ramones

It’s way more than just power chords and long hair.

Chops: Intermediate
Theory: Beginner
Lesson Overview:
• Learn the value of a good downstroke.
• Discover how to imply harmony in riffs.
• Build your picking-hand stamina. Click here to download a printable PDF of this lesson's notation.

The influence of the Ramones on the global music landscape over the past 40 years is immense. For many fans, the Ramones are a religion, and for even more, it’s a lifestyle. I had the opportunity to experience the depth of this firsthand by performing the songbook alongside Marky Ramone, the drummer of the classic Ramones lineup. I had to learn a lot about Johnny Ramone’s incendiary, raw guitar style, as well as how to create a rhythmically relentless wall-of-sound.

For many guitarists, playing Ramones tunes appears incredibly easy. How hard could it be to play four-chord songs? Nearly every guitar player thinks they can play any song from the repertoire, until they have to do it. But like many specialized areas, first impressions can be deceiving: It requires precision to get Johnny’s parts exactly right.

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