
How jangle, glam, punk, shoegaze, and more blended to create a worldwide phenomenon. Just don’t forget your tambourine.
Intermediate
Beginner
- Learn genre-defining elements of Britpop guitar.
- Use the various elements to create your own Britpop songs.
- Discover how “borrowing” from the best can enrich your own playing.
When considering the many bands that fall under the term “Britpop”–Oasis, Blur, Suede, Elastica, Radiohead’s early work, and more–it’s clear that the genre is more an attitude than a specific musical style. Still, there are a few guitar techniques and approaches that abound in the genre, many of which have been “borrowed” (the British music press’ friendly way of saying “appropriated”) from earlier British bands of the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s.
Wah?
It’s difficult to say when Britpop started, the term was bandied about in the British press in the early 1990s to label such bands as Suede and Blur. You can argue the Stone Roses created the template in 1989 with their self-titled debut album. But I think you can hear the sound of Britpop much earlier, 1970 in fact, on George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. Harrison’s bright rhythm guitar, wah-wah lead, and drum groove on “Wah-Wah” all fit the template for 1990s Britpop. Ex. 1 emulates these three characteristics of that proto-Britpop recording.
Ex. 1
Wah-Wah (Remastered 2014)
Ex. 2 jumps ahead two decades with a specimen Britpop fans will be more familiar with as it pays homage to both the Stone Roses’ “Fools Gold” and Suede’s “The Drowners.” Once again, the wah-wah pedal is employed. In the first section, the wah-wah is engaged primarily on the muted strums to generate a funky rhythmic pattern. In the second section it’s used for texture. The strum is basic, playing four, quarter-note down strums, but the wah-wah is rocked back and forth creating the illusion of eighth- and 16th-notes. This could take more practice than you might imagine, but you should think like a drummer. Note the Bb major chord in the first section and the B major chord in the second section. These are non-diatonic chords (meaning not in the key), giving the progression a slightly more sophisticated, or at least unexpected, sound.
Ex. 2
The Stone Roses - Fools Gold (Official Video)
Yet another two-guitar-wah-wah groove, inspired by Pulp’s “Lipgloss” is shown in Ex. 3. Guitar one features cowboy chords strummed with a busy rhythmic pattern–a hallmark of Britpop–while guitar two plays a motif (a short melodic pattern), with the wah-wah on, though not moving much. It’s more for tone and texture.
Ex. 3
Pulp - Lipgloss
Layered Guitars
As seen in two of the previous examples, dual guitars are a big part of the Britpop sound, no doubt inspired by the likes of the Beatles, the Kinks, and the Rolling Stones. Ex. 4, based on Blur’s “Coffee and TV,” features guitar one playing barre chords and distinctive mutes thrown in for accents, while guitar two plays a double-stop riff that creates suspensions between the 3 and 4 of the chord. The G chord is a rather surprising choice in the key of B.
Ex. 4
Blur - Coffee And TV
Moving on from 1960s influences, Ex. 5, based on “Delicious” by Sleeper, has that 1980s “jangle” sound (for more on jangle guitar see my June 2021 lesson “What Exactly Is ‘Jangly’ Guitar?”) heard in songs by such bands as the Smiths and the Cure. In this example, guitar one, a la “Delicious,” is dirtier, and guitar two has that glorious 1980s clean tone.
Ex. 5
Sleeper - Delicious (Video)
Britpop is not without its solos, but once again we can find the influences worn prominently on the sleeves of the guitarists. Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” which, besides the intro piano that sounds as if it came straight out of John Lennon’s “Imagine” sessions, has a guitar solo reminiscent of George Harrison’s lead on the Beatles’ “Let It Be.” Ex. 6 provides the feel, atmosphere, and quintessential licks of “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” which also features a IV to IVm (in this case F to Fm) chord movement, another classic Beatles move. It is notable that Oasis founder, Noel Gallagher said of the song, “It reminds me of a cross between ‘All the Young Dudes’ [Mott the Hoople] and something the Beatles might have done.”
Ex. 6
Oasis - Don’t Look Back In Anger (Official Video)
The Blues Influence?
Though not as overt, there is a blues influence to be heard in Britpop too, however, it’s filtered through the prism of ’70s glam rock. Once again Oasis–with help from T. Rex–is our point of reference. Ex. 7 demonstrates the influence “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” had on Oasis’ “Cigarettes & Alcohol.” Pay attention to the syncopations found in guitar one, as you must play through four measures before the progression repeats exactly. Guitar two has syncopations of its own although you only have to play one chord shape.
Ex. 7
Oasis - Cigarettes & Alcohol (Official HD Remastered Video)
As we heard in Ex. 5, arpeggios, play a large role in Britpop. Blur’s “She’s So High” and Suede’s “Lazy” are worthy examples. I don’t think Britpop arpeggios get any better than the Stone Roses’ “Waterfall”, which Ex. 8 is based on. If you’re searching for forerunners to this sound, look no further than the Beatles “Ticket To Ride,” “She Said, She Said,” or “Run For Your Life.”
Ex. 8
Blur - She's So High
Beg, Borrow, and Steal
As with most overview lessons, this one has barely scratched the surface of the Britpop sound or the post-Britpop bands that followed. More examples of references can be heard in the Verve (“Bittersweet Symphony” via the Rolling Stones), Radiohead (“Creep” via the Hollies) and Elastica, who appropriated some riffs by the band Wire. All of those bands busted over these similarities, but don’t let these “borrowed” ideas worry you. To paraphrase the Who’s Pete Townshend, “All songwriters are magpies and thieves.” Just make sure you steal from the best!
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A dose of magic gain potion.
Works like a little vial of magic gain potion. Fattens without obscuring individual frequency bands.
None.
$129
Solodallas SVDS Boost
solodallas.com
The Schaeffer-Vega Diversity System—an early and very successful wireless system—excelled at the tasks it was designed for. But there was more magic than met the eye. Though designed to sound as transparent as possible, it nonetheless colored the signal in a way that people like Angus Young and Eddie Van Halen found essential.
SoloDallas explored the possibilities of this circuit before in pedals like theSchaeffer Replica, but the new SVDS Boost strips the formula to essentials. Minimalist controls—one knob, that’s it—make this boost no less delicious. I’m not surprised Angus Young was smitten with the original SVDS. An SG and Marshall 18-watt amp sound fantastic naked, but the SVDS Boost has the rare talent for fattening everything without seeming to favor or obscure any frequency band too much. And as zest to the PAF/Marshall style formula, it makes the kind of rowdy, organic, airy, large, and punch-packing Marshall sound you would dream of getting in a studio or hearing on the radio. There are many shades of this basic awesome color in spite of the single knob. Unity gain lives in the earliest third of its range. From there you certainly get more volume, but mostly you bathe in various hues of compressed, saturated, thick, and dynamite growl. You don’t need a Gibson and a Marshall to use it to devastating effect, either. A Telecaster and Vibrolux snap with attitude and whip-crack energy with the SVDS in the line. And with both guitar/amp combos, the SVDS’ wide dynamic responsiveness to volume and tone attenuation assures that things stay cracking when you need more control.
Join PG contributor Tom Butwin as he explores all-new versions of the Framus Hootenanny 12-string and 6-string acoustics—made famous by John Lennon and now available with modern upgrades. From vintage-inspired tone to unique features, these guitars are built to spark creativity.
Positive Grid's Spark NEO offers guitarists a wireless guitar rig built into premium headphones, with AI-powered tone customization, exceptional sound quality, and versatile connectivity.
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Built for Guitarists
Spark NEO bridges the gap between traditional guitar setups and modern technology. Unlike using generic headphones with a guitar amp, Spark NEO’s integrated design ensures every element—from app to drivers—delivers unparalleled performance.
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This Japan-made Guyatone brings back memories of hitchin’ rides around the U.S.
This oddball vintage Guyatone has a streak of Jack Kerouac’s adventurous, thumbing spirit.
The other day, I saw something I hadn’t noticed in quite some time. Driving home from work, I saw an interesting-looking fellow hitchhiking. When I was a kid, “hitchers” seemed much more common, but, then again, the world didn’t seem as dangerous as today. Heck, I can remember hitching to my uncle’s cabin in Bradford, Pennsylvania—home of Zippo lighters—and riding almost 200 miles while I sat in a spare tire in the open bed of a pickup truck! Yes, safety wasn’t a big concern for kids back in the day.
So, as I’m prone to do, I started digging around hitchhiking culture and stories. Surprisingly, there are organized groups that embrace the hitching life, but the practice remains on the fringe in the U.S. Back in the 1950s, writer Jack Kerouac wrote the novel On the Road, which celebrated hitchhiking and exposed readers to the thrill of maverick travel. Heck, even Mike Dugan (the guitarist in all my videos) hitched his way to California in the 1960s. But seeing that fellow on the side of the road also sparked another image in my brain: Yep, it always comes back to guitars.
Let me present to you a guitar that’s ready to go hitching: the Guyatone LG-180T, hailing from 1966. The “thumbs-up” headstock and the big “thumb” on the upper bout always made me think of thumbing a ride, and I bought and sold this guitar so long ago that I had forgotten about it, until I saw that hitchhiking dude. Guyatone was an interesting Japanese company because they were primarily an electronics company, and most of their guitars had their wooden parts produced by other factories. In the case of the LG-180T, the bodies were made by Yamaha in Hamamatsu, Japan. At that time, Yamaha was arguably making the finest Japanese guitars, and the wood on this Guyatone model is outstanding. We don’t often see Guyatone-branded guitars here in the U.S., but a lot of players recognize the early ’60s label Kent—a brand name used by an American importer for Guyatone guitars.
With a bit of imagination, the LG-180T’s “thumbs up” headstock seems to be looking for a roadside ride.
Kent guitars were extremely popular from the early ’60s until around 1966. The U.S. importer B&J fed the American need for electric guitars with several nice Kent models, but when the Guyatone contract ended, so did most of the Kent guitars. After that, Guyatone primarily sold guitars in Japan, so this example is a rare model in the U.S.
“Unless you are a master at guitar setups, this would be a difficult player.”
This headstock is either the ugliest or the coolest of the Guyatone designs. I can’t decide which. I will say, no other Japanese guitar company ever put out anything like this. You have to give the Guyatone designers a thumbs up for trying to stand out in the crowd! Guyatone decided to forgo an adjustable truss rod in this model, opting instead for a light alloy non-adjustable core to reinforce the neck. Speaking of the neck, this instrument features the most odd-feeling neck. It’s very thin but has a deep shoulder (if that makes any sense). Totally strange!
Another strange feature is the bridge, which offers very little adjustment because of the three large saddles, which sort of rock back and forth with the tremolo. It’s a shame because these pickups sound great! They’re very crisp and have plenty of zing, but unless you are a master at guitar set-ups, this would be a difficult player.
This could be why the LG-180T only appeared in the 1966 and 1967 catalogs. After that, it disappeared along with all the other Yamaha-made Guyatone electrics. By 1969, Guyatone had gone bankrupt for the first time, and thus ended guitar production for a few decades. At least we were blessed with some wacky guitar designs we can marvel at while remembering the days when you could play in the back end of an explosive 1973 AMC Gremlin while your mom raced around town. Two thumbs up for surviving our childhoods! PG