5 Killer Riffs - Winger

[@sadwingsraging3044]

Im always Hungry for Hair Metal, I just Can't Get Enuff of the stuff I listened to when I was Seventeen! You do realize that when this video is over we are Headed for a Heartbreak Leon so any time you think it is Time to Surrender we will be Hanging On for you to get us out of our State of Emergency for lack of more Hair Metal! Lillian Axe is who Ragdoll reminds me of and you can do a few of their riffs.

[@kevliao]

The most underrated 80s band. And yes, Pull is pretty close to being a perfect album. My favorite from them.

[@an_38kitkashyap]

Reb Bech is such an underrated guitar player. One of the few player who in those days, didn't just stay that Van Halen style tapping. "Cuts it Loose" by Reb Bech is a really nice instrumental. Edit: this auto correct thing just changed Reb to Rabies.

[@LeonTodd]

Totally has his own unique style.

[@spry_guy]

Back in the day I was a huge George Lynch fan. At some point George was out of Dokken and Reb took over. I went to a Dokken show thinking it sucks that Lynch isn't playing. I left that show with a new guitar hero. Beach is THAT good.

[@timpagliaro8623]

I remember watching the cutting it loose video and I think at the beginning before he starts playing someone says something like “the song is in E flat if you want to play along” and then he started playing and I was like how the fuck do you play along to this 🤣

[@eskemeldgaardkrogh4145]

THANK YOU!!! Winger is massively overlooked and under rated. My favourite Winger album is "Pull", but "Headed for a Heartbreak" is probably my favourite track of theirs.

[@SPQRTempus]

Reb Beach's outro solo in Headed for a Heartbreak is epic. I don't know for sure but it sounds like he improvised it.

[@jeffs4760]

Thank you for this. As a longtime Winger fan it is amazing hearing somebody else play the riffs! People can actually see how great of a band they are. Pull was an awesome record. You cant exclude Kip's bass, such a great break @ 3:48. I'm going to have to checkout Ragdoll!!

[@LeonTodd]

Glad you enjoyed it! Check out the isolated guitar for 17 that are on YT, Reb is a crazy tight rhythm player

[@keithraaum9559]

I'd love to see a "5 Killer Riffs" from Skid Row!

[@LeonTodd]

Only hard thing is narrowing it down to 5

[@catalystcollide3473]

The riff to Seventeen is deceptively difficult. I remember learning to play it and it wrecked my finger tips. Such a great riff. I always thought Reb Beach and Vito Bratta were criminally underrated - both technically and from a song writing perspective.

[@rikshredder]

THAT ALBUM Pull is simply AMAZING! And so underrated! Thanks for this Leon. Bro such great riffs from a great band.

[@LeonTodd]

Yeah it's a ripper hey.

[@MrNobody-fk7fc]

Lol, yes, as a thrash metal maniac in the 80s i could NEVER admit that i thought Winger was truly talented, well, the guitarist anyway, lol...phenomenal!!! Even to this day! I can now openly admit their top-notch skill!

[@5150JAM]

also my favorite album to jam with on my guitar

[@jorgeleonel6663]

Loved that you featured Rainbow in the Rose, unforgettable hard rock tune from the 80s. Winger's first two albums were mind blowing. Hangin On from the first lp and Can't Get Enuff from the second are also classic Winger sound songs. Way to go Leon!

[@300jet]

“Hair Metal Toto”!!! That’s literally the perfect way to summarize their style...🤘

[@NizNaj10]

Yeah... Totally agree...

[@taylorvolleberg]

the first album is one of my most favorites they ever made. with that being said, Time to Surrender was such a killer song through and through. The harmony between Kips voice and Rebs guitar at the end of the song is masterful.

[@GurtejSinghGuitar]

Ah 17! Also happens to be my favorite/lucky number. So many memories in these riffs! Great job bro!

[@drummer7557]

Time To Surrender, whoa...never seen anyone cover that song flawlessly. Especially all of the overdubs

[@eaglechildkeys]

Great job Leon! Big Winger's fan here too ;-))

[@LeonTodd]

Thanks! Great band

[@pumpkinking5679]

That was awesome thanks for this. Winger were criminally underrated all killer musicians in their own right with great complexity and catchy hooks in their songwriting . A cut above so many of the other bands in the "hair metal " genre . I'll be checking out your band rag doll if your a cross between winger and kings x should be good.😀🤘🏼

[@producermind9030]

OMG!! Reb was such an awesome guitarist. His guitar video wasn’t too bad at all for back in the day. U definitely took me down memory lane man..!

[@tonictonetomrockstar1931]

Winger is so underrated, one of my top ten of all time! definitely a hard rock toto.

[@NaRhala]

dude!! these killer riff videos are tha bomb. if it wasnt for you I probably would have forever overlooked the absolutely ripping "you're gonna break my heart again" riff. btw "time to surrender" riff by Winger is a really banging one too (David Brewster has a video on that one) LOVE this stuff! cheers

[@makkstudio6275]

GREAT !!!!!!!!!!!! love these riffs !!!!!! happy to see you play it !!!!!!

[@jeffmruth]

Awesome Leon! You picked all of my favorite tracks from Winger

[@nicholastotoro7721]

Reminds me how much more I liked “In The Heart of the Young” and “Pull” when they came out, compared to the first album. I mean, I *really* liked “In The Heart of the Young” and it had more Prog and R&B elements than people gave it credit for. I think was 17 when it came out... ? Kip Winger’s biggest sin was being good looking LOL! Even among all the guys back then with their makeup, ink and fake hair, girls seemed to go gaga over him and I think that made a lot of guys jealous. Saw them live with Cinderella and The Bullet Boys and Winger live was like men among boys. All four of those guys are ridiculously accomplished even before they were together. A “Hair Metal Toto” is a perfect description!

[@LeonTodd]

He still looks great for his age too!

[@nicholastotoro7721]

Leon Todd Right. I keep getting older and he doesn’t... 🤣

[@srdjanbosnjak7413]

As for that subject,Nuno Betencourt is definetely champion in that regard-he looks more or less identical to when he was 25.What he's been drinkin' is beyond me.

[@leslawrenson9305]

I've just learned to play the riff to Time To Surrender" which is so cool.

[@billybobhouse9559]

I'm in my late thirties and I've never heard of winger!? Loved that second riff, will have to go and check them out. Good video mate.

[@pumpkinking5679]

Billy Bobhouse You're in for a treat. They've never done a duff album in my view. Pull would be a great album to start with but hey all of their albums have a great mixture of killer riffs,hooks,melodies some heavy stuff and the heart felt emotional ballads.

[@billybobhouse9559]

@@pumpkinking5679 thanks man, always on the look out for good music 👍

[@pumpkinking5679]

Billy Bobhouse No probs I think most people are .Theres nothing more satisfying than discovering some band or artist that somehow passed you by.

[@joseg7826]

Dude you just make everything sound so cool !!! Congrats to you Sir !

[@JimmyJinxBlau]

"Better Days Comin" is a great new album.Glad I got to see'em live 10 yrs ago in CA.Good job Leon,I'll have to buy your music!!

[@greekfreak1980]

Winger got a lot of ricidule from the Beavis & Butthead thing and the whole beef with Soldoutallica eh... I mean Metallica,but these guys are massively talented musicians. Reb Beach is a monster guitarist just watch a video from the early 90´s where he´s doing some cool Jazz/Fusion on an Ibanez 7string that he got from Steve Vai as a gift! John Roth (the second guitar player) is a veteran session musician who can hold his own against Reb. The drummer,Rod Morgenstein, is a professor at Berklee College of Music!! And Kip Winger himself,who was made fun of,as a "hair-metal pretty boy" ,is a "proper" musician. He used to be the touring bassplayer for Alice Cooper,in the early 80´s and after the whole "hair-metal" thing passed in the 90´s,he went to college to study classical music. He has an actual degree in classical music and even composed a symphony. Not some rock meets classic stuff,I´m talking a proper classical piece,that he recorded with an orchestra. Dude even got a Grammy nomination for it. Btw. "Junkyard Dog" has an insane riff in the breakdown of the song,before the solo kicks in. That riff is sooo good,other bands would have used it for the main riff.

[@LeonTodd]

Kip sang a song he's writing for a musical during the last show we played with him. Properly good stuff!

[@ctfair]

I’m glad to see there are other people in this world that appreciate Winger’s music as much as I do. I had the opportunity to see them once on Panama City Beach, FL, at a nice small outdoor venue and just after the release of “Pull.” I was already very familiar with the album and they played every song almost exactly true to the original recording. I think the first 3 albums are their best. Kip is such a talented songwriter and artist, and Reb Beach no doubt one of the top 10 guitarists in rock n’roll music. I don’t categorize them with rest of the 80’s hair bands. These guys are real musicians and on another level. 👍👏👏👏

[@LeonTodd]

That's so awesome!

[@ronnieparfait]

Agreed about Winger getting the shaft, IMO Kip Winger is a great singer with tone and range that outshine a lot of hair metal singers, even to this day he still sounds great.

[@michelelepore1889]

Great job man!!! Your playing is amazing!!! I really love all Winger songs... 🤟🏻

[@MarkPritchardGuitar]

Killer as ever Leon! You do the hair metal stuff to perfection.

[@TheHereticlostchild]

Brilliant man !! And Rainbow in the rose is my favorite Winger song .!!!🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@Cers10]

Yes..WINGER in 2023..still top of the game...thank you for putting this on the table...you nailed it totally ...and you let it look so easy...cheers from Germany

[@stricknine8623]

"If that sounds simplistic" It never sounded the least bit simplistic to me. As a budding guitarist back then, I knew immediately, that Reb Beach was a next-level player.

[@spetersonmusic]

Killer stuff, I love it. I liked Winger when it was current, you could feel the times were changing but it was so well done.

[@Dee-KV3]

I think Time to surrender is along their best too. Great playin as always man

[@binface9]

Battlestations from the Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey OST!

[@wadefinch2664]

One of my warm ups is Heading for a Heartbreak. I also use it for delay and tone setup as well as string intonation and neck action. I am with you, Winger was the greatest! Also the crazy temponess (is that a word) of "Can't Get Enuff". Right at 1:42 it' messes with your brain. The syncopation of the vocals and the drums.

[@claudedisnard862]

Great video Leon, it's been a long time since i had listen to winger, man, they are great and killers,riffs , down incognito, great song, blind revolution mad, seventeen of course, good choice Leon.

[@cameronjohnson2069]

I CANT BELIEVE I’ve only just seen this video. 🤯 This is so Rad! Once again Leon, great vid! 🤘🤘 Winger are a huge influence on me. So much so, that I remember writing a riff (maybe 20 years ago) that is now the theme song to my videos over at Cameron Jonson Audio, that was heavily influenced by them. Lol

[@babigila]

Thanks Todd this is frickin awesome!!

[@JandNandJ]

Perfect video as always! Great choice with Junkyard Dog! I've always loved that riff. Other Winger favorites include Hungry and Madaline. I'd like to see Tyketto, Extreme, or Firehouse.

[@jacobmoline]

Hell yeah. Commenting before I even. Watch! Seventeen is one of my favorite riffs of all time!!

[@masque1313]

Winger is one of my all time favorite bands. The Pull album is one of the most underrated albums in rock history.

[@juegoperfecto]

IV was a great comeback for Winger, very refreshing but still with their essence... Short Flight to Mexico and Your Great Escape are also killer songs with killer riffs...

[@pumpkinking5679]

Rodrigo Gonzalez Yes short flight to Mexico is killer. Great story to the song and dirty riff. I also adore the song living just to die.🤘🏼

[@drockny]

Awesome playing as always Leon. Huge Winger and Reb fan. I was blown away as a kid when I first saw that video to Madalaine and I was hooked. I've never seen anyone replicate Reb's sound when he does what I refer to as "liquid tapping". Was hoping to see you play the intro to Baptized by Fire. I can already see you gearing up to do a Ratt and DeMartini top 5 video!

[@SteveMachen]

Hands down the most talent of that era.

[@ChipRobertsOfficial]

Yeah, and for the life of me, I can't find that old Reb home video. It was really fun to see a pro having to relearn his own solos/parts.

[@TavaresProject]

Majestic!!!!! Fav album is karma and pull. So many great song... I just can't pick. Great video 👍

[@johnnylaw97]

Hanging On... one of my favorite Winger riffs

[@alastairwilson8245]

Hi Leon, been a subscriber for a while and downloaded your material, which is epic and I love it. I am also a big Winger fan and love the Pull album - "Junkyard Dog" being one of my favourites. Love to see you do "Madalaine" lol. Also recently got into 1V and can't stop playing "Can't take It Back" great atmospheric song with super solo from Reb. Wish I could play like you guys :-) Take care and keep posting.

[@Stafford-d8u]

Excellent man! I’ve always wanted to know how to articulate Cowboys from hell. There are a lot of intricate parts! Thanks in advance! Superb job in the intro!

[@ROKZLEON]

Now I see the Reb Beach influence in your playing. It's a good thing! Great job with this vid!!! 👦🏻

[@cshortlife9179]

5 Killer Crimson Glory Riff's would be great.

[@khalilhabib9607]

Such a great video. Forgot how good they are. I’ve been listening to them nonstop since this video. Please consider making a video of some of your favorite riffs from ragdoll. I’m serious, mate

[@LeonTodd]

Oooooh that sounds fun!

[@stevenf7474]

Rainbow in a rose is my fav winger track ... Great band!

[@honeybear8485]

I cannot believe you left out written in the wind that song is so tight and with the chorus lyrics is almost too perfect it's like a song you want to sing along with an air guitar or drums... And you could do it in the next 5 years and you'd still love it lol

[@canadianshadowrider]

Met Reb Beach and had a drink with him. It was after watching one of his clinics. I have video of the whole clinic. Part of it is on my you tube channel. What a great guy he was. The funny part of our talk was... Reb: "Are we going to talk music at all?" .... Me: "Umm sure if you want to" ... Reb: "One minute" and pulls out a Three Muskateers bar and puts it on the bar ... "Okay we're good now" ... I Look, laugh and he says "They sponser me" .... lmao.... just a cool guy

[@Sodacake]

This is the shit I'm here for. Stay safe Leon.

[@leedemkiw6085]

Reb Beach in my opinion is right up there with the very best in the world. He + Rowan Robertson from Dio were the reason I chose to start having lessons when I started out. I also remember an article in guitar world back in the late eighties where the Mag chose four key players from the eighties that would be be of great importance in the nineties. Reb was one of the four, the other three being Nuno Bettencourt, Alex Skolnick & Vernon Reid. I'm so glad he picked himself up after the grunge movement came and went. The guitar world wouldn't be the same without guys like him.

[@1lorenzoercoli]

Very underrated band. If you just stop at their look, you might think it's just another hair metal band, but ever member was extremely proficient at his instrument.

[@shumailkhan7205]

TIME TO SURRENDER

[@KirkyDrums]

Hair metal Toto. I had a laugh bro lol. Blind revolution mad is so kickass. Great vid mate ..100 thumbs up

[@billysia9106]

Queensryche please, Leon! Cheers.

[@Ewald_93]

Sounds killer dude!!!! Btw which drum plugin did you use??

[@1truechamp46]

Rainbow in the Rose is up there with Still of the Night as far as epic 80's tunes go

[@LeonTodd]

yeah I agree, right up there for me

[@rockinchippy]

You have great taste! I would opt for some Winger IV and Karma riffs as well 🤘🏻

[@cc_1983]

Great escape from winger 4 is fantastic

[@sergiomcEvil]

thanks for sharing my winger riff is hungry the whole song is awesome

[@dvaoa2910]

Dude…I love your demos…but so really love your playing 🫵🤘

[@LeonTodd]

I appreciate that :)

[@fajarsidiq]

Pull is my favorite album from Winger 🤘☺️

[@michaelmichalski6923]

My favorite song is Like A Ritual from PULL; listen from 1:50 minutes! I saw Winger live in June 1991 - what a voice!

[@LeonTodd]

He's still got it today too!

[@rickreynolds7255]

Pretty killer tone there brother - what rig are you running?

[@courtney2018]

Reb Beach is one of my major influences. The acoustic intro to Madeline is awesome. Winger's first album is by far my favorite, but I do really like the 2nd one two. One song you didnt mention was the one he did for his video instructional. I feel like not many people know that he doesnt use his pinky finger and developed a way to tap and ring the next string with his tapping hand. I tried practicing it back in the day and got ok with it, but never perfected the style. Can you tackle that as well?

[@LeonTodd]

I was thinking about it but that's a whole other can of worms. Great idea for a standalone lesson!

[@alphajames33]

How about 5 riffs from Ratt, Def Leppard, and Quiet Riot??? New to the channel. Love the content!!!!

[@FirestormAudio]

Great video! Winger is one of my top 5 favorite bands. What were you playing through for the Junkyard Dog and Blind Revolution Mad segments? It totally captured the tone and vibe of the Pull album.

[@LeonTodd]

I used the fractal FM3 for all of this,using the Mesa Mark IV model. I think Reb used a Rectifier on pull IIRC.

[@FirestormAudio]

@@LeonTodd Thanks for the info! That model sounds killer. I had no idea Reb ever played a Rectifier. I know he has two 50 watt Marshalls from the 70s and I thought he had played those all the way until he switched to the PT 100.

[@ptitdal]

One of the most under rated band ever ...

[@zapprodd9382]

your good musician bro you know quality music

[@redskullz1249]

I wonder if Winger would have survived the '90s if they had leaned into their proggy sides a la Dream Theater rather than trying to court mainstream audiences. Also, I look forward to the "5 Killer Riffs - Extreme" episode!

[@SteveMachen]

MY fav. winger riff hangin on

[@rocktopher101]

Down Incognito! My favorite

[@guitarfreek01]

Pull me under is my favorite Winger tune 🔥🤘🖤

[@blikketty77]

Reb is still such a good player. That 1st Black Swan album is good all the way through. I dig the verse riff to "Down Incognito".

[@adriancummings3625]

Leon this was really cool totally

[@AMSOfficial79]

Winger is in my top 5 bands all-time - alongside Dokken, Styx, Steely Dan and King's X.

[@LeonTodd]

Great list. King's X are right up there for me

[@scottemmonsmusic6001]

Headed For A Heartbreak had some great Reb solo work in it too.

[@michaeltaylors2456]

They showed up somewhat unannounced to Guam, and played at the university of Guam . Apparently, most of their gear was lost by continental air Micronesia . They cobbled together gear amps and drums from local stores , and were freaking amazing , tight,,, They played 17 twice . Lol . I didn’t care what anybody said after that .

[@honeybear8485]

And thank you so much this guy is awesome he's the type of guy a kid would be dreaming about and knocking on his door 24 hours a day to teach him how to play guitar ..✌️👍👍👍👍👍👍👍❤️

[@constantinranis]

I became a winger fan after listening the riff from time to surrender.. Epic!

[@butter5144]

🤘

[@rikshredder]

You've gotta definitely cover some King's X! That Dogman riff is pummeling and sick!

[@akasgsvirgil9503]

Reb Beach is without a doubt one of the most underrated guitar players in rock. Period. He's got the all the tools.....metal, rock, blues, jazz, progressive, EVH-style finger tapping, the two note chord magic made awesome by George Lynch and Ty Tabor. The man is a beast. Put him in band with other heavy weight musicians like Kip Winger and Rod Morgenstein and something akin to pure magic will be the result. Its too bad Winger came out when they did and were labeled a "glam band". They're anything but a glam band. They're real music is "progressive, jazz fused blues funk with cajun spice, creole seasoning laid over slow roasted BBQ on a bed of ghost peppers."

[@RichardGrounds]

Very Nice. I agree with your choices here. I can't find the YT video with Reb and Rainbow in the Rose riffs that you reference in the video. Do you have a link?

[@DaronMacke]

Good stuff as always Leon. Totally agree that they are fantastic players who kinda got the shaft for their timing with grunge coming in. Also, if you would send me that red PRS you’re using, on the house of course, I’ll be your best friend. 😅

[@NizNaj10]

I love Pull Me Under & Battlestattion riff!!!

[@leftofzeroofficial]

Rainbow in the Rose is my JAM.

[@Dragonette666]

Saw them open for the Scorpions in the early 90s , they were bad ass and blew the Scorpions away

[@wakjob961]

If anyone hasn't seen the 'Winger Live 2008' DVD...they are missing out. Gave me a whole new appreciation for those cats.

[@LeonTodd]

Yeah that one is pure class

[@MattMcEwen]

Reb is a killer player and you do him justice! How about a Queensryche riffs episode?

[@LeonTodd]

Thankyou! Queensryche is coming soon :)

[@lanceross3633]

Winger received undue criticism in my opinion. Amazing players,loved Rebs rhythm playing as much as his solos. My favorite album by them is Pull also. Great job Leon. Got to stand just to side of stage with his tech, a few feet from Reb when they did a show for the Pull tour. Kinda like a free guitar lesson😁🎸🎵