“I look at the guitar like it’s a drum set," famous sticksman / stringsman / singsman triple threat Dave Grohl told Total Guitar back in 2005. "The sixth string is the kick, the fifth and fourth the snare; I ring the G like it’s a hi-hat and I use the high strings like cymbals to accentuate a change.
"When I play drums, I may use crash cymbals to bust through a chorus. I do the same with first and second strings, ringing out through a chorus to give it a sense of air.”
We like Grohl's thinking here so much we made a whole lesson around it called Foo For Thought (sorry). Check it out below…
Grohl's tip is something to think about when you’re jamming out your own riffs. Just remember that the downpicking and palm-muting combo is all-important for that hard rock edge. In our riff above we’ve also transferred the guitar rhythm to the drums for that ‘locked in’ Foo feel. Enjoy!
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