THE FATHER OF ALL VIDEO LESSONS
Five easy riffs from Green Day's latest. Learn with TG'S slowed down videos!
01 FIRE, RE ADY, AIM
Section Full band intro + verse Appears at 0:06-0:31 Original tempo 156 bpm Key C# minor
No surprises here – it’s punky downpicked powerchords all the way and one easy shape is all you need. But if you’re thinking there must be more to it than that, well, yes, admittedly you’re right! Like a lot of punk guitar, the real challenge here is the speed. Getting those powerchord changes sounding smooth and tight might just take a bit of time. Time-honoured advice is to practise slowly, but this is punk rock, so why not just blast it out quick instead?
03 STAB YOU IN THE HEART
Section Main riff
Appears at 0:15-0:31
Original tempo 150 bpm
Key E dominant blues progression
Green Day often tread a line between Chuck Berry-inspired rock ’n’ roll and straight ahead punk rock attitude. This riff is definitely on the more traditional side, outlining a blues progression that’s as old as the hills – the good old I-IV-V (said ‘one-fourfive’). The initial part of the riff has the most notes, but the sparse ending has its own challenge, as all that sonic space makes it easy to lose your timing. Listen to the count on our slow play through to develop your feel.
04 SUGAR YOUTH
Section Intro Appears at 0:00-0:10 Original tempo 178 bpm Key F# minor / F# Dorian
You’ll be blasting this raucous rocker out at a breakneck 178 bpm, so you may need to practise slowly. The four main powerchords are easy peasy but take care as you reach the end of the riff – like Meetmeon Theroof, there’s a rest to throw out your timing. You’ll be downpicking throughout so try ‘ghosting’ a downstroke on the rest – simply pick but don’t hit the strings.
The constant motion will help you maintain your timing.
02 MEET ME ON THE ROOF
Section Intro/verse
Appears at 0:00-0:10
Original tempo 172 bpm (swung 8ths) Key C# minor
These four barre chords will take you right the way through the intro and verse. You’ll be strumming rather than downpicking, but don’t be fooled – they’re all played with Billie’s typical tight delivery. After the first downstroke on each chord, there’s a short pause (aka rest). “What’s so hard about a pause?” you say. Well, it’s not just a matter of stopping playing! This briefest of rests is a kind of musical punctuation mark and you’ll need to bring the next chord in bang on time.
05 TAKE THE MONEY AND CRAWL
Section Main riff Appears at 0:19-0:29 Original tempo 148 bpm Key F# minor
One of the easiest riffs on Fatherofall Motherf*ckers, here you can play each two-note powerchord using just one finger – and it should be fairly easy to work out which digits to use. The space between the 2nd and 4th frets means you’ll probably find it most practical to use your first and third fingers. From there, your next task is to get a feel for the rhythm and, once again, the all-important rests. Use downpicking for a punchy, punky feel.