Learn To Play Four Guitar Riffs by The White Stripes
- Paul Andrews
- July 10, 2021
Yesterday (July 9th) was White Stripes frontman Jack White’s 46th birthday, and what better way to celebrate than to learn four of his greatest guitar riffs.
If there is one thing Jack does well, it is write a cool riff and they don’t get much cooler than these four riffs. So grab your guitar, tune-up, and let’s get started…
1: Seven Nation Army
Seven Nation Army is a great riff for students who are just starting to get going with movable power chords. If you have not come across power chords before, they are a great chord type because you only need to know one chord shape, which you then move around the guitar neck to play in different keys.
2: Fell In Love With A Girl
This riff consists of just four chords, but the problem is one of those chords is a barre chord. 😱
If you have not come across Barre chords yet, they are a type of chord where you need to hold down more than one string with a single finger, making them NOT a beginner chord. That said, this is a good riff to start using Barre chords as it only has one in it. Watch out for the speed, though, as the song is 192 bpm—one to start slow and build up the speed with a metronome.
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3: Icky Thump
Icky Thump is the most challenging of the four riffs. It uses single-note lines, slides, pull-offs, open power chords & closed power chords. Lots to sink your teeth into with this one.
Break the riff down into small chunks and slowly work your way through them. It will be worth it in the end, as it does sound cool. 😎
4: Hardest Button To Button
Once you have got Seven Nation Army under your fingers, this is a great riff to take your power chords to the next level. Hardest Button To Button uses three finger power chords which are a common extension to the two-finger power chord shape introduced in Seven Nation Army. Rather than strummed, the chords are picked, which is excellent for developing your arpeggio playing and right-hand accuracy.
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