How to Play Great Balls of Fire on Guitar Like a Pro

If you're looking to add some classic rock and roll to your repertoire, then look no further than this "Great Balls of Fire" guitar lesson. This iconic song by Jerry Lee Lewis is known for its fast-paced piano riff, but it can also be played on the guitar, and it’s a lot of fun. In this lesson, we'll break down the chords, signature bass lines, and rhythm patterns, step-by-step so you can start playing this song today! 

What did Jerry Lee Lewis mean by Great Balls of Fire?

Before we can jump into the guitar lesson let’s answer the one question that I’m sure you’re all wondering, “What did Jerry Lee Lewis mean by Great Balls of Fire?” The song is essentially about the earthquake feeling that love can put a person in. Lewis captured the energy of those emotions and channeled it into this hit song. 

“Great Balls Of Fire” was recorded in Memphis, Tennessee at Sun Studio on October 8, 1957.

The track features Lewis on piano and vocals, Larry Linn on drums, and Sidney Stokes on bass.

Great Balls Of Fire Chords

To play “Great Balls Of Fire” you’ll only need to know 3 chords C, F, and G. 

For C you can play this:

F you can play this:

And finally, for G you can play this: 

“Great Balls Of Fire” is in the key of C and uses the I, IV, and V chords of that key.

C = I chord

F = IV chord

G = V chord

There are two different 8-bar chord progressions to know for the song. The first one is the Verse that follows this progression:

C (2 bars)

F (2 bars)

G (1 bar)

F (1 bar)

C (2 bar)

This progression is very similar to a 12-bar blues but it is compressed down to an 8-bar blues. Essentially you have the I chord presented, then you move on to the IV. Then finally you take it all home with the turnaround. The turnaround is the progression of the last 4 bars. So, here we’re going from the G, to the F and then back home to C. 

The second section is the Bridge, and that progression goes like this:

F (2 bars)

C (2 bars)

F (2 bars)

G (6 bars) 

Add in the signature bass lines

Now that you have the basic chords down, it's time to add in the signature bass line that Lewis plays in his left hand on the piano at the top of the song. This walkup bass line makes "Great Balls of Fire" so recognizable. We’ll play this over the first Verse progression at the top of the song and it consists of just 4 little patterns.

Pattern 1: Walking up to the C chord

Here we’ll start on the 3rd fret of the 6th string and walk up the notes G, A, B, and then land on C, hit that, and then rest. These are the notes of the C major scale walking up from the 5th degree to the root. 

Pattern 2: Walking up to the F chord

Pattern 2 follows the same thing as Pattern 1 but it is shifted to starting on the 5th string instead of the 6th. Here we’ll play the notes C, D, E, and then land on F, hit that, and then rest. These are again the notes of the C major scale this time walking up from the root to the 4th degree.

Pattern 3: Walking up to the G chord

In Pattern 3 we’ll shift down to the 6th string, 1st fret, and play the notes F, F, F#, G. This walks us in chromatically from the 4th degree of the scale up to the 5th.   

Pattern 4: Walking down to the F chord 

Pattern 4 does the exact opposite of Pattern 3 and walks down chromatically from the G to the F.

Master Blues Rhythm Patterns

After you’ve kicked off the song with that signature bassline, and you are feeling comfortable strumming the basic progression, next try adding in a blues rhythm pattern. Keep in mind this gets a little stretchy down on the lower frets of the guitar, but it’s a great pattern to practice.

The basic idea is that instead of just playing the chords we are going to drop in a rhythm pattern in place of each chord: 

For C we’ll play this:

For F play this:

And for G play this:

Here is another variation you could play on the G rhythm that would sound great over the last 6 bars of the bridge chord progression.

Put it all together and rock out!

Once you've mastered the basic progression, the signature bass line riff, and your blues rhythm patterns, it's time to put it all together and rock out! Start by playing the intro, which features the signature walkup bass line, and then move on to the verses and bridge using the rhythm patterns and following the progressions. Pay attention to the beat and timing of this song. It’s fast so try to keep your playing tight and precise. Don't be afraid to experiment and make the song your own. With practice, you'll be able to play "Great Balls of Fire" on guitar like a pro in no time! For more great blues progressions check out, “Call Me The Breeze” next!