How The Pros Play Punk Rock Guitar Faster Than You

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Voiceover Microphone:
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My Favourite Drum Plugin:
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Drums For Modern Pop Punk:
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#sugarpillproductions

[@SugarpillProd]

🎸Level up your guitar recording skills with my new course ⬇ sugarpillcovers.wordpress.com/scs-guitar-tracking-course/

[@Thirteen31Music]

My observation is that the “only using powerchords” approach is more from and 90s punk rock scene. Bands like Offspring, Green Day, Pennywise to name a few tend to do this a-lot but older bands from the 80s Misfits, Ramones Dead Kennedys, Bad Religion etc tend to use full bars by default. Its about what sound you want but if you’re chasing that classic punk rock sounds then full barchords with less gain in the amp/edge of break up sound is where its at. As you say this is a small detail a lot of people overlook and it makes a massive difference.

[@SugarpillProd]

100%. Even a lot of 90s bands throw in a lot of weird chords, along with the standard power chord progressions!

[@StickSlayersInc]

I've found some pretty old bad religion guitart tutorial videos here on KZbin from Brian Baker and Greg Hetson and they both talked about only ever using power chords and at that only ever fretting two strings! Maybe they were an anomaly im not sure but thats just what ive seen

[@SugarpillProd]

@@StickSlayersInc I think Bad Religion tend to, but other bands like Ramones, The Clash, Descendents, etc use a lot more barre chords in their playing.

[@StickSlayersInc]

@SugarpillCovers Yea definitely the Ramones and the clash Imo. I just remembered those videos I saw when I read this comment

[@SugarpillProd]

Maybe they were referring to their early material? There's definitely a ton of BR songs I can think of that use more than just power chords - Won't Somebody & Sorrow, just to name a few.

[@jeanm182]

You putting videos of Johnny made me realize how god like he was playing that low and that fast for 30 years without any back problems?😆

[@SugarpillProd]

Yeah I'd be surprised if it didn't result in back issue later down the line 🤣

[@silvaright]

Great way to switch from the E to the A without those annoying gaps, love it!

[@SugarpillProd]

Haha it definitely is!

[@J.Braxton]

This clicked when I first learned Black Math by the White Stripes

[@SugarpillProd]

Nice 👌

[@mikea3766]

Is that the ergs pray for rain near the end?

[@SugarpillProd]

I was just playing random chords at the end, so I'm sure that could be any number of punk songs, haha!

[@jlong390]

Is that you Mikey Erg?

[@e3uphoric51]

What is song at 0:34? And 0:40?

[@Black_berry894]

Bro from where did you get Johnny Ramone video??.

[@SugarpillProd]

I think it was from the "Live At The Roxy" show, though I could be wrong about that.

[@Black_berry894]

@@SugarpillProdThanks bro. But In which year?

[@SugarpillProd]

@@Black_berry894 '78 I think.

[@Black_berry894]

@@SugarpillProd Ok thanks bro ❤️❤️❤️.

[@Tommi_D]

Im not sure quite what you're trying to say when I watch you play? Essentially it seems you're just saying "dont move your 1st finger when you move from a chord on the E string to a power/barre chord on the A string, so youre just adding the inverted lower 5th to the power chord. Is that right? I mean I guess that could save microseconds as you only move your third finger but it doesnt seem a revelation? I watched the second example and other than playing the chords on the string below which naturally saves time (at the cost of not sounding as cool mind you 😉), I couldnt see what you were trying to show us? Let me know what ive missed. I enjoy your short vids on punk playing. Us guitarists can always discover new cool tricks! 🤟

[@SugarpillProd]

That's the idea. You get a cleaner sound as your finger is planted on the same string the whole time - so you won't get that clunky sound from switching chords quickly - and it also allows you to play faster, because the switch from chord to chord is much more seamless. Sure, it may be "microseconds", but it's small things like that that add up to better sounding recordings at the end of the day.

[@oscarbateria8653]

hmmm... i'd say the difference is slightly different, just barely but cool video :D thank you

[@SugarpillProd]

Thanks for watching!

[@therealkakitron]

I taught myself to play guitar as a teenager in the early 90s, playing along with my Green Day and Offspring cds in my garage with a cheap Yamaha electric guitar and a Peavey Bandit that sounded awesome, to me at least. 28 years later I'm now a professional musician, and I still play those songs every now and then using simple power chords just for fun.

[@SugarpillProd]

Nice man!

[@OneFlewCuckoo]

Love my old peavey bandit haha I plugged mine in the other day and it was fun lol love the washed out reverb on it. Sounds better than my mesas f50s reverb ngl lol

[@NewLifeWithGuitar]

This is so good! I only started learning guitar 7 weeks ago and I'm documenting my entire learning journey on here so this was super motivational!

[@SugarpillProd]

That's awesome! Best of luck with your guitar journey!

[@NewLifeWithGuitar]

@@SugarpillProd Thanks so much! And thanks a lot for the great videos you put out. They're appreciated!

[@SugarpillProd]

@@NewLifeWithGuitar Of course, no problem!

[@NewLifeWithGuitar]

@@SugarpillProd 🙏

[@twobarsfourstars]

Very cool!! Ergonomic playing seems like a very clear sign of a pro. Plus it feels good and clever!! Have been working on being conscious about how many strings I’m hitting while playing chords and this seems to also be useful for working on economy of strings/fitting in with second/third guitar. Always appreciate your videos, thanks again!!

[@SugarpillProd]

Of course, no problem! It definitely helps a lot, especially when you're tracking a lot of rhythms. Gotta keep those takes tight 💪

[@iluvdarkthrone]

Power chords for life

[@tylerhawkins9955]

Just play the barre chord. I don't understand why people think those are hard.

[@definitelyjustjj4042]

Lol this happens to also be the trick I used to play Barre chords easier. Not just that, but the extra note at the bottom makes the sound fuller and I love it :D

[@SugarpillProd]

Yeah I've always loved the sound inversions have, especially for power chords and barre chords!

[@johnmcdonough887]

Anyone know what song that is when Johnny is playing?

[@cleanfastfood]

Man, you’re the best!Thank you! Your videos are pure gold.

[@ASM881]

This video unlocked a whole world for me!!! Why didn’t you tell me this in 1997?

[@SugarpillProd]

Haha that's awesome to hear! And unfortunately I wasn't even alive back then 🤣

[@susragejr477]

What footage does the Ramones concert come from

[@jonathanwapner6262]

Sure. Inverted power chord, whatever. Did you ever consider amphetamines?

[@SugarpillProd]

No practical experience so far, but maybe something I'll cover when my life goes down the shitter 🤣

[@MaxPrehl]

Not gonna lie chief, I'm gonna need a video to explain this video.

[@SugarpillProd]

Simply put, you're just playing inversions of any chord that would start on the A string. So for example, a D major would be 55777X. Hope that makes sense!

[@MaxPrehl]

I'm still pretty new to guitar and i always just thought chords like that were just called a barred A shape. I didn't know those were called inversions. Thanks for the tips!

[@SugarpillProd]

@@MaxPrehl Sure thing! It is a barre chord, but in the case of the D major, it would also be an inversion, as you're playing the A overtop of the rest of the chord. So you're inverting the 5th lower than the actual root of the chord - which is what gives it that thicker sound.

[@HardlyRamone]

Nicely explained. This has got to be one of the most overlooked details of Johnny's playing. Almost a decade ago I uploaded a video of Johnny in slow motion, trying to prove that this was indeed how he played, just to prove it to the big Ramones guitar covers channels of that time.

[@SugarpillProd]

Thanks! It's definitely a neat little trick to know, once you've learnt it!

[@simonjenkin]

the other fun thing about adding an inverted 5th to power/barre chords is that it makes guitar sound beefier and heavier

[@adamfindlay7091]

Amphetamine?

[@Black_berry894]

How to do Johnny Ramone's downpicking?????.

[@SugarpillProd]

I did a video on that a few weeks ago - kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3iyaYqjab9lf5osi=gGzQNAX2YXnb8jNi

[@macblink]

Great punk tips 👍🏻

[@SugarpillProd]

Thanks!

[@kurtisbatchler]

What makes it an inversion, though? I am a beginner

[@SugarpillProd]

Because the root note is no longer the lowest note in the chord.

[@deniscandido4116]

bullshit. just use the metronome. play with the metronome, get used, then go to drums

[@MRizzolli]

Thanks!

[@SugarpillProd]

Sure thing ✌️

[@sword-and-shield]

Punk is more about the ATTITUDE in the riffs, than how they are played....biased old school drummer opinion.

[@FirstOfTheFall]

I think punk rock guitarists are talentless, imo.

[@SugarpillProd]

Then you haven't heard enough of them lol.

[@jlong390]

Look up RKL. Tell me that’s not talent

[@jimsmowingofficial]

Then you don’t know what talent is