Indie guitar
Indie guitar sounds light and jangly: arpeggios with open strings, simple chords with unusual colours and melodic parts on the high strings. Below are the chords, scale, techniques and a riff you can hear and practise.
1980s100–150 BPMarpeggioscapo
What is indie
The word “indie” comes from the independent labels that released guitar bands outside the major studios in the 1980s. Over time it came to mean a whole style, from the jangly British indie of the 80s to the garage indie rock of the 2000s.
Indie guitar rarely plays heavy power chords. More often it is open chords picked as arpeggios, two guitarists interlocking their parts and short melodic riffs on the high strings. The tone is clean or lightly overdriven.
Signature chords
Em, C, G, D (vi, IV, I, V) is a very common indie move. Play it with anchor fingers: your third and fourth fingers stay on the 3rd fret of the second and first strings while only the lower notes change. The chords sound fuller and flow into each other.
Scale for soloing
The E minor pentatonic works for melodies: its notes are the same as the G major pentatonic. Below it is shown near the nut; the melody on this page is played higher up the neck.
Techniques
Anchor fingers
Two fingers stay on the 3rd fret of the second and first strings and never move. The bass and middle strings change underneath: Em7, Cadd9, G, Dsus4. The chords change with almost no hand movement and the top strings ring all the time.
Sus chords
In a sus4 chord the fourth replaces the third, and the chord seems to wait for a resolution. Indie players love these colours. Tap Dsus4 to hear it.
Capo
A capo moves familiar open shapes up the neck: the chords sound brighter and the open strings stay open. Many indie songs are played with a capo at the 2nd to 4th fret.
Riff in the style
Eighth notes over Em7 and Cadd9: bass, then the third, second and first strings and back. Two fingers stay on the 3rd fret and nothing is muted. The bass plays steady eighths, indie rock style.
Indie-style melody
A simple melody on the first and second strings: B, D, E and down to E with vibrato. Play it cleanly with hardly any ornaments: indie parts are loved for their clear melodies.
The riff opens as a draft: change notes, tempo and tracks however you like.
Open in RiffonicWhat to listen to
Listen to these songs and pay attention to what is described next to each one.
- The Smiths - “This Charming Man”. A jangly picked part that becomes the melody itself: 80s British indie in its purest form.
- The Strokes - “Last Nite”. Two guitars interlock simple parts with a dry, lightly driven tone: 2000s garage indie rock.
- Arctic Monkeys - “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor”. Fast, sharp riffs and energetic strumming: indie can be very pushy.
Every riff and solo on this page is an original exercise in the style of the genre, not the notes of someone else’s song.
FAQ
What is indie music?
Originally music from independent labels. Today the word describes guitar music with a live, slightly homemade sound: arpeggios, melodic riffs, clean or lightly driven guitars.
What chords do you need for indie?
Ordinary open chords G, C, D, Em and Am, often with added notes: Em7, Cadd9, Dsus4. They are easy to play with anchor fingers on the top strings.
Why use a capo in indie?
A capo lets you play familiar shapes in another key while keeping the open strings ringing. It makes it easy to fit a song to your voice and get a bright sound.