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Ready for a blast from the past? Guitar teacher shares five for beginners that will take you back to the 90’s… From grunge to ska punk, the 1990’s were a diverse and exciting time for rock music. Some songs stand out in particular for their highly creative, yet not-so-difficult guitar work. In this article, I will give you the tools you need to get playing five of the most iconic 90’s rock songs! Before we begin: This article uses and for notation. Tablature is an easy shorthand that shows you which fret on which string to put your finger, but it doesn’t give you any information about rhythm. I recommend listening to the tracks and getting a sense of the rhythm when you sit down to learn. Don’t worry, it’s easy! 1. “Today” by The Smashing Pumpkins One of The Smashing Pumpkins’ radio hits from Siamese Dream, this track features a powerful wall of guitars and a catchy chorus. It’s also a great way to get accustomed to two guitar techniques that defined 90’s rock: two-string melodies and. Two-string melodies, like the intro guitar lick, rely on the player holding his or her fingers down over two strings at the same time so that both continue to ring out after they are plucked. In this case, use your index finger to hold down the eleventh fret on both strings. Then, use your middle finger for the thirteenth fret and your ring finger for the fifteenth fret. Intro Riff:       Barre chords are based on a movable chord shape, which means you can use the same fingering to play a chord at any fret you want! They also require you to place your index finger down over all strings at the fret you are “barring.” For example, “Today” uses the following chords: Eb Major, Bb Major, Ab Major, C Minor, F Major, G Major Eb Bb Ab Today is the greatest day I’ve ever known Eb Bb Ab Can’t live for tomorrow, tomorrow’s much too long Eb Bb Ab Eb Bb Cm I’ll burn my eyes out before I get out F Ab C F Ab Cm I wanted more than life could ever grant me F Ab C F Ab G Bored by the chore of savingface Eb Bb Ab Today is the greatest day I’ve ever known Eb Bb Ab Can’t wait for tomorrow, I might not have that long Eb Bb Ab Eb Bb Cm I’ll tear my heart out before I get out Eb Bb Eb Ab Eb Bb Eb Ab Today is.. today is.. today is.. the greatest. Eb Bb C Ab Eb Bb Cm Day hee-yay, oo oo ooo ooo ooo…. Day hee-yay-ay, hooo… Placing your finger down across the entire neck can be tricky at first, but keep practicing, and it will pay off! This technique is very common. If you can’t do it at first (and there’s no shame in doing this!), you can substitute the barre chords for power chords. Power chords are basically just barre chords that omit everything but the first two or three strings, resulting in an “open” sound that goes great with a ton of distortion. 2. “Wonderwall” by Oasis Everyone’s learned this song at some point – it’s practically THE acoustic guitar song of the 90’s. Central to the song’s playing technique is its exclusive use of G position chords in the verses. These are chordsthat revolve around the open G Major chord position. Basically, it means that your last two fingers don’t ever have to leave the third fret. G Major, A7sus4, Dsus4, Em7, Cadd9 This technique sounds really cool, and it makes the song easier to play since you only have to move two fingers! Oasis plays “Wonderwall” with a capo on the third fret, but this isn’t necessary. Play it wherever you think it sounds good! Em7 G Today is gonna be the day Dsus4 A7sus4 That they’re gonna throw it back to you Em7 G By now you should’ve somehow Dsus4 A7sus4 Realized what you gotta do Em7 G I don’t believe that anybody Dsus4 A7sus4 Feels the way I do Em7 G Dsus4 A7sus4 About you now C D Em And all the roads we have to walk are winding C D Em And all the lights that lead us there are blinding C D There are many things that I G G/f# Em A7sus4 Would like to say to you but I don’t know how Cadd9 Em7 G Because maybe Em7 Cadd9 Em7 G You’re gonna be the one that saves me Cadd9 Em7 G And after all Cadd9 Em7 GA7sus4 You’re my wonderwall 3. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana No 90’s list is complete without mentioning this track – it should probably always be number one! “Teen Spirit” is all about power chords. They’re played with heavy distortion during the chorus, punctuated by the simplest possible, two-string melody during the verses. Power chords are notated with a “5” because they consist only of the root note and the note 5 scale degrees above it. Most players play these chords with three fingers: the index, middle, and ring, OR the index, middle, and pinky. Some, however, prefer just the index and ring fingers. F5, Bb5, Ab5, Db5, E5 F5 Bb5 With the lights out, it’s less dangerous Ab5 Db5 Here we are now, entertain us F5 Bb5 I feel stupid and contagious Ab5 Db5 Here we are now, entertain us F5 Bb5 A mulatto, an albino Ab5 Db5 A mosquito, my libido F5 E5 F5 Ab5 Hey! F5 E5 Db5 Bb5 F5 E5 F5 Ab5 Hey! F5 E5 Db5 Bb5 And the verse guitar melody:       It’s actually that simple! Use yourindex finger to hold down both strings at the same time. Halfway through each verse, Kurt speeds it up into double time, so listen for the rhythm! Another plus – the guitar solo in this song is the same as the vocal melody! Try to sound it out as you play along. Getting used to hearing melodies as you play them will help you quickly improve your soloing skills. 4. “When I Come Around” by Green Day Like Nirvana, Green Day takes inspiration from their punk rock predecessors in the 1980’s. This means power chords! “When I Come Around” is a very straightforward song, but it’s still so catchy! Also important when playing this song – the verses make use of extensive palm muting. Palm muting is a technique where you use the side of your right hand to slightly muffle your strings while you strum. Try to keep your picking hand as relaxed as possible, so that you can keep the mute on when necessary and then take it off to let the chord ring out. F#5, C#5, D#5, B5, G#5 F#5 C#5 D#5 B5 I heard youcrying loud F#5 C#5 D#5 B5 All the way across town F#5 C#5 D#5 B5 You’ve been searching for that someone and it’s me out on the prowl F#5 C#5 D#5 B5 As you sit around feeling sorry for yourself G#5 B5 No time to search the world around G#5 B5 Cause you know where I’ll be found B5 When I come around 5. “Santeria” by Sublime With equal parts reggae and punk rock, Sublime ruled the SoCal scene in the early 90’s. This song is unbelievably fun to play and reasonably simple, too. However, this last technique may take a little while to get the hang of. It’s called the “ska upchuck”, and it’s what gives a lot of ska (and reggae) music its characteristic guitar sound. After each time the player strums a chord, the picking hand is brought up quickly on an “upswing” to hit the strings once again. This time, however, the strings are muted with your fretting hand, resulting in a “dead, scratchy” sound. Try it with any chord you like! Listen to Santeria to get the hang of the rhythm. This techniqueworks especially well on the highest three strings, so try these chord positions first: E Major, G# Major, C# minor, B Major, A Major E I don’t practice santeria G# I ain’t got no crystal ball C#m I had a million dollars but I’d, B I’d spend it all E If I could find that Heina G# And that Sancho that she’s found C#5 Well I’d pop a cap in Sancho and I’d B Slap her down A B E Dbm All I really wanna know my baby A B E Dbm All I really wanna say I can’t define A B E Dbm It’s love that I need A B But my soul will have to wait You did it! You’re now a master of five 90’s guitar classics! You also got firsthand experience with some of the techniques that defined a decade of music, including barre chords, two-string melodies, power chords, and the ska upchuck. Keep playing along to these songs, and you’ll quickly notice it becoming second nature! A guitar teacher can help you discover and learn even more fun songs that are right for your skill level and interests! now! Collin K. teachesin-person guitar and singing lessons in Brooklyn, N.Y. He studied Music Technology at New York University, plays in an instrumental rock band, and writes music for films.         Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Photo by