Punk Rock Lead Guitar

[@hypno-techs2196]

I grew up playing rockabilly. When I joined a punk band I just jumped right in. Rockabilly and punk are basically the same thing.

[@kerryfromaj9032]

This is an important lesson for me, as well as reaffirming what music I like and why I like what I like. We have recent new members in our band here. They are older, very experienced and they do know how to play guitar at a very high level professionally. Now I am being told to use Barre Chords and my Power Chords are not “real” chords. WTF? I don’t have the experience or the ability to play Barre Chords proficiently. Another issue is I can’t play songs immediately by ear. These guys can and each time we get together we are playing maybe five new songs without completing any songs. Apparently playing with an original song or a track is “guitar karaoke” We don’t have a drummer and I need something to keep timing and follow. The long comment today is to say the guitar journey is not a straight line and sometimes you may have travel alone for a bit to meet new people to travel with. I came to this channel in the beginning for the Johnny Thunders lessons, it’s important to be honest with one’s self and follow your endeavours not others. After my coffee this morning I am going to practice some Nirvana on my acoustic guitar 👍🏻

[@ScottGuitar]

Thanks for the comment, Kerry. I think it's important to remember that there is no such thing as "not real" chords. Any combination of notes is a real chord. Someone might not like the way a chord sounds, but they are still real. Also, the only thing that matters is how the chord or playing sounds to you. If you are not happy with the way it sounds, figure out what bothers you and work to fix it. Many great guitarists play in non-traditional ways. The only thing that matters is that you do what makes you happy and play the way you want. Don't listen to people who tell you that you are wrong. Music/Art is about invoking emotion or feeling and you can do that in infinite ways, with no training or decades of training. Ramones, Sex Pistols, Nirvana, etc the list goes on.

[@iocat]

Was definitely not expecting the jump from johnny thunders to ben weasel!!

[@S1M0ND0e]

It’s a little bit too early to plug my guitar, but I’ll test the Chuck Berry bend with a octave fuzz. Thanks Scott for the Techniques Lesson

[@petset77]

Fair enough tutorial. Thanks. I opened the vid just because I've played punk (and other music) since the 70s. Still love the Pistols and other bands of the time, plus some of the later generations of punk. Take care.

[@MultiCampBoss]

Love the content man. Thanks.

[@ScottGuitar]

Thanks!

[@corwinbrown1610]

Really like the chuck berry bend lesson, wish I coulda saw that 25 years ago

[@Greenjagsurf]

Thanks for keeping it basic to understand, while trying to lay a framework to be ableto creatively improv.

[@Meansunburn]

Local OC punk here. Bro thank you for these videos. You make it so easy to understand and pick up. Great shot of the Observatory at the beginning too!

[@ScottGuitar]

No problem! Thanks for watching.

[@COL321]

Great video, thanks. I wish someone had shown me this stuff years ago!

[@slashtrio]

Cool video man. Long time player myself and have always loved punk but tend to play more blues and blues based rock. Learned all the pistols songs in middle school in my little punk band in the late 80s. Still love playing punk chord progressions.

[@ScottGuitar]

Thanks!

[@imasudonem]

very cool lesson! thanks!

[@MrMllx]

Awesome and easy tips

[@regandunn4850]

Thanks man love it

[@stthbldt3594]

This was really super!

[@seanconnolly4503]

Thanks dude!

[@Fretboardmastermind]

Awesome ideas 🤘

[@aaronunroe5267]

Very cool ideas

[@shawnburgwald114]

This is good stuff, thanks! The biggest challenge for me actually, is keeping that index finger still so it doesn’t accidentally bend or pull the strings while I bend the other. Been working on that forever, and still can’t seem to master it.

[@ScottGuitar]

Thanks! Yep. That can be tough. Try keeping your thumb in the middle of the back of the neck and really bridge your fingers over the frets. It's a feel that you have to practice a lot and build strength.

[@jMerkyJJ]

Chuck Berry Riff is an octave bend. You're bending up to the octave. Cam do same on 1st and 2nd string.. nice video. I love using these. It also had the benefit of setting off pretentious players.

[@ScottGuitar]

Thanks for the comment! I think the technical name is unison bend, but I like to call them "Chuck Berry" bends, especially when I am using the B & E string with a bend. Makes it easier to remember for most people ( including me :) ). and I absolutely love setting off pretentious people.

[@jMerkyJJ]

@ScottGuitar wait unison on 1st and second.. octave from third..that's right...(^-^)/

[@iancclark1]

​@@jMerkyJJ the bend is to the fifth of the scale, not the octave.

[@wvo2m]

​@@jMerkyJJ Nope, that's wrong. There are no octaves involved in these bends.

[@jMerkyJJ]

@wvo2m what the hell was I thinking. It's a c to a d?

[@regandunn4850]

Morehead is a close lead punk rock jam solo thing 😊

[@WareBare]

Nice one

[@aparrotdies]

You listen to the hiphop group Smut Pedlers? Nice I love them

[@ScottGuitar]

There's a punk band called Smut Peddlers too. That's what the deck is from.

[@ginoXcaron]

Matching the pentatonic position 1 with the chords. Can you do... Let's say Am pentatonic if you play a C major chord, Gm pentatonic if you play a A# major chord etc?

[@ScottGuitar]

Yep. You can do that. Although Am pentatonic is the same scale as the C major pentatonic scale, so it will sound like a major scale over the major chord in that position (not the more bluesy sounding minor pentatonic). For example, if you play Am pentatonic over a C major chord, you are also playing C Major Pentatonic over a C Major chord. Does that make sense?

[@ginoXcaron]

@@ScottGuitar yes, but I always thought that's what I was supposed to do lol but always find that it don't sound as good and was wondering why. So, can I play C minor pentatonic only over a song that is all in C major then?

[@ScottGuitar]

@@ginoXcaron There's no right or wrong way. Usually a Major scale will sound "better" over a major chord or major chord progression and vice versa with a minor scale. However, I have songs where I play the minor pentatonic, then switch to the major scale like halfway through the lead part. It just has a different feel. Experiment with both and see what you like.

[@Michel-r6m]

The DK shirt made me click on this 😎 We've got a bigger problem now...

[@rickhammel9541]

show some stuff from Die Kreuzen, that's like going from zero to 100 instantly

[@ScottGuitar]

I'll add to my list!

[@rickhammel9541]

@@ScottGuitar good luck, no one plays like Brian Egeness.

[@bandsbikesandboozereviews]

Bas Rutten sure plays a mean guitar! :)

[@rickhammel9541]

lol

[@S-Theo]

what band you were in Scott O'Brien ?

[@ScottGuitar]

A few, but Smut Peddlers is my main band.

[@luisfernandorojasvelasco4731]

Coooool video, great

[@d.v.o1208]

Something of US BOMBS?, Kerry Martinez was very creative, too

[@niitsukid]

Great sounds like new york dolls

[@Rock887-n4w]

That's string gauge do you recommend? Those look easy to bend

[@ScottGuitar]

I like 10's. Some people like 9's. A lot of it is building up strength in your fingers/hand through repetition with the bends.

[@slowswimmer9169]

we owe Chuck Berry so much

[@Splatterdisco]

Yeah a Skeletor picture

[@emanuelloliveira1317]

do you have a course for punk rock guitar, bro?

[@ScottGuitar]

Working on it! Subscribe for updates on it when it's done.

[@adamjg4]

Unison bending is the proper name.

[@slashtrio]

Unison bends and the chuck berry lick are a bit different but are quite similar. When i think of unison bends I think if using the two strings and bending them together until that are the same note, and then letting it go in and out of tune to create dissonance and tension. Chuck berry bends are extremely popular in 50s rock, rockabilly, punk, and blues. You can vary it a lot with picking and rhythm.

[@CCCoolati]

What sucks is have screwed up tendons in my hand that physically won’t let me do Chuck Berry bends… been playing for 25 years and I can’t or ever will be able to do those… It sucks. It’s kind of embarrassing.

[@ScottGuitar]

That can be tough. However, there are a lot of guitar players who don’t use that technique much or at all. Sometimes, having weaknesses like that forces us all to be more creative. Try to focus on what you can do well and don’t beat your self up over it!

[@1-eye-willy]

just play the root notes one or two octaves up, and incorporate bends, flourishes, and pentatonic scales.

[@tommyapocalypse6096]

Greg Ginn walked out of this lesson three minutes after you started it. lol

[@ericalger2288]

Ive been doing this for 31 years 😂

[@regandunn4850]

I do it too I get tuff skin on my finger tips and I slip b slide or a bit of skin grabs the dam string

[@BeesWaxMinder]

Wow and I thought punk songs tended to be short!🤭

[@jMerkyJJ]

So I've learned these aren't octave bends...😅

[@ClaytonBigsby1776]

Smut Peddlers!

[@bassman5948]

Hey Scott I don't think your vocal mic is working?

[@COL321]

The voice Mic is split onto the right channel (on my pc), maybe you're just listening to the clean guitar channel (left channel for me)?

[@S1M0ND0e]

The guitar sound nice, but when he talks I have to adjust the volume

[@Martin.Spiller]

Everything’s fine on my iPad. Thanks for the lesson BTW!

[@ScottGuitar]

I'll check it out. I usually run the vocals to one side and the guitar to the other. It sounds like the level was a little too low on the vocal side. Sorry about that.

[@bassman5948]

@@COL321 Yes this is it, I was using my audio interface's L output and when changed to the headphone output everything was fine! thanks

[@OsMart0073]

Rock simple riffs only. Punk is fast basic rock music.

[@StarshipTrooper2050]

Punk rock lead guitar….those four words just don’t seem right together….

[@oktootsie]

Clearly you have no idea...

[@SevenOf9-Seven]

You need to have two or more guitars to have a 'Lead' guitar. If you are sole guitarist in your band, you are just a guitarist. You dont need the ego stroke of putting 'Lead' before your role.