Californication Guitar Lesson (Red Hot Chili Peppers)

Today I want to share with you how I play “Californication” as recorded by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. 

This song has some amazing guitar playing in it done by the legendary guitarist John Frusciante.

We’ll start off with the iconic opening riff, then we'll go through the chords and different patterns you can use to start playing the whole song today! 

So make sure you’re in tune and let’s get started!

Who wrote Californication? 

“Californication” is a song by the American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. It’s the title track and lead single from their seventh studio album, released in 1999. The song was written by the band members Anthony Kiedis, Flea, John Frusciante, and Chad Smith, and it explores themes of the dark side of Hollywood and the cultural impact of mass media on society.

Musically, "Californication" is a blend of alternative rock, funk, and psychedelic influences that are all characteristic of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' sound. The song is driven by a catchy guitar riff played by John Frusciante, complemented by Flea's genius bass lines and Chad Smith's energetic drumming.

"Californication" became one of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' most successful and recognizable songs. It achieved commercial success, charting high in several countries and becoming a radio staple and a fan favorite. 

Californication Guitar Chords

There are 12 core chord shapes you’ll need to know to play “Californication” and they are: Am, F, C, G, Dm, Fmaj7, F#m, Dmaj7, Bm, D, A, and E.

Here’s how I would play each of these 12 chords.

Am is played from the 5th string down like this:

F is played as a bar chord on the 1st fret like this:

For C, we’ll use a standard open-position C like this:

G is played open as well like this:

Dm is played from the 4th string down like this:

Fmaj7 is similar to the bar chord F but on this one, we’ll just use 3 fingers like this:

Ok. Those first 6 shapes will cover the first half of the song. Then these next 6 chords don’t appear until the guitar solo section later in the song.

The first one is F#m, and this is played as a bar chord in the second position.

Dmaj7 is a slightly jazzier sound played at the 5th fret like so:

Bm is played in 2nd position like this:

D returns back to the open position:

For A, I play it with just my index finger:

And finally, E is played with all 6 strings like this:

Californication Intro Guitar 

The intro guitar riff for "Californication" is one of the most recognizable and iconic parts of the song. It is played by guitarist John Frusciante. This riff sets the tone for the entire track.

It’s all based around 2 chords Am and F. The riff uses these 2 chords, but instead of strumming them, Frusciante created this amazing riff that uses arpeggio picking. 

Arpeggio picking is a technique where you play the individual notes of a chord in a sequential order rather than strumming all the strings simultaneously. It involves picking notes of the chord separately, creating a flowing and cascading effect. 

When using arpeggio picking, you typically play the lowest note of the chord first, then move on to the higher notes in a specific pattern. But this is just a general guideline.

Here is an example of a riff using this arpeggio-picking style:

It’s also worth noting that when Frusciante plays at the top of Californication, Flea's bass line works in synergy with it. His bass line provides a solid foundation and extra rhythmic momentum to the overall sound.

The underlying chord progression here is just 1 bar of Am and 1 bar of F.

Am (1 bar)

F (1 bar)

This repeats over and over until the vocals sing…

“And if you want these kind of dreams it's Californication…”

Here we switch to another arpeggio-style guitar part (see video above for demo) and play 2 chords per bar like this:

C, G (1 bar)

F, Dm (1 bar)

Then immediately go back to the opening guitar intro.

Californication Strumming Pattern

After about one minute of the tune, Frusciante switches from a more arpeggiated-style guitar part to more of a strumming pattern. The progression is still Am to F one bar each. But here instead of F use the Fmaj7 chord shape and play this: 

This sample strumming pattern is a combination of eighth-note and sixteenth-note rhythms. The underlying pulse is sixteenth notes. So as I play I am counting out in my head.

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

The strumming pattern with the count and strumming directions here would go:

1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

d       u d    d       u d    d u d u

This pattern continues for each chord until we get to the…

Chorus

The chorus is an 8-bar progression that uses 4 chords C, G, Dm, and Am. It starts out with each chord lasting 2 beats.

C, G, (1 bar)

Dm, Am (1 bar)

Then that repeats again but the second Dm takes up all of bar 2 like this:

C, G, (1 bar)

Dm (1 bar)

Then those 4 bars repeat. So altogether the chorus chord progression goes: 

C, G, (1 bar)

Dm, Am (1 bar)

C, G, (1 bar)

Dm (1 bar)

C, G, (1 bar)

Dm, Am (1 bar)

C, G, (1 bar)

Dm (1 bar)

Over this progression, the vocals sing. 

“Dream of Californication

Dream of Californication

Dream of Californication

Dream of Californication…”

Here I like to switch to more of a driving eighth-note rhythm and play all down strums like this:

Tip: Also in the chorus section I’ll often play bar chord shapes for more of a rock sound, instead of the open chord shapes used earlier in the song. (Same chord names just barred versions.)

Californication Solo

The solo section of this song takes a bit of a left turn. The song up until this point is in the key of Am/Cmajor. But in the bridge, the progression suddenly changes to the key of A major. It starts off with a 6-bar chord progression that is repeated twice. That goes like this:

F#m (1 bar)

Dmaj7 (1 bar)

F#m (1 bar)

Dmaj7 (1 bar)

Bm, D (1 bar)

A, E (1 bar) 

As mentioned, that’s played twice then it finished with the last 2 bars repeated 3 times.

Bm, D (1 bar)

A, E (1 bar)

Bm, D (1 bar)

A, E (1 bar)

Bm, D (1 bar)

A, E (1 bar)

For the strumming for this section, I would still use an eighth-note rhythm (just like the chorus). But I would play it will a little less intensity. The bridge gets a bit more mellow and then it ties right back into the opening riff and takes the song out from there.

Conclusion:

"Californication" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is a timeless rock anthem that proves the band's musical talent and lyrical depth. Written by Anthony Kiedis, Flea, John Frusciante, and Chad Smith, the song dives into the darker side of Hollywood and the influence of media on society. 

From the iconic guitar intro riff, courtesy of John Frusciante, to Flea's infectious bassline that adds a rhythmic groove, each instrument weaves together to create a dynamic and captivating sound. Remember to take it slow and work out one part at a time. Then when you feel comfortable try to play it along with the recording. Have fun! And for another great rock guitar lesson check out “Tush” next!