The amount of 70s guitar riffs out there are enough to keep anyone busy. As a beginner, it can be cool to brush up on some essential skills from the decade. Let’s check out these 5 glam and punk rock riffs.
70s Guitar Riffs: Trend Setting Icons
Unlike decades before, the music and the musicians of the 1970s were extremely influential on popular culture. Okay sure, The Beatles managed to get teenagers to put up posters on their walls and wear leather jackets. However, artists such as The Sex Pistols and Siouxsie and the Banshees were enough to encourage boys to wear makeup, and smash up a few broken TV sets.
It’s hard to imagine now that what we listen to would have such an impact on our lives, although the charts were much more of a blank canvas in the 1970s.
Here, we’ll be checking out a couple of awesome 70s guitar riffs, mainly focusing on the serious riffage from glam and punk rock. If you’re more of a beginner, don’t worry! Most of these records were made during drug and alcohol fuelled recording sessions, so they’re not as difficult as they may seem. Let’s see what we’re up against.
Rebel Rebel – David Bowie
Kicking us off, we’re at the start of the decade. Good old Ziggy Stardust with an era defining guitar riff, inspiring a generation of players.
The height of glam rock, this 1974 track features a captivating riff that repeats throughout most of the song. Therefore, once you get the hang of it, you can really get some practise across the rest of the song.
We’re based around a D chord, with a couple of single notes and pull offs chucked in. Crank your amp for that subtle overdrive, and you’re sorted. It’s simple yet powerful, encapsulating Bowie’s glam rock era perfectly.
Although Bowie was seen to use a modified Fender Telecaster during his 1976 tour, the actual recording of Rebel Rebel features a Gibson Les Paul, of which there are many to choose from at *Thomann.
20th Century Boy – T.Rex
Another crunchy sounding riff here. Marc Bolan’s playing drives this classic T. Rex song, making it a staple of glam rock.
A member of the infamous 27 club, Bolan was taken from the glam rock community far too soon following a traffic collision in 1977. However, legendary tracks such as this help to enrich our ears even today.
Ideal for beginners, the intro riff combines open strings with single notes. Repetitive enough for a good finger exercise, yet cool enough to rock out with your friends.
Similarly, Bolan favoured his Gibson’s‘. However, he used a Telecaster to record this track in particular.
Ballroom Blitz – Sweet
Our next 70s guitar riff has a cool swung drum intro, and the blues style guitar intro sets the tone for a high energy track. An ideal opportunity to switch up your power chords.
Essentially, this is a blues in E. Meaning, that we can transfer skills from other rock and blues songs to this. For that striking sound, we want to play an E blues from the 7th fret on the A string. This means that we can have two octaves of E. Overall, punching through the mix.
Moreover, a set of humbucking pickups in the bridge position will also help you recapture this glam rock sound. But, even if you want to try it out on acoustic, you won’t be disappointed. It’s that cool.
Another riff, another set of Humbuckers. This time, we can see Andy Scott’s notable Gibson ES-335.
Blitzkrieg Bop – The Ramones
Arguably, the intro for this one is the most beginner orientated within this countdown. We’re working around a I, IV, V in the key of A. In English, that’s a couple of power chords on A, D and E.
We can play these on the 5th fret of the E string, 5th fret of the A and 7th fret of the A string. Some memorable shapes to help you craft your power chords. The only potential issue with this is the speed. 177bpm is no joke!
To gain the mass fuzz of The Ramones, you need an amp that can deliver. It’s the mid 1970s, so the natural choice is a Marshall stack.
Pretty Vacant – The Sex Pistols
Concluding our pick of unforgettable 70s guitar riffs is an entry from The Sex Pistols. Potentially the most recognisable group of guys from the decade.
Naturally, there are many other riffs that we could have included. Namely:
You’ve also got bands such as The Clash whom gave us similar vibes, but nobody else came close to the impact that The Sex Pistols had. This riff in particular is very sedate compared to the other tracks in the band’s repertoire. Based around an A major chord.
For lead guitarist Steve Jones, pure volume gave him all of the aggression that he needed for his guitar tone. Therefore, keeping a bit of class, he opted for a Fender Twin Reverb, cranked virtually to self destruct.
Unforgettable 70s Guitar Riffs: Fast and Loud
Overall, most of the decade’s offerings were noisy and quick. Unless you count The Carpenters, the 1970s was a time for speed. And that’s not just the music!
Hopefully you found some value from these riffs. If you know of any other riffs that are similar, let us know. Who knows, we might end up putting another list together.
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