The one thing I dislike about Rockwiz
I love me weekly dose of Rockwiz but there is one thing that pisses me off every week. And that is how Rockwiz’ resident master of the Telecaster, James Black, plays the Back in Black riff at the start of Million Dollar Riff section.
Grab yer guitar. Angus and Malcom play open E, open D, open A. Check this page where you can see the tab and hear the riff. One of the secrets to the AC/DC sound is the use of open chords. Sure they do use power chords but the big fat riffs revolve around open chords.
Now James plays it using power chords. E at the 7th fret, D at the 5th and then an A with the third in the bass starting 4th fret 5th string. Musically it is correct. It is still E, D and A. But it sounds so wrong. The riff loses it mojo when played that way and I just can’t stand it.
AC/DC actually do use that chord shape with the third in the bass (Hell Bells and For Those About to Rock for example). But not on BiB.
That is my only complaint about Rockwiz. Other than that, a fine show. Oh, FXH does tells me it could do with more time devoted to Julia.
Update: I’ve added in the riffs for you to hear. First is BiB as Angus plays it. Then the James Black version. And for fun, the Hells Bells intro to as the C - G -A bit does used a G based on the B 2nd fret 5th string and G 5th fret 4th string. Same chord shape that I’m complaining about James using for BiB.
Angus
James
Hells Bells
November 15, 2007 at 11:42 am
“One of the secrets to the AC/DC sound is the use of open chords.”
AKA Angus’s stubby little fingers. I read an interview somewhere in which he said he can’t play barres very well, hence from necessity came invention…
November 15, 2007 at 11:47 am
By the way, nice site. Only just discovered it. Been thinking of starting a guitary-bloggy-thingy myself…you got a band?
November 15, 2007 at 11:51 am
Yes, Angus has mentioned before that a lot of how he plays the guitar results from needing to overcome his small physique.
November 15, 2007 at 11:53 am
Thanks. Not at the moment. Though a mate who I used to gig with regularly are talking of collaborating on music again.
I hope to put up some vids of me guitar playing though. Just gotta get a cone fixed on a National tri-cone copy I have.
November 15, 2007 at 11:53 am
Forgot to ask, what do you play?
November 15, 2007 at 1:16 pm
I got Black in Black in a small tabs omnibus that came with Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Take Me Out’ and you’re exactly right but the open D just sounds really twangy. It kind of goes AC/DC; Hank Williams; AC/DC
November 16, 2007 at 12:03 am
Mexican Strat thru a Behringer Vampire modelling amp at the mo’, tho’ I’m toying with lashing out on a valvey with the monster wad I got from Penguin for my bits of Still Not Happy John (I thought…mmmmm, an original AC30, say…yeah, that is a joke). Also a Maton Stage series e/a, which I usually just run though our P/A. At prez I jam in a weekend pick-up five-piecer - the usual forty-somethings all pretending to be Keef; and have just started gigging with our singer, duet shit with an eclectic country-rockish vibe. I also play keys and have been splishing about ineptly in the jazz end of the musical pool (discovering why jazzers are generally such kooks: all those goddamned lettery-numbery chords…you ever tried jazz guitar? Perish!)
Our rhythm guy just got a US Tele and a fender 15 amp valve rig…and even I admit it is most excellently gruntish…I went up a grade of strings just avoid sounding like a weenie.
That slide noodling sounded good. I’ve got a beat-up Monterey with which I’m…(ahem) ‘exploring’ alt/open tunings etc myself just (ie only, at last) now. Noodled about on our bass player’s Dobro last week, and it’s harder than it looks, but kinda’ moreish…I’m a bit like Angus in the digit dept, and I’m not sure which joint/finger I’m gunna end up most comfy with rfe: slide pozzy. There are no rules on it, are there? BTW, I bought a uke (for my little boy) at guitar w/h for about 20 bucks. Want me to send one up the coast?
Anthony, maybe ditch/damp/de-emphasise the high E string (the f#) to take a bit of the country out of it…or just shitloads more gain?
November 16, 2007 at 11:04 am
Anthony, nice description (and there is certainly some Hank in You Shook Me All Night Long) but I don’t hear that with BiB.
November 16, 2007 at 11:21 am
Dunno why I didn’t do this before but I’ve added me playing the BiB riff ala Angus and ala James. Also added the Hells Bells one for fun.
This was my 1996 JD Tele (used the combined bridge and neck pickup - which is a Strat pickup) through my Behringer V-Amp Pro in n-Track on my PC. I did use the ‘Highway to Hell’ preset for the tone.
Jack,
I have dabbled in Jazz, even to the stage of attempting to transcribe Joe Pass chord melodies but it did my head in. I do love chord melody and Joe Pass takes my breath away with his brilliance. But you need to live jazz have it in your heart. And my heart wasn’t there.
I also have a 1980 Fender Twin Reverb with JBL speakers. Very difficult to make it break up but a great punchy tone. I used to play country gigs on a regular occasion and it was great amp for those times.
When I get the cone for my national copy I’ll start recording some tunes and post ‘em here.
But good that you are gigging and jamming. I do need to get back to playing with people again. Last gig I had was my own wedding a year and a half ago.
November 16, 2007 at 11:33 am
I’ll add that the hardest AC/DC riff to play correctly is ‘Jailbreak.’ It is also E-D-A.
The trouble is to play it with the right attitude. Play it wrong (which is so easy to do) and you end with G-L-O-R-I-A.
Play it right and you will sound like a hardened crim. The difference is amazing. Check it out.
November 17, 2007 at 2:55 am
You’re right, BiB really needs that open chord combo - it’s gotta lift up to that first D, not drop down…gives the riff the recognisable ‘jagged’ progression. That’s a pretty good patch, eh - like most of the V-amp series’ patches. Although I have to say I’ve struggled to utilise the presets with any coherence jamming - it’s like there’s too much specificity, and you end up chasing tones up your own bum while everyone else is just getting on with it. What I tend to do now is leave the presets for recording and use the amp (it’s the LX210) as a straight amp/cabinet modeller in conjunction with pedals. I’ve found the tweed, classic clean and Brit hi-gain patches thru a Tube Screamer and a Crybaby gives me plenty of range for the pretty bog standard blues-rock stuff we tend to fluff about with. BTW, if you’re ever in Sydney and you fancy a bash we crank out three or four hours most weekends in Balmain, ie you’d be most welcome to drop in and arc up - especially if you haul in your Twin, tee-hee. We play pretty standard fair, I’m sure you’d gobble it (and us!) up cold…btw, just finished reading your 3-parter on your LA time. Really great read, Shaun (makings of a good novel even I think). You’ve obviously got loads more performance time that me. One thing that I’ve really noticed since I started gigging (with our singer) is just how much banal ‘organisational’ stuff matters on stage, as opposed to virtuosity/talent/technique etc. The silly stuff you can’t/don’t fully grasp until you’re up there: being able to see what you’re doing (or not!), hear yourself (ditto!), elbow room, line management, blah blah…open mike nights are great ways to get your head around this stuff, I’ve found. NO doubt jamming with more experienced performer is no doubt the next best thing. In fact it’d make for a good blogpost series…practical tips for gigging kind of thing.
Joe Pass’s technique and touch is pure silk. Made all these light-speed shredders sound like supersonic sewing machines, don’t he.
November 17, 2007 at 4:10 am
Sorry meant to say “really twangy when I play it”. Thanks Jack. And once I get this work done, I might have to try Jailbreak, I mean if the worst that can happen is that it sounds like Gloria then that’s no bad thing (although I’d probably end up making it sound like Laura Branigan’s)
November 17, 2007 at 7:31 am
ROFL, yeah, the Jailbreak riff is an attitude thing. And shurely it can only be described as something like ’sullen insouciance in the wrist’…ie like your right hand is slouching around the progression…exactly how said hardened crim would get from the yard back to his cell after smoko or whatever…OK, I’ve caught up now. Laugh out loud funny, SC.
Makes you remember/think how funny Bon Scott was, too. If there’s one thing that the post-Bon Acca misses more than anything else it’s that wicked humour. R&R would be immeasurably the lesser without the mental image of Bon at the pulpit going through the ‘let there be rock’ litany.
Gunna have to try me that riff again too, Anthony. When I play it always sound too stern and stiff. ‘Tude problem - too much dour do-good Prot in me, see…
November 20, 2007 at 8:34 am
1. I can’t recall which one is Kwiz or Specks unless I am actually witnessing the show, which mistake I made recently to see Myf cheered for knowing about an album (The Shaggs) I bought before she was born.
2. there is no ‘post-Bon Acca’.
November 21, 2007 at 1:31 pm
On the flight to Singapore, for the first time in a long time I really had a good listen again to the whole BiB album again (not much else to do at 40,000 feet). And jeez it still sounds good.
However, listening to the title track, I do reckon Malcolm plays the James Black version of the riff behind Angus’ solo. However, the open chord manner is still correct in context of the signature opening riff. Variations should not be held representative of the song IMNSHO.
Bwca, do you still own Philosophy of the World?
November 25, 2007 at 11:08 am
sorry to say, no. ex-husband got the 1600 albums we amassed between 1967 and 1987. why didn’t I think of duplicating the collection!