A-Chord | G-Chord | D-Chord | |e|—-x—–|——x——|—–x——| |B|—-x—-|——x——|—–x——| |G|—-x—-|——x——|—–7——| |D|—-7—-|——5——|—–7——| |A|—-7—-|——5——|—–5——| |E|—-5—-|——3——|—–x——|
Check out Green Day’s “She,” which opens with a great but simple bass riff, and note how it follows the guitar, but with subtle flourishes. Rancid’s “Olympia, WA” is almost straight 16th notes on the bass, carrying the song along.
Big, quick fills on the toms and crash cymbals are the common way to transition into new parts of the song. Pop-punk drummers like Travis Barker are talented musicians who drive the song forward. Focus on keeping time perfectly, especially at high speeds, to become an invaluable drummer.
Chop up and change your favorite riffs from other bands. Pop-punk is heavily borrowed, adapted, and repeated. In general, three power chords are the bare minimum for a song. Play with the rhythm and timing of your chords to give them a unique spin.
Keep it simple – the chorus should not be hard to follow. Aim for catchy melodies – this is where you hook people’s ears. Add a short, improvised 1-2 bar riff coming in and out of the chorus to mark each change.
Play the verse or chorus at half-time. Replay or change up the intro riff or melody. Simplify the chords to the 1-2 most important ones, leaving space for vocals or a solo. Drop out certain instruments, then slowly build them back in.
Blink-182’s “Dammit” is an excellent example. All you have to write is a riff for the verse, the chorus, and the bridge. when it comes to solos, they are usually very simple. Occasionally it’s just the intro again, and in some cases there are no solos at all
When you play live, your number one goal is to have high, contagious energy. Quick songs make it much easier to get people jumping around with you. It is rare for songs to go longer than three minutes. Many are even over before the two minute mark.
Ska and Reggae (Rancid, Operation Ivy, Less Than Jake. Country (Social Distortion, Lucero) Swing/Rockabilly (The Misfits, Cobra Skulls).
Love and heartbreak Suburban angst Rebellion against school, parents, etc. Joke-y and goofy lyrics Growing up. [1] X Research source
Whistling the lyrics is a great way to hear the melody. Write lyrics so that they sound great even when you’re just whistling. Green Day, Blink-182, Operation Ivy, and Rancid are great bands on their own, but it is their ability to write a catchy, radio-friendly chorus got them famous.
Tell a story (“Timebomb”) Describe related moments or images about a girl, life, school (“Story of my Life. “). Explore a theme or idea, using each verse to talk about a different aspect (“Longview”).
Feel free to get weird. The Lillingtons, for example, made their mark with sci-fi inspired songs. Feel free to be funny. Pop-punk has a long history of pranksters and joke songs, from the poppier NOFX songs to the self-awareness of The Steinways. [2] X Research source
