Punk Rock Music II

Anyone can play punk, it's one of the easiest styles to play. But not everyone can make it sound good.

Bands

If you want to sound good, you should stop listening to most of the bands around now (Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Good Charlotte, etc.) You need to start listening to bands like, The Ramones, Sex Pistols, Misfits, Dead Kennedys, AFI (early stuff), The Offspring, etc. These are great examples of what punk music is supposed to be.

Techniques

There are some basic techniques you need to know to play punk:

Power chords

Palm muting

Arpeggios

Hammer-ons/Pull-offs

Bends

Slides

Octaves

I haven't included how to do these techniques because there are plenty of other lessons for that.

Intro

You can do many things for the intro, you can play a short melody, play a simple catchy riff, have the bass and drums play on their own, play the chorus with no lyrics or anything else you want. There doesn't even have to be an intro.

Verse

The verse should be quieter than the chorus. You could play arpeggios or palm muted power chords. A commonly used idea is to have the guitar come in and only play the second have of the verse to build up for the chorus a bit.
Some examples of good verses are:

Die, Die My Darling - Misfits
E|---------|---------|---------|---------|
B|---------|---------|---------|---------|
G|-4-4-4-4-|-4-4-4-4-|---------|---------|
D|-4-4-4-4-|-4-4-4-4-|-5-------|-4-------|
A|-2-2-2-2-|-2-2-2-2-|-5-------|-4-------|
E|---------|---------|-3-------|-2-------|

I Choose - The Offspring
E|------------------------------------|
B|-7--8--7-7-xxxxxxx------------------|
G|-7--7--7-7-xxxxxxx------------------|
D|-7--7--7-7-xxxxxxx-3--3-3-5--5-5-5--|
A|-5--5--5-5-xxxxxxx-3--3-3-5--5-5-5--|
E|-------------------1--1-1-3--3-3-3--|

x - mute

Chorus

The chorus should be loud and simple, most good choruses have catchy riffs. You should mainly use power chords but you can include other techniques. Some examples of good choruses are:

Smash - The Offspring
e|----------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------8-8--8-8-8-8--6-6--6-6-6-6--6-6--6-6-6/8-8-|
D|-6-6--6-6-6-6--8-8--8-8-8-8--6-6--6-6-6-6--6-6--6-6-6/8-8-|
A|-6-6--6-6-6-6--6-6--6-6-6-6--4-4--4-4-4-4--4-4--4-4-4/6-6-|
E|-4-4--4-4-4-4---------------------------------------------|

Miss Murder - AFI
Eb|-------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
Bb|-------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
Gb|--------7--7-7-5--5-5----------|--------7--7-7-5--5-5-----------------|
Db|-7--7-7-7--7-7-5--5-5-5--5-5-5-|-7--7-7-7--7-7-5--5-5-5---------------|
Ab|-7--7-7-5--5-5-3--3-3-5--5-5-5-|-7--7-7-5--5-5-3--3-3-5---------------|
Eb|-5--5-5---------------3--3-3-3-|-5--5-5---------------3-<2>-<2><2><2>-|

Eb|-------------------------------|----------------------------|
Bb|-------------------------------|----------------------------|
Gb|--------7--7-7-5--5-5----------|----------------------------|
Db|-7--7-7-7--7-7-5--5-5-5--5-5-5-|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-2--2-2-2---|
Ab|-7--7-7-5--5-5-3--3-3-5--5-5-5-|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-2--2-2-2---|
Eb|-5--5-5---------------3--3-3-3-|-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-0--0-0-0---|

<> - natural harmonic

Bridge

A lot of punk songs have a bridge. Bridges should be short (usually half as long as the verse or chorus), and they are usually a melody or short riff. It usually after the chorus and it should be more relaxed than the chorus.

Solo/Interlude

Just because it's punk doesn't mean you can't have a solo but it shouldn't be too complicated. Just a few notes or an arpeggio repeated will do. If you don't want a solo or you can't play one yet you can just have an interlude. This could be anything from another riff, or a key change, to playing nothing at all. Solos should use things like hammer-ons/pull-offs, slides, arpeggios, bends and other techniques ("I choose" by The Offspring has a good solo but I won't tab it here).

Outro

The outro is the end of the song. It could be a big finish or it could just die out. You could just play the chorus or the intro again with small changes.

Arrangements

Don't feel restricted by arrangements. You don't have to do what everyone else does and it's good to be different. Sometimes you might want to make a really short song, one band that does that really well is Frenzal Rhomb. Some common arrangements are:

Intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo/interlude, verse, chorus, outro

Intro, chorus, bridge, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, solo, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, interlude, chorus, outro.

Remember there are no rules when it come to punk. Have fun.

Comments

[theshroomman]

cool cool, nice that you mentioned old afi, but then a miss murder tab? -confused-

[Silent_Jester13]

The "Miss Murder" thing. It was going to be a 10 until that.

8/10 and first vote.

[ausy165]

oh dont forget about Lay Down; im gunna take a look at thos tabs.

[Juanfcoglezf]

very coooool man

[Gusco]

when sex pistols were playing at dirty punk rock clubs in the uk, im sure they didnt even think of terms like: palm mute, solo, interlude, arrangement, verse etc.. This isn't punk.. Punk was not based on music, it was mainly based on the lyrical part. Punk music is free to be whatever the band wants to sound like. You'll never sound like the ramones as long as you want to sound like ramones.

[tmfiore]

Very great.

I knew a lot of the stuff on here before I read it, but I learned more about how the songs are set up though.

[tmfiore]

I forgot to mention, most punk rock songs are written when a guitarist just grabs their guitar and play whatever comes to their mind. They don't think about anything in paticular at first.

That is how I wrote my songs. I just picked up my guitar and played a riff that became the chorus, then built it off that.

[bainsy911]

in the solo can u use stuff like sweep picking or tapping or is this all metal

[david_whinfield]

maybe if you want to play in modern times and want to play the music that interests the new generation, you should look at modern punk

[david_whinfield]

but then again the order of the different sections in a song hasn't changed very much over the years and that is what this lesson is based on

[baylewis]

many punk songs are actually built around a key, whether intended or not. you could have mentioned this

[IRISH_PUNK13]

DUDE THATS NOT PUNK IS DOING WHAT FEELS RIGHT NOT WITH ALL THAT TECHNIQUE PUNK IS ANY THING FROM PLAYING SIMPLE ''COWBOY CHORDS'' TO POWER CHORDS WITH A TON OF GAIN, OR A MELODIC SONG WITH ARPEGGIOS

[slash-fan]

I loved the lesson

[init24]

punk is dead, but nonetheless i like the mention of looking into punk roots like ramones
5/10

[wobbl87]

you right about the punk,but ramones are pretty simple. you said of crass!

Gusco wrote:

when sex pistols were playing at dirty punk rock clubs in the uk, im sure they didnt even think of terms like: palm mute, solo, interlude, arrangement, verse etc.. This isn't punk.. Punk was not based on music, it was mainly based on the lyrical part. Punk music is free to be whatever the band wants to sound like. You'll never sound like the ramones as long as you want to sound like ramones.

[PenFighter19]

Heres how you write a punk rock song.
1. Get super pissed off
2. Scream a main line that you can use for the basis of your song
3. Play power chords that sound good with what you wrote (solo optional)
4. ROCK the F*CK OUT!

[Froboarder]

PenFighter19 wrote:

Heres how you write a punk rock song.
1. Get super pissed off
2. Scream a main line that you can use for the basis of your song
3. Play power chords that sound good with what you wrote (solo optional)
4. ROCK the F*CK OUT!

Haha. That made my day. I'm gonna go do that now. =D
+10

[Sraldleif]

I found this by accident dude. Fuckin' lol. - Lars

[thelonesoldier]

I can't imagine this would help anyone accomplish anything. It has two extremely simple tab examples and some summaries of simple concepts. It's not horrible, but it's got no instruction. It doesn't tell you how to create or play punk music.

[mattvh93]

i dont know how this got on here

[frank_pierce]

A lesson to write punk songs??! don't make me laugh...
don't put a frame on a music style that doesn't need any!
PenFighter19: your 100% Dude! ****in' A ^^

[sweeneytodd3160]

First, let me point out that Good Charlotte and Fall Out Boy are not punk. They are Punk Pop. Whole different genre. AFI's early stuff was punk, The Ramones and The Misfits are definately good examples of punk. But don't put Miss Murder in there because that song was nothing but a piece of shit. That album was something that a ****ing emo would have made.

[dustyn808]

descent lesson but green day should not be on that list of bad bands. also i don't like the sex pistols. i mean they were formed to push a fashion trend...come on

[aktoastmaster]

People like this killed punk
People try to own it and try to tell you what it is.
Thats why theres a whole bunch of shitty bands like Fall Out Boy and Green Day. Punk is pretty much dead

[superfish123]

for a genre thats supposed to scream liberty
your forcing a lot of rules on people
MODERN punk is things like anti-flag
and those saying that punk isnt about the music?
well then it doesn't really classify as a genre of music. just a political message wtih sounds behind it
however the STYLE of punk is what this guy has tried to put accross
well he's been along the right lines ok nothing particularly new but he tried.
then again everyone who tries and gets things a little wrong
gets flamed the crap out of rather then "nice try but next time you could.." which is what the musical community should be

[yajiko92]

hey a little confused on the AFI thing, though theres two things here pop punk and regular punk. both are different genres. anyway punks not dead you just gotta look harder. remember punk is mostly played on bass, drum beats, and power chords. just remember the vocalist job is the most important in punk. though most singers in punk sing to where they rely on the crowds help so its more exciting and sing-a-long-able.

the only thing is people stereotype stuff so much now-a-days that any genre can't be around without there being a general opinion about it.

[Donovant22]

You know, I see a lot of hatred out here for Green Day. Say what you want about the music but these guys are no different than the pioneers of punk, the difference is people will listen to it in the mainstream nowadays when they didn't used to.

And, they're probably a lot more musically proficient which is not a bad thing. I personally LOVE the old Sex Pistols, Ramones, etc but I also really like bands like Green Day and so on. If their form of punk involves playing well musically and making TONS of money, then so be it.

[xxstripes]

okay. Several things wrong with this. First of all, afi is like EMO stuff. Not punk. EMO is almost always carefully orchestrated. Punk is real. punk is whatever the artist feels when they pick up the guitar. Yeah, it's simple to write, but please. Putting afi's miss murder on there is like disrespect to punk artists and listeners everywhere

[pitobodies]

Those of you who think that punk has nothing to do with the music should go listen to a Bad Brains song.
And I'm in a hardcore punk band and we use theory and scales and keys and sweeping arpeggios. Punk is about conveying feelings and opinions. but it has to be listenable.

[CrashLove]

I love how you mentioned old AFI, but how can you tab Miss Murder after saying that? Not saying anything bad about it, but Decemberunderground is far from the old AFI sound. Old Green Day is much more punk than that. Also, xxstripes, you obv don't know what emo is, douchebag, so don't go grouping AFI in there.

[TimeIsTheEnemy]

I'm glad you mentioned old AFI, Frenzal Rhomb are great to.

Funny how all these real "punx" kids say it has no rules and what not when reality is there was a lot of close mindedness. I can't think of a perfect example but I guess look at black flag when they started writing slower and longer songs opposed to the normal fast and aggressive stuff. It 'caused a little bit of a stir.

Always talking about punk being dead just robs it of it's own potential anyway.

I'm just babbling about crap now haha.