Song Title: On/Off
Genre: Classic Rock
Tempo: 80bpm
Key: G Rock (chords based on root notes from the G minor pentatonic scale)
Techniques required: Root 6 power chords Lead guitar Slides and vibrato Palm muting
'On/Off' is a slow classic rock track in the style of AC/DC and Deep Purple. This song only uses root 6 power chords. Muting is indicated by this rest symbol (the squiggly line) and indicates 1 beat of silence. This song also includes palm muting (aka chugs) and an easy short lead solo in the middle 8, which is common place in most songs of the classic rock genre.
Jam Track interactive TAB
This course now includes interactive TAB which is synced to video. Jam along with Andy and see TAB and fretboard visualisations brought to life in real time!
Adjust the settings on the interactive TAB above to loop sections, slow down the tempo and add fretboard visualisations!
Walkthrough
Main Riff (Bars 1-8) The riff here is the same as we covered in the previous page. Remember to have one beat of silence between each pair of strums. The rhythm here is somewhat similar to I Love Rock And Roll by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Note the repeat marks, which show that this main riff is played twice in it’s entirety.
Palm Muting Section (Bars 9-12) This section uses the same chords as played in the main riff. However, each chord is picked 8 times per bar using a different palm muting tech- nique called palm dampening. It is also known as ‘chugs’, which is pretty accurate as to what this technique should sound like. In bar 12 there is a short riff that is fairly easy but can catch some people out. Before attempting this, play each note on string 6 slowly one at a time (fret 6, 0, 1 then 2) all with the first finger. Slide your first finger between frets 1 and 2 then again to 3 to play the 3rd fret power chord that begins bar 13.
Main riff variation (Bars 13-16) The main riff is played again but with each chord
Lead Solo/ Middle 8 (Bars 17-24) As this song is in the key of G, the solo begins with a G note on fret 5 of string 4. The notes then descend down notes that work well for this rock song in the key of G (G Mixolydian Mode to be precise). This solo is fairly slow and should be fine for most people, just follow the TAB and listen to the audio track to check.
Bar 21 uses a slide, shown by the / symbol. Play fret 3 (string 4) then slide to fret 5 while keeping the pressure the same. The note at fret 5 should ring out for the rest of the bar (overdrive on your amp helps the note sustain for this long!) G minor pentatonic scale would also work well over this sequence, if you wish to improvise over it at any point! The song concludes with the main riff variation played twice, and ends on a G power chord.
Getting the sound
Any electric guitar is fine for classic rock. On the guitar, just make sure all volume and tone controls are set to full (10) and set the pickup to the bridge pickup, which is brighter. Set the amp to the overdrive (aka dirty) channel, set the gain at about 9 o’clock and any tone controls on the amp (‘E.Q.’ or ‘Tone’) to slightly bright.
Recommended songs to learn after this with free video tutorials on my website include;
