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Quick licks: intermediate #10

By Guitar Techniques
published 6 January 2012

Townshend chords and claw style country rhythm

Intermediate lick one: Pete Townshend rhythm

Intermediate lick one: Pete Townshend rhythm

This one has a great rhythmic drive at 144bpm using an open fourth string throughout with major chords on top. It is typical of the kind of rhythm part The Who's guitarist would devise. All downstrokes in the picking hand, and some hefty British crunch from an Orange amp made it all possible!

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Intermediate lick two: Country rhythm claw style

Intermediate lick two: Country rhythm claw style

Country session legend James Burton was the inspiration here. Use hybrid picking and palm mute the alternating open fifth and sixth strings with your picking hand to get the bass notes to pop out on this A7th vamp. Try a single-coil pickup with some slap-back delay for an authentic Burtonesque touch.

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