Use familiar musical studies, original playable solos, chord progressions, rhythm and picking drills, and printable guides to turn a lesson into sound.
07 / SONG + SKILL LIBRARY
Stop practicing in a vacuum.
SONGS · CHORDS · SOLOS · TECHNIQUE
Choose a musical target, use one focused drill, then put it back into a song. Tabs are navigation—not seven new browser windows judging you.
SONGS PEOPLE ACTUALLY WANT TO PLAY
Iconic riffs, power-chord engines and bass lines—reduced to transferable fretboard skills. No copied tablature or lyrics; every card tells you what to hear, practice and move.
01 · THE WHITE STRIPESEm
Seven Nation Army
GUITAR + BASSSTANDARD
1 · ♭3 · 1 · ♭7 · ♭6 · 5
HOOK DIAGRAM
112♭3314♭75♭665
TRAIN
Single-string geography
BUILD IT
Find E, G, D, C and B on one string. Play the contour from memory, then move the entire idea to a different string.
02 · BLACK SABBATHBm
Iron Man
GUITARSTANDARD
B5 · D5–E5 · G5–F♯5
HOOK DIAGRAM
1B52D5–E53G5–F♯5
TRAIN
Power-chord slides
BUILD IT
Move the shape as one unit. Make every arrival heavy and clean; the slide is part of the rhythm, not travel time.
03 · RAMONESA
Blitzkrieg Bop
GUITAR + BASSSTANDARD
A5 · D5 · E5
HOOK DIAGRAM
1A52D53E5
TRAIN
Downstroke endurance
BUILD IT
Start at half speed. Lock bass and guitar to straight eighth notes, then raise the tempo only when the last bar hits as hard as the first.
04 · THE CRANBERRIESEm
Zombie
GUITAR + BASSSTANDARD
Em · C · G · D
HOOK DIAGRAM
1Em2C3G4D
TRAIN
Four-chord continuity
BUILD IT
Keep the picking hand moving through every change. First use whole notes, then eighth notes without adding a gap between chords.
05 · NIRVANAD
Come As You Are
GUITAR + BASSWHOLE STEP DOWN
Chromatic two-string hook
HOOK DIAGRAM
1Chromatic two-string hook
TRAIN
String crossing + muting
BUILD IT
Learn the rhythm on one dead note first. Add the fretted contour only when the open and fretted strings stop bleeding into each other.
06 · NIRVANAFm
Smells Like Teen Spirit
GUITARSTANDARD
F5 · B♭5 · A♭5 · D♭5
HOOK DIAGRAM
1F52B♭53A♭54D♭5
TRAIN
Syncopated power chords
BUILD IT
Practice the scratches and rests before the chords. The hook comes from attack, silence and re-entry—not merely the four shapes.
07 · FOO FIGHTERSD
Everlong
GUITARDROP D
Low-D pedal · moving upper voices
HOOK DIAGRAM
1Low-D pedal2moving upper voices
TRAIN
Drop-D chord control
BUILD IT
Let the lowest D ring while the upper shape moves. Mute between accents so the pulse stays huge without turning to soup.
08 · RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINEDm
Killing in the Name
GUITAR + BASSDROP D
D pedal · octave hits · rests
HOOK DIAGRAM
1D pedal2octave hits3rests
TRAIN
Pocket + aggressive muting
BUILD IT
Loop two bars with a metronome. Treat every rest as a note: both hands stop the strings together, then attack the next D as one machine.
09 · QUEENEm
Another One Bites the Dust
BASSSTANDARD
E-minor bass pocket
HOOK DIAGRAM
1E-minor bass pocket
TRAIN
Note length + syncopation
BUILD IT
Play one note at a time and release it on purpose. Record eight bars; the groove passes only when the spaces are as consistent as the attacks.
10 · GORILLAZE♭m
Feel Good Inc.
BASSSTANDARD
Descending minor-key hook
HOOK DIAGRAM
1Descending minor-key hook
TRAIN
Position shifts
BUILD IT
Choose one fingering and keep it for five clean loops. Slide only where it improves the phrase; never because the next note surprised you.
11 · TALKING HEADSAm
Psycho Killer
BASSSTANDARD
A-minor eighth-note engine
HOOK DIAGRAM
1A-minor eighth-note engine
TRAIN
Stamina without tension
BUILD IT
Play the pulse for one minute with loose shoulders. Accents stay intentional while every unaccented note remains even and controlled.
12 · DEPECHE MODEEm
Personal Jesus
GUITAR + BASSSTANDARD
E-blues call · stop · answer
HOOK DIAGRAM
1E-blues call2stop3answer
TRAIN
Riff phrasing + swagger
BUILD IT
Play the call, kill the sound completely, then answer. If the silence disappears, the riff loses its teeth—so make the rests brutal.