Post-punk guitar
Post-punk sounds cold and stubborn: the drums run like a motor, the bass sings the melody, and the guitar does not strum but picks the chords high on the neck. Below are the chords, scale, techniques and parts you can hear and slow down.
1970s120–160 BPMBm–G–D–Amelodic bass
What is post-punk
Post-punk appeared in England in 1978–1980: musicians kept the energy of punk but played darker and more inventively. In the USSR the same wave was taken up by Kino and other bands of the Leningrad Rock Club, and in the 2000s the style had a second life.
What defines post-punk is how the roles are split. The bass often plays the melody high on the neck, the guitar fills the space with picked chords and single notes with chorus, and the drums keep a steady, almost mechanical beat.
Signature chords
Bm, G, D, A (i, VI, III, VII in B minor) sound dark yet keep moving forward. In post-punk these chords are rarely strummed in full: the guitar picks their notes and the bass draws a melody on top.
Scale for soloing
B natural minor suits the melodies. The melody on this page is played on the first string between the 7th and 14th frets, with a slide up to F#. Below the scale is shown in the position from the 7th fret.
Techniques
Melodic bass
In post-punk the bass moves high up the neck and plays a melody, not just the chord’s root. Listen to the part below: the bass is a separate melody, and the guitar picks the chords over it.
Chord tones in eighths
Instead of strumming, the guitar plays four chord tones one at a time in even eighth notes. Hold Bm and alternate the 2nd and 1st strings, as in the part below. Tap Bm to hear the full chord.
Downstrokes
Every eighth note is picked down, with no upstrokes. The sound is thicker and more even, and the hand keeps the same stubborn motor as the drums. At high tempo relax the wrist and use a small motion.
Post-punk guitar part
The guitar repeats four notes of each chord in eighths in the 7th position, the bass plays a melody high on the neck, the drums run a straight kick on every beat. On your amp add chorus so the guitar sounds cold and wide.
Post-punk melody
The melody moves along one string, as on the records: D, C#, B with vibrato, then up to E and a slide to F#. Under it the bass plays the root in eighths without a break.
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.
- Joy Division - “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. A bass melody high on the neck and a steady, almost mechanical drum beat.
- The Cure - “A Forest”. A chorused guitar picks notes in a loop; the song barely changes chords and lives on repetition.
- Kino - “Gruppa krovi (Blood Type)”. The guitar picks the high notes of the chord while bass and drums keep a steady fast drive. Hear how the guitar sits above the chords rather than inside them.
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
How is post-punk different from punk?
Punk strums fast chords and runs on energy. Post-punk is slower, colder and more inventive: the bass leads the melody, the guitar picks, and there is a lot of repetition and effects.
What effects do I need for post-punk?
Chorus above all: it makes the guitar cold and wide. Delay and flanger are common too. Distortion is usually light or absent.
Can I play post-punk on an acoustic?
Yes: picked chords and one-string melodies sound good on an acoustic too. The most important things in the style, a steady beat and repetition, do not depend on the guitar.