Post-rock guitar
Post-rock means long instrumental pieces that start almost in silence and grow into a wall of sound. Below are the chords, scale, techniques, an arpeggio and a tremolo melody you can hear and slow down.
1990s60–120 BPMEm7–Cmaj7–G–Dsus2tremolo
What is post-rock
Post-rock took shape in the 1990s: bands kept the rock instruments but dropped the usual verse-chorus song. Often there are no vocals at all; a piece lasts ten minutes and is built as one big wave: quiet, louder, explosion, fade.
There are usually two or three guitars, and they do not split into rhythm and lead. One plays an arpeggio, another repeats a melody high on the neck, a third holds a ringing chord. Delay and reverb are the guitarist’s main tools here.
Signature chords
Em7, Cmaj7, G, Dsus2 (i, VI, III, VII in E minor) are played with open strings that ring over every chord. Sevenths and sus chords make the sound bright and a little sad at the same time.
Scale for soloing
E natural minor suits the melodies. The tremolo melody on this page runs along the first string: B, D, E, A. Below the scale is shown in the first position.
Techniques
Open strings
Hold the chord and do not mute the open strings: let them ring into the next chord. Cmaj7 has its three top strings open. Tap Cmaj7 to hear it ring.
The build
A piece starts quietly: one arpeggio, then the bass comes in, then drums on the ride, then a second guitar. The volume grows over minutes. Play the arpeggio below very softly at first and a little louder on each repeat.
Tremolo picking
One note is repeated fast with alternate picking, down-up, and sounds like a long sustained note. Keep the wrist loose and the motion small. Listen to the melody below: every note of it is played in sixteenths.
Post-rock arpeggio
The chord’s bass note on beat one, and on top a three-note wave in eighth notes. Every note rings and overlaps. On your own guitar add an eighth-note delay and reverb, and the arpeggio will sound like the records.
Post-rock climax
A four-note melody on the first string, each note tremolo-picked in sixteenths. At the end, a long D with vibrato. Keep the picking even: the loudness comes from density, not from hitting harder.
The riff opens as a draft: change notes, tempo and tracks however you like.
Open in RiffonicWhat to listen to
Listen to these pieces and pay attention to what is described next to each one.
- Explosions in the Sky - “Your Hand in Mine”. Several clean guitars interweave arpeggios, and towards the end the melody turns into tremolo picking.
- Mogwai - “Mogwai Fear Satan”. A long piece built on sharp contrast: a long quiet section and a sudden loud explosion.
- Sigur Rós - “Svefn-g-englar”. The guitar is played with a bow, like a string instrument: long notes without attack and huge reverb.
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 effects do I need for post-rock?
Delay and reverb first. Then overdrive or fuzz for the climaxes. You can start without pedals: the core of the style is arpeggios, open strings and the build.
What is tremolo picking?
Fast repetition of one note with alternate picking, down-up. Play it in eighth notes with a metronome first, then sixteenths, and only then speed up.
How is post-rock different from shoegaze?
Shoegaze has songs and vocals hidden in a thick wash of guitars. Post-rock is usually instrumental, the pieces are longer and built on a long rise from silence to explosion.