SONG-SMITH

Learn three classic riffs from the band that made Johnny Marr an indie guitar icon in the 80s

Johnny Marr is of course best known for his work with influential indie giants The Smiths, who released their entire four-album catalogue in an all-too-brief four years before the band split. They would enjoy great success, with 14 single releases topping the UK indie charts between 1983 and 1987.

Here, we’re looking at three of our favourite Smiths guitar riffs. Together, they exemplify Marr’s rhythm style, with an emphasis on partial chords and arpeggios – perhaps the most important part of his early sound. Make sure to take a look at our video lessons where we’ve broken the riffs down for you note by note. Note that we’ve advised you to use a capo for convenience. For some tracks however, Marr himself had guitars set up in a higher tuning, two semitones up, to give: F# B E

A C# F#. Make sure to use lighter gauge strings if you take this approach.

1 THIS CHARMING MAN

Appears at: 0:00-0:13 Tempo: 208 bpm Key/scale: G major Capo: 2nd fret

Surely one of the most iconic guitar lines Marr recorded with The Smiths, This Charmingman’s opening riff is built around three phrases. The opening section is based on two-string diads on the second and third strings. Keep your second finger planted on the third string while alternating between your third and first fingers on the second string. The second section builds melodies around an E minor triad at the 7th, 8th and 9th frets of the first, second and third strings. The phrasing gets a little tricky as Johnny repeats the odd note and drops in the open E string midsequence. Take your time to get the exact order of notes, as you’ll need this phrase to resolve before moving into the sliding diads that follow. The closing sequence returns to the two-string diads from the opening section. Marr uses open string notes to add interest and depth to his phrases, so take note of where they are dotted throughout this riff, as they bring further charm to the melody.

2 HEAVEN KNOWS I’M MISERABLE NOW

Appears at: 0:00-0:18 Tempo: 114 bpm Key/scale: E major Capo: 2nd fret

Another legendary Smiths guitar line, here Johnny opens with jazzy-sounding major and minor 7th chords before moving to a triad played against open strings. Start by getting familiar with the Emaj7 chord (it’s the first chord you’ll see in the video). The Cmaj7 is the same shape, just played four frets lower. Look ahead to the fretboard jump, so you can land the chord change smoothly and accurately. The second section of the riff features an A triad shape played at the 7th, 6th and 5th frets of the fourth, third and second strings, plus open fifth and first strings. As he strums the pattern Johnny alternates between the open string and the fretted note on the second string before repeating the idea two frets higher. It’s a neat idea that takes the triads into extended harmony – and it’s something you can experiment with, too.

3 BIGMOUTH STRIKES AGAIN

Appears at: 0:50-1:19 Tempo: 134 bpm Key/scale: C# minor Capo: 4th fret

This riff relies on C# and G# notes to sustain against a moving chord sequence. So, you’ll need to put a capo at the 4th fret to make these notes available to you. The riff is based around a sequence of Cm7, DM/C#, and C#m chords that loop three times. A variation is added to the final C#m chord of each cycle. On the fourth phrase, the rhythm stays the same, but the chords change to outline an A major, Bmaj6add11 and Bmaj6. This creates a strong turnaround and enables the entire riff to repeat four times. To keep your strumming patterns flowing, use alternate picking to land the down and upstrokes in the desired places. Also, you’ll need to accentuate the open fifth string before playing the first and third chord in the main sequence. This establishes a stronger sense of the C# root note and adds context to the chords within the progression.