Punk Rock!

In my opinion, punk rock is the easiest form of rock to play. This is why it is so popular, especially among beginners. If you are jsut starting out playing guitar, punk rock is a great way to explore different rythyms and textures. In addition, you can listen to a punk rock song on the radio, and learn how to play it EXACTLY with ease.

What are some well known punk rock bands?

Some popular and well known punk rock bands include Blink 182, Green Day, Sum 41, At the Drive In, NoFX, The Ramones, Sex Pistols, Pennywise, Rancid, Bad Religon, No Use For a Name, and... there are so many. Check them out.
Popular punk/Ska bands are Reel Big Fish (sweet), Catch 22, Less Than Jake, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Voodoo Glow Skulls, 5 Iron Frenzy, 19th Hole, yeah. Theres a lot of those too. Ska is a great genre to listen to if you like punk.

What do I have to know?

All you really have to know are guitar basics, powerchords and where the notes are on the fretboard. There are a bunch of other lesson here on Wholenote dealing with powerchords, and all of the guitar playing basics. If you do not already have the basics down, I would suggest learning them before you continue with this lesson. It will make it a lot easier to learn, and you will benifit greatly in the long run!

So, what is punk rock?

Punk rock, as best as I can explain it, is basically a high energy, loud, driving modern rock and roll. The tempos are fast, the guitars are distorted (but sometimes clean) and there is a lot of energy. The main thing about punk is the attitude. You've gotta be rebellious and freeminded, and go against the grain. Punk was started in the 70s by rebellious bands like The Ramones and the sex pistols, and lemme tell ya, those guys had the attitude!
Most of the time, powerchords are used for the rythmic work. The main chord progression usually consists of 3 or 4 chords. I will show you songs with both 3 and 4 chord progressions.

Below is an example of the intro to a punk rock song. As you can see, and hear, it is fast and furious! Throught this lession, my examples will be a punk rock style song that I made up. It is a 3 chord progression in the key of E, and the basic chord progression is E-B-A-B-E.

On to the next page to learn punk rock rythym.
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