How To Play 'Blitzkrieg Bop' (RAMONES) On Guitar

[@gustavofring551]

I honestly think that this is the only video that shows the correct way of playing this song. All the other videos say to use power chords and alternate strumming. I'm glad this video is here to set people straight!

[@Harp_and_Guitar_Moving_Forward]

And they sound so sure of themselves

[@Gtown1777]

Johnny played the B at the 2nd and 4th frets, (A shaped barre chord). Plus think 1- 2&3&4& on the A chords. Hang the first hit and downstroke the counts.. otherwise, great tutorial.

[@connorfleming9716]

Studio 13 I actually found that out myself a couple of years after writing that comment on my old account. You're absolutely spot on. I love the depth and nuance of Johnny's playing.

[@woodyamsterdam]

Man, that is so good to hear and you're welcome! The Ramones brought rock & roll back to it's roots and accessible to many who otherwise never would have thought of starting a rock band, since during the seventies R&R had become something exclusively for the musical elite. Take care bro!

[@murphyoneilperforms7362]

1:24 - This song is written in the key of A 1:28 - The chords in the song HOW TO FORM THE A BARRE CHORD 1:39 - Put the index finger over the entire 5th fret 1:56 - Middle finger goes on the G string (4th string) of the 6th fret 2:03 - Ring finger goes on the A string (2nd string) of the 7th fret 2:09 - Pinky goes on the D string (3rd string) of the 7th fret HOW TO FORM THE D BARRE CHORD (Note: Your index finger should still be over the entire 5th fret) 2:30 - Place your ring finger over the 7th fret over the D, B, & G strings

[@woodyamsterdam]

@punksnotdead40 You're welcome and the guitar is an Eastwood JR-Elite. (Mosrite copy)

[@nicolasduckworth4738]

beautiful guitar man Johnny Ramone would be proud

[@woodyamsterdam]

Thank you!

[@julesthefool_3]

Izzy's Production Studio, It's a Mosrite

[@woodyamsterdam]

@titanix2 That's correct. If I play Ramones I usually only strum the top 4 or 5 strings of the chord because it's fits the sound better. There are exceptions though, and that is what I meant when I said that a barre chord gives you much more tonal options than a powerchord.

[@BaMBlazr]

This answers my question I believe. Thanks man you rock!

[@NeopolitianNPLTN]

Excellent punk style guitar playing! Thank you for getting the word out on Johnny playing barre chords. That Eastwood guitar and whatever amp you are playing sound killer!

[@woodyamsterdam]

@ZDALI14 The strap locks are incorporated in the strap itself, like adjustable clamps, so they fit on the standard strap connection points on your guitar. The brand is 'Planet Waves'.

[@woodyamsterdam]

Thanks for your comment and I'm glad that I could help you out!

[@smc64130]

Age 55, never touched a guitar in my life, bought an SG. My first teacher is Woody, first song is Blitzkrieg Bop. Nothin's gonna stop me now. We need more tutorials!

[@woodyamsterdam]

***** Hey Sheldon, that's great to hear! Rock 'n Roll keeps us young;) I have a tutorial of Teenage Lobotomy up. I'm planning to do more...

[@fabiopunk1661]

Same here. Started 5 yrs ago, I am 57 now, first song was this, second was I a, cramped by the Cramps. Luckily I learned how to play the Ramones right from Woody. Thanks and keep rockin

[@smc64130]

+Fabio Punk Nice picture of Sid. I'll never forget the day he died. I can still picture the room where I heard the news.

[@michaelbanks8835]

An SG is an inspired choice. I have a 61- RI fastest neck in the west !!

[@mickeyl01]

Sheldon McLaughlin it's been about a year....hope you're still at it and enjoying yourself!

[@woodyamsterdam]

@fatboySRK Thanks for your input. As said, I'm kinda new to doing tutorials, so it's nice to hear that my message came through.

[@conagher29]

Nice Job as usual !I go to nobody else but you for the Ramones.Now tutorials are a big bonus!Thanks

[@woodyamsterdam]

@Night94Wolf You're welcome. In a 6th string barre chord I usually hit the top 4 strings and in a 5th string barre the 5th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd string. (give or take...)

[@knuckledump666]

Thanks for the tutorial ...I've been a drummer in numerous Punk/Hardcore bands and have recently started teaching myself to play guitar and thanks to people like yourself posting these songs I'm picking it up real quick. Keep up the good work and strum on :)

[@woodyamsterdam]

Thanks for your comment and good luck with learning how to play the guitar!

[@woodyamsterdam]

@sleeler69 Thanks a lot! That was exactly the reason why I made this tutorial. I have played with some very skilled guitar players (way better than me) but no one could do a decent version of this song;)

[@audikim69]

Great tutorial - just started guitar lessons and this is the first song I chose to learn.

[@woodyamsterdam]

@ColonelBuckshot Thanks! But you don't want to see the outtakes hahaha! Quite a nerve wrecking experience. I wanted to do a barre chords tutorial for about a week now, but every time something comes in between. Hopefully next week.

[@woodyamsterdam]

3 or 4 strings (usually) on the E shape chords and 3 to 4 on A shape chords. Depends on the sound of the song. For some songs you can use all 6 strings on E shape barres.

[@HardlyRamone]

This is my favorite tutorial for this song. But if you watch Johnny play this song live, he doesn't use a B major chord at the 7th fret, he plays a B minor chord at the 2nd fret. If you listen closely to the studio recording, you can hear that it's a minor chord.

[@woodyamsterdam]

@ALIENDOOKIE I have considered that also but the problem is that it would only be interesting for those who have about the same setup or for those who are willing to spend a few hundred on additional equipment and software. I could make a short video though, just to show the basic principals.

[@woodyamsterdam]

It's an Eastwood JR-Elite that I bought used for 350 Euros, so it's not a signature although I did change the pickup for a Dimarzio FS-1, which is what Johnny used.

[@woodyamsterdam]

@CarlosThacker Hard to explain in a few words, but it's a combination of strumming technique, amp settings and of course the guitar. I reckon an important factor is to be able to change chords fast, without breaks. I'll show you in a next tutorial.

[@ramoniac1951]

proper lesson man , downstrokes and barred chords = real ramones props

[@woodyamsterdam]

Guitar: Eastwood JR-Elite, Amp: Orange Tiny Terror.

[@woodyamsterdam]

@MiddleAgeLobotomy You're welcome! The barre chords tutorial will come next week. I wanted to do it this week but the new Worktones collab came in between;)

[@woodyamsterdam]

@adamsmith13real Believe me it's in A;) And the theory always comes before the practice hehehe... Thanks for your comment!

[@woodyamsterdam]

@xYum1x Maybe the strings are too high above the neck because it shouldn't take a lot of force to fret the strings. You can work your way around by using the same shape for your middle, ring finger and pinky as for the 6th string barre, but then all fingers one string down. be careful only to strum the A, D and G string, otherwise you'll be playing a minor chord! But maybe your guitar only needs a good setup.

[@woodyamsterdam]

@ZDALI14 You can not avoid that in the beginning, but after a few weeks your fingers will get used to it and the pain will go away. If I haven't played for a couple of weeks (vacation) I have to go through the same process again.

[@claudiocruzat7667]

What a beautiful guitar. I would play soulful solos with that mosrite.

[@woodyamsterdam]

@IAWAskater Many people are taking the easy way and choose for power chords which are indeed stripped down barre chords. Mastering barre chords is somewhat more difficult but in the end they make a song easier to play -you're faster and more precise- and they sound better. At least for Ramones and other old school punk. Power chords are probably the better choice for hardcore and metal.

[@woodyamsterdam]

Yeah, some people are hard to convince but Johnny really played barre chords. At least he fretted all 6 strings and dependent on the song he decided how many to strum... It is clearly visible in every live video.

[@woodyamsterdam]

@LetsGoMetsGo33 Thanks a lot for your comment! Yeah, sometimes those "how-to" videos can be pretty annoying lol!

[@wolfchylde68]

Awesome job on the Ramones tutorials...I am a major fan and to find this was too cool for me...keep up the great work

[@ramoniac1951]

@woodyamsterdam yea man i had a marshall plexi 50 watt and that was way too much to handle , i cant imagine how loud their shows were with all those 100 watt heads johnny used ,, but i had the pleasure to meet arturo vega at warped tour like 5 years back , great times , but your videos are awesome and it seems like me and you are the only ones who play the songs correctly! cheers from minnesota mate!gabbagabba hey ,gabba gabba you!

[@sleeler69]

BRAVO!!!! WELL DONE!!! I'm so tired of seeing and hearing the majority of guitar players, playing these songs wrong. Ive never understood why people choose to take an already simple song and try to play them in what they believe to be a more simple style, while making the song sound like crap. GREAT JOB!

[@woodyamsterdam]

It's an Eastwood JR-Elite, which is a copy of Johnny Ramone's Mosrite Ventures II model.

[@woodyamsterdam]

@RafoRamone The Tiny Terror has only one tone knob;) (it's a VERY basic amp -3 knobs: volume-tone-gain- but it has a great overdrive sound)

[@LangStrife]

Oh god... video added 40 minutes ago... I started watching your Ramones covers 40 minutes ago... Sweet. btw Great videos and quality ;)

[@geomann09]

great tutorial, now I understand the difference between a barred chohd and a power chord :)

[@woodyamsterdam]

Teenage Lobotomy sounds like a good idea! I'll do it somewhere next week.

[@woodyamsterdam]

@MrFolloni No, formally spoken you should mute the E when you're playing a 5th string barre.

[@CityGov]

I came here to comment not on this, but on your cover of Sheena Is A Punk Rocker. You kick ass my friend. Makes me want to go out & buy another guitar & start playing again.

[@cockknockery]

awesome tutorial man, really useful, clear and easy to follow, definitely keep them up!

[@woodyamsterdam]

@superpoopoop Thanks for your positive comment, so I know that I'm on the right path. I can't make any promises on other tutorials, because the Ramones tutorials are already very time consuming, but I'll certainly keep it in mind.

[@bingskiddd]

Thanks Woody, great tutorial. I learned a new song today. now I can play 2................... lol I'm a beginner at 49 years old. thanks again Man, be safe and God Bless.........

[@woodyamsterdam]

+Nick Cos Thanks for your comment Nick and you're welcome:) Time for song# 3 right?

[@rowlandcrozier3747]

Great Video Woody. I'm pleased you had the balls to show how johnny actually played. I struggled with bar chords for a year & have just started to get them down pat on ramone songs. They sound much better than power chords. Baie dankie van suid afrika

[@woodyamsterdam]

@ZDALI14 If your thumb starts cramping, then you squeeze too hard. Possibly your strings are set too high or you just need to relax. If your guitar is setup well, it shouldn't require a lot of force to grab the barre chords. Try to lower your strings as close as possible to the neck without causing string buzz.

[@woodyamsterdam]

@jamesjonesrocket Thank you! I wish I had more time to do more tutorials...

[@Pewtooyou]

Always look forward to your videos man.... One of the bands I play in is a punk band as well... Keep up the good work man...

[@MetFansince]

You have a number of videos that show you playing Ramones songs, but noting like this where you go over how to play the song. It would be great if you could do lesson versions like this for "Rockaway Beach," "Teenage Lobotomy" and a few other songs. Please, please, please... You are the only person on KZbin who got this song right.

[@woodyamsterdam]

Thanks. Blitzkrieg Bop is an excellent song for how to learn to play punk rock.

[@BearistaBear]

I justed learning electric guitar (and concentrating on the Ramones since you need only learn a few chords per song) and find these videos invaluable. My fingers were really weak to start with, so I started with two finger power cords, now I'm doing three finger power chords, and the next and final step is to do barre chords. It's really hard to keep the pinky finger up in the air enough so that it doesn't mute the middle finger's string when doing a barre. I have an Epi Les Paul and maybe it's easier on the Gibson Les Paul since the string spacing is a little wider on the Gibson.

[@woodyamsterdam]

If you are into rock, learning guitar with the Ramones is a good starting point. IMHO mastering barre chords is a must for every guitar player because it gives you a solid basis for future development. More important than the neck profile is a low action (strings as close to the fret board as possible without fret buzz) so you don't need to press too hard to get a clear note. Happy to hear that my tutorial was helpful for you:)

[@woodyamsterdam]

It highly depends on the amp you use but on my Tiny Terror it's Volume 2 1/2, Tone 10, gain 9.

[@leedemarco3454]

Hi Woody, just curious if you will be doing any more tutorials like this one on how to play other Ramones songs, or how to play barre chords in general? Thanks!

[@geomann09]

great tutorial, now I understand the difference between a barred chord and a power chord :)

[@megatron-bn3tx]

This teached me how to play guitar and im a kid i like rock and punk rock!

[@woodyamsterdam]

Unfortunately there are no short cuts. It may sound like a cliche but the only way is practice and more practice. It becomes a little easier if you have your guitar setup with the lowest possible action, so you have to apply less pressure.

[@woodyamsterdam]

You're welcome and good luck with the band!

[@woodyamsterdam]

Usually I strum the top 4 strings while playing the A chord and string 5/4/3/2 for the D, but the emphasis is on the 5, 4 and 3. The index finger doesn't move. I have my Tiny Terror set on: volume 2.5/Tone 9/gain 8.5 Hope this helps.

[@woodyamsterdam]

When you just start that's not uncommon. It takes some practice to have all the strings sound clear. If it takes too much effort to get the desired results, maybe your guitar needs a setup to lower the action. I have done a tutorial on barre chords here: /watch?v=Y6X2yytsknk For a start you could aim at having at least the four top strings sounding clear and then practice for all six. Hope this helps!

[@BaMBlazr]

Wait a minute, are you the dude that has like the only cover of Big Bang by Bad Religion? Pls do a tutorial on that! You rock man I’m a big fan of the stuff you do

[@MrFolloni]

Great ! Where are the other tutorials ???

[@ColonelBuckshot]

This is great, really enjoyed it and definately needed to be done, especially by someone who knows what they're talking about (i've seen a few here on youtube, haha) btw, i've said this before, you speak english better than some english people.

[@adamsmith13real]

I wonder, isn't the song in B? By the way good job, although it was more than a Blitzkrieg Bop tutorial, cause you kinda forgot it until the fourth minute but it was ok. :) Keep doing videos, you're awesome.

[@woodyamsterdam]

@ramoniac1951 Exactly! And I can assure you that those shows were very loud indeed. It usually took me 2 days to get rid of the ringing ears...

[@GK95_]

I wish I had more lessons like this when I started playing guitar, you explain things really clearly (even though the song is really simple). You should make more :D

[@woodyamsterdam]

Thanks a lot! Yep, barre chords are the key to the Johnny Ramone sound. Oh, the amp is an Orange Tiny Terror.

[@woodyamsterdam]

@cristinacesaretti8 Thanks for your comment and happy playing:)

[@tommathepikey1502]

Hi Woody, been subscribed to you for a long time now and really enjoy all your videos. I bought a cheapish set up a while ago now and have watched this video so many times but just can't seem to be able to get to grips with bar chords. My head knows what to do but my fingers just don't follow and do as they please!! I'm a bass player and put it down to the fact my fingers are trained to play bass lines and naturally just go that way. Have you any tips that might help me or am I just doomed to even more thousands of hours trying and stuck playing power chords??....Cheers Tomma

[@jamesjonesrocket]

what an excellent lesson, I did wonder why it didn't sound right when I used power chords!

[@boboz1961]

Thanks man , I'm a 50 year old beginner and you made it simple BOB OZ, NY

[@woodyamsterdam]

Thanks for the compliment Bob! You're never too old to start playing Ramones;)

[@boboz1961]

Thanks for the reply. I love Johnny Ramones style 'cause it's stripped down to the bone rock n roll. i spend 1-2 hours a day ' til my fingers start to bleed !! Better deal than booze or dope!!

[@xXR0883Xx]

Great Tutorial!What tutorial can be better then the master himself :)

[@ZDALI14]

@woodyamsterdam when you do barre chord tutorial could also talk about stamina, and kind of training we should do, cause when I play barre chords, the flesh under the thumb starts cramping. Really painful

[@theeholygoalie]

I look forward to more of these tutorials.

[@nikMartyr]

Mart, it's a really good idea to make a tutorial for us.

[@daletag]

Wow, I've never noticed it before - but when you played the first three chords acoustically - it's "Peggy Sue" by Buddy Holly EXACTLY! Nice playing!

[@blueshirttail]

there are literally hundreds of songs you can play with what is called a 1-4-5 progression. it's called 145 because it is the first note, the fourth note, and the fifth note of the major scale. the foundation of all blues. the b chord is the second chord and is used for bridges and turn arounds in blues and rock. the dirty little secret of the ramones and punk rock in general is that is simply chuck berry and very early rock chords just played in bar chords and sped up very fast. if you play punk rock songs with open chords (on the first/second frets) and slow them down a lot, they are just rip offs of really early rock songs like buddy holly and elvis, etc. I'm not talking shit by any means, I worship punk rock and it changed my life, but you have to give recognition where it is due and what the punks did was simply take early rock riffs and not change them at all other than play them in bar chords sped up super fast. they were trying to take rock back to its roots because they hated all the long solos and super intricate playing of mid-to-late seventies rock at the time. they saved rock in a lot of ways and you can trace the lineage straight to nirvana and to the current day. i'm a non-believer but god bless the ramones!

[@woodyamsterdam]

Hear hear! Not to mention adding a healthy amount of overdrive and volume:) But your analysis is spot on.

[@yallevereatenbeans2723]

You're not listening to the right rock then

[@woodyamsterdam]

Thanks man! I'd say... Go for it!

[@leegourley209]

Thanks for you're help.looking forword for more ramones songs

[@Night94Wolf]

thank you very much ! i've been playing only power chords but with the bar chords it makes much more sense!but please, tell me how much strings you have to hit at the bar chords, cuz if i hit all 6 it sounds kinda messy...

[@SMMAB]

Nicely done. Thanks. Keep'em coming.

[@anumpreto]

Hey Woody. I'm a huge fan from Brazil and I've been seeing your TBTR and pop punk videos for a while. There is one thing in this video I will have to disagree. I'm pretty sure the 4th chord of the song is a Bm made in the 2nd fret, not a B in the 7th. If you listen very carrefully to the guitar on the record, you will listen the minor acting together with the B! Furthermore, you can check it in many live videos also, like Musikladen or Palace. Cheers!

[@woodyamsterdam]

8 Bit Punk Rock You are absolutely right! I have already admitted this mistake in a previous reply. (but too lazy to correct it because in practice it's hardly noticable lol!)

[@woodyamsterdam]

@MrFolloni Time is not on my side unfortunately... But I've done also a tutorial on barre chords.

[@matteomarazzi]

woww.. i'm sure that it will help a lot of people great idea man thank you

[@JIROXL]

aun recuerdo cuando te dije que hicieras tutoriales! haha ahora no los necesito pero es un gran aporte para todos aquellos que entran en el mundo de la musica :DD

[@Qwerty-yg5gj]

Pasa contexto

[@Alejandro-db2xj]

Hi there! Thanks for this tutorial ! Can you please upload one of how to play animal boy?

[@davidharos8867]

Dude where did you find that guitar your channel rocks btw!!!!

[@hirampriggott1689]

Pretty authentic setup.

[@woodyamsterdam]

I'll put it on the list. Tomorrow my Teenage Lobotomy tutorial will be online.

[@maxandwillie]

You did real well. Outstanding video. Thank you.

[@woodyamsterdam]

You're welcome and thanks for your kind words:)

[@Nemocaster]

Cool, you are making lessons, Thats pretty sweet ;)

[@hetyoutubekanaalv1762]

Thanks! Great explanation. Now practising the barre chords. Fingers bleeding and wrist aching though.... (that's normal right?)

[@woodyamsterdam]

@wolfchylde68 More to come...:)

[@LetsGoMetsGo33]

Good job dude, you would think anyone who has the balls to post a video saying "how to play Blitzkrieg Bop" would get the rudimentary knowledge correct (Barre chords, downstrokes). A little while ago I cae across a kid who posted a video with that title who proudly displayed his power chord ability, so I posted a coment politely telling him that was for metal, not Ramones. Then I came across a grown man (an "expert") who said to "use a lot of alternate picking"! I was a bit ruder to him, lol.

[@DLouisSF]

Very good. Ramones forever!!!

[@ColonelBuckshot]

@woodyamsterdam - Haha, yeah that's life, but i'll look forward to the barre chords one.

[@Robv93]

great lesson woody...i always thought Johnny just played normal power chords...UNTIL TODAY XD

[@paulferreira8342]

Excellent teacher! Thank you!

[@feifeiramone]

Hey, I was wondering how you set up your speaker. I also bought the marshall dsl5cr. But can't pick out your effect, is it still need what effect pedal? I'm trying to sound like johnny ramone as much as possible. I have a Japanese made copy of mosrite johnny ramone, and I have the same eastwood copy as you

[@woodyamsterdam]

I haven’t played for a long time but I do remember that this video was recorded through an Orange Tiny Terror. I also use a lot of post production EQ’ing to get the sound right. In general, the trick is not going too crazy on the distortion. No pedals were used.

[@mrdeersniper]

Thanks for the vid. Me and my band are working on a cover of it.

[@georgelikesrock]

any chance you could do kkk took my baby away? cant find it anywhere. great lesson by the way :)