in 1963, giving him another big hit single. 

  The song has a very easy, straightforward progression and arrangement in the key of D (Capo II).

  The lesson is primarily based on how Cliff plays it by himself on guitar. It of course breaks down the chords and the strumming with swing feel, as well as a few little things that he does in particular.