YES!!! I love this riff. A very underrated band. All of the members were amazing musicians. Very technical, skilled and majorly talented. Thank you for the tutorial.
Definitely better than that mess Body Count...but Rocky George from Suicidal is a better player than Vernon IMO. Them old school blacks shreddin away!!
MegaCrasherMusic Certainly! I played it with a coverband in the 90's a lot of Vernon Reids stuff is drawing from more jazz and fusion ideas. That is his original background after all.
@JensLarsen, his actual background is all music and he has simultaneously worked with various artists and styles of music at the same time never one or the other including Rock, R&B and Caribbean music.. Just music..
I knew about Living Color when I was younger but had forgotten about them until CM Punk started using this as his entrance theme. Killer riff for sure.
This riff definitely sounds better with closed frets. I initially learned it with open strings, which was challenging in itself, but I’m glad I learned how to play it this way. As far as the finger placement, I think the best thing is to find a way that works for you. The way Vernon plays it is just too awkward for me. That jump to the 2nd fret on the D string throws me off. I play it similar to your way, except I don’t deviate from playing the 3rd fret on the low E with my middle finger. Regardless, I think this is a great tutorial for anyone trying to learn this riff.
I just found myself wondering the same thing after watching a couple clips of him playing it. He switches in and out of economy picking too. I think when you're that good, you don't necessarily think about "how can make this as easy for myself as possible."
Vernon Reid. This came out when I was a teenager and at the time I listened to Bad Brains religiously and Dr. Know was writing amazing shit. When I saw Cult for the first time I caught that same guitar high. Man I wish I had a guitar with a tremolo bar. It is almost Christmas.....
Devastating Rock song . Monster riff Thanks for the meter explanation . I’m in the Vernon’s slightly smeared, just about to fall off the edge soloing ala Page is freakin fantastic artistry camp. Thanks Ben , subscribed !
Man, excellent catch on the D. I remember the just about all of the transcriptions at the time in the guitar mags had that open D on the 4th string, but Guitar for the Practicing Musician correctly (we now know) had the D on the 5th. It was so much more difficult to play smoothly that I refused to believe it - but you can't run from the truth. Goddamn it, you can't run from the truth.
Wow! So many bad tabs from 1988 Guitar World! lol. I learned it full of open strings too and it drove me nuts that I couldn't get it to sound 'right'... This is much better.
Good jerb unca Ben. I've got a crap transcription of this song somewhere and never really took the time to dig into the song and learn it the "correct" way. "Love Rears Its Ugly Head" is another great tune of theirs that's fun to play and improv over. Love the rhythms in that one. 🤘🏼
Easily the one of the sickest top 100 Rock riffs of all time, I have been playing it wrong all these year too with open strings but mainly because I wasnt good enough as a player yet to hit all those individual notes.
Ha! Exactly. I went to bring up tab for someone and your thing came up. Your way is exactly the way that seemed best to me even though open strings should always be an option. Right on dude!
At the end of the pre chorus where the 4th finger has to jump from 5th A to 5th G. Use ring for 5th A instead. Relearning this after also playing it wrong for many years. Great video.
I've been sitting here getting this up to speed with the pinky crossover thing on the second lick. It's a little tricky, but once you get it, you got it, and it sounds good with a dooby and a lotta slapback.
Been subscribed for a while. Every time I think you've covered my niches covered I get a recommendation from something I've watched on youtube. You sir, are outstanding!
That is the exact way it was transcribed in Guitar for the Practicing Musician in the November 1989 issue when the song came out back when magazines were how we all learned songs. That is exactly how my band played it back in 1992 and I have always played it for last 30+ years.
I just experienced a new high. Uncle Ben saying good luck this is a challenging riff just as I nail it has to be top 5 most satisfying moments of my life.
Cool to see you kept your AX-212 amp bro. Mine's in a box in the basement. Now I've got 3 different Vypyrs collecting dust while I play thru the computer and positive grid.
Talk about perfect timing, just started on this song two days ago using the open string method. Glad I stumbled upon Uncle Ben's lesson before it got too ingrained. Great lesson, thanks!
I worked on this a while back and gave up on it. It sounds pretty basic but in the key of G it just wasn't working for me. But after watching your video I was able to finally get it. Thanks! The key for me seemed to be letting the wrist move a bit as you move that first finger back and forth on the D string rather than just trying to do it purely as a finger move. Maybe good players know this intuitively but I had to sort of stumble into it. Really glad to add this to my riff collection at long last.
Dude, every time it goes out of focus I don't know if you are melting my brain with magical rock knowlage or if I am having a seizure. Either way, my eyes are crossed the rest of the day.....:)
On Monday I bought a Jackson Dinky and found out the saddle was stripped so I returned it to GC and for a 100 dollars more got an RG470. The Ibanez is way better quality and the stock pickups sound way better and it feels great too. The only thing I don't like is the Autumn Fade finish but I want to do something like your guitars anyway.
Yea just was watching Vernon playing it live and he doesn’t play open strings. Also Marty Schwartz guitar lesson plays the first change up different so far as I can tell but your pace lesson shows it better! Good vid
Duuuude...I didn't hear anything you said in the first part this video. I was just staring at your guitar. That paint job is awesome! Great info in the video, once I was able to focus. Thanks!
Things I learned: “Drinking your own piss builds character.” It’s always a good idea to “watch those fingerings” when you’re pummeling the wood with Skank Banger. Thanks, Uncle Ben.
Actually full covers are great for learning too and I join the choir to ask for more! Don't need explanations, just plain cover with fixed view on full fret-board and right hand is enough. Please?
Solo: 8 parts G Minor scale 4 parts mindless shredding Mix Sprinkle liberally with trem bar wiggles and dives Bake at 96 BPM for sixteen measures, or until you break a string... Or a finger.
The picking is tricky. I think it's "angular picking". Something like down, up, up ,down, up, up, down, up, up, down, up. Like a combo of alternate and sweep picking. Good luck everyone. I've been playing guitar for over 37 years and this one ain't easy up to speed.
Yeah a lot of people think the chords for the next part are played near the open position as well but he actually jumps way up the neck for them. Nice lesson bro \m/
What? No solo transcription. Pfft. J/K - Saw them open for The Stones in '89 & Lollapalooza in '91. Vernon was just strolling around the stage while casually tearing off those mind-bending, shred-tastic solos. I've never seen anything like it - before or since.
![Rig Rundown - Living Colour Vernon Reid & Doug Wimbish [2016]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/vtHd2v9YiEA/mqdefault.jpg)
Vernon's picking is almost identical to Marty Friedmans. Very underrated and overlooked pioneer of progressive fusion style rock/metal.
I would kill to play like either one
YES!!! I love this riff. A very underrated band. All of the members were amazing musicians. Very technical, skilled and majorly talented. Thank you for the tutorial.
"Were"? lol They ARE
I haven't really gotten the whole riff yet but I am drinking my own piss so there's that
So there’s THAT Hahahaha
You had me at Skank Banger.
Where are the tour dates?
@@Poppafunkband They’re too busy to tour as all of their time is consumed banging skanks.
@@rrhistorian8828 Gotcha
Living Colour... my favorite black metal band!
Definitely better than that mess Body Count...but Rocky George from Suicidal is a better player than Vernon IMO. Them old school blacks shreddin away!!
Whoosh!
Rocky George is the man!
Didn't get it at first, looked up "Living Colour black metal", found the Anal Cunt .."song". Now I get it.
Monster RAM- racist...
"Skank Banger" that is both hilarious and genius at the same time.
Genius? It's totally a "STEEL PANTHER" rip off. I guess if it works for him,, then great.
Classic Living Colour! Love this song! (and I am a little proud to say I played it the right way 😄)
MegaCrasherMusic Certainly! I played it with a coverband in the 90's a lot of Vernon Reids stuff is drawing from more jazz and fusion ideas. That is his original background after all.
I know a guy named Lars Jensen!!
Congratulations! 😄
you can play a song many different way even the artist who makes it up does variations
@JensLarsen, his actual background is all music and he has simultaneously worked with various artists and styles of music at the same time never one or the other including Rock, R&B and Caribbean music.. Just music..
Living Colour... one of my favorite metal bands! And they build a lot of character...
Metal band? Yeah, OK 👍
This riff always reminds me of GH3
CM Punk, GH3, and GTA
San Andreas lol
Arsenio Hall Show in 1989 clearly shows how he plays it right! Cheers brother, thanks, i WAS playing wrong too!
Vernon is so underrated. He’s an insanely awesome player. Love your vids👍👍👍👍
saw them at The Cannery in Nashville shortly after this song hit the charts back in the day. phenomenal band
I knew about Living Color when I was younger but had forgotten about them until CM Punk started using this as his entrance theme. Killer riff for sure.
This riff definitely sounds better with closed frets. I initially learned it with open strings, which was challenging in itself, but I’m glad I learned how to play it this way. As far as the finger placement, I think the best thing is to find a way that works for you. The way Vernon plays it is just too awkward for me. That jump to the 2nd fret on the D string throws me off. I play it similar to your way, except I don’t deviate from playing the 3rd fret on the low E with my middle finger. Regardless, I think this is a great tutorial for anyone trying to learn this riff.
Not to mention you can play it on a down tuned guitar by sliding up a fret or two since there are no open strings.
Vern is da man. Thanks for breaking that riff down. Been wanting to play it right since forever
Nicely done! I've always wondered why Vernon frets it in the perhaps the most difficult possible way :)
I just found myself wondering the same thing after watching a couple clips of him playing it. He switches in and out of economy picking too. I think when you're that good, you don't necessarily think about "how can make this as easy for myself as possible."
He has his way, but it is about the individual.
Vernon Reid. This came out when I was a teenager and at the time I listened to Bad Brains religiously and Dr. Know was writing amazing shit. When I saw Cult for the first time I caught that same guitar high. Man I wish I had a guitar with a tremolo bar. It is almost Christmas.....
This guy knows how to explain in detail without confusing you, Good video !
I always thought this song was so fun to play. All the guitar parts are so fun and clever. It's a classic.
Devastating Rock song . Monster riff Thanks for the meter explanation . I’m in the Vernon’s slightly smeared, just about to fall off the edge soloing ala Page is freakin fantastic artistry camp. Thanks Ben , subscribed !
Zep does that meter trick all the time
Off to build some character. Thanks for talking about the picking of this riff... It's always tripped me up.
yeah, this riff is deceptively tricky. I suck at it.
I never realized that the chorus was all major triads until I watched Vernon play it on that same video.
Man, excellent catch on the D. I remember the just about all of the transcriptions at the time in the guitar mags had that open D on the 4th string, but Guitar for the Practicing Musician correctly (we now know) had the D on the 5th. It was so much more difficult to play smoothly that I refused to believe it - but you can't run from the truth. Goddamn it, you can't run from the truth.
Wow! So many bad tabs from 1988 Guitar World! lol. I learned it full of open strings too and it drove me nuts that I couldn't get it to sound 'right'... This is much better.
I bought that CD back in 89. Awesome vid Ben!
Good jerb unca Ben.
I've got a crap transcription of this song somewhere and never really took the time to dig into the song and learn it the "correct" way. "Love Rears Its Ugly Head" is another great tune of theirs that's fun to play and improv over. Love the rhythms in that one.
🤘🏼
Easily the one of the sickest top 100 Rock riffs of all time, I have been playing it wrong all these year too with open strings but mainly because I wasnt good enough as a player yet to hit all those individual notes.
Ha! Exactly. I went to bring up tab for someone and your thing came up. Your way is exactly the way that seemed best to me even though open strings should always be an option. Right on dude!
At the end of the pre chorus where the 4th finger has to jump from 5th A to 5th G. Use ring for 5th A instead.
Relearning this after also playing it wrong for many years. Great video.
See? I KNEW that riff was hard to play! Lol..... Solo next! Thanks Ben!
This riff is surprisingly difficult to play, probably because I just suck. Thanks for the lesson!
This riff is making me a better guitar player, thanks Uncle Ben
nice video, i'm quite certain rocksmith2014 has this same version on it. its how i learned to play this song.
The most helpful vid on RUclips for this riff!! Thank-you!!
thanks uncle ben!
They rocked!🤘🏻
Hell ye uncle Bennett, that's a nice song.
I've been sitting here getting this up to speed with the pinky crossover thing on the second lick. It's a little tricky, but once you get it, you got it, and it sounds good with a dooby and a lotta slapback.
Been subscribed for a while. Every time I think you've covered my niches covered I get a recommendation from something I've watched on youtube. You sir, are outstanding!
That is the exact way it was transcribed in Guitar for the Practicing Musician in the November 1989 issue when the song came out back when magazines were how we all learned songs. That is exactly how my band played it back in 1992 and I have always played it for last 30+ years.
Absolutely excellent tutorial. I never had the patience to figure out the transition triad licks in between verses. Thank you.
I just experienced a new high.
Uncle Ben saying good luck this is a challenging riff just as I nail it has to be top 5 most satisfying moments of my life.
YES!!!!!!! the way i've played it since i was 15, back in '88...
Well done! Thanks Ben!
Cool to see you kept your AX-212 amp bro. Mine's in a box in the basement. Now I've got 3 different Vypyrs collecting dust while I play thru the computer and positive grid.
FInally learning this riff.
Now is the right time :)
Living color a league on their own with 24-7 SPYZ !!!
Good lesson great band and wild memories! Thanks for the walk down memory road!
Uncle Ben Rocks!!!
This is one of those songs that make you say, may as well start learning guitar all over again 😉🤠!!! Lol
Thanks,finally got it. I love it ! It’s one of my all time favorites.”SASSY” ✌🏻😎
Talk about perfect timing, just started on this song two days ago using the open string method. Glad I stumbled upon Uncle Ben's lesson before it got too ingrained. Great lesson, thanks!
I knew it! Damn, you are my hero! I knew, there were no open notes!
I laughed ridiculously loud when I heard you say Skank Banger.
I worked on this a while back and gave up on it. It sounds pretty basic but in the key of G it just wasn't working for me. But after watching your video I was able to finally get it. Thanks! The key for me seemed to be letting the wrist move a bit as you move that first finger back and forth on the D string rather than just trying to do it purely as a finger move. Maybe good players know this intuitively but I had to sort of stumble into it. Really glad to add this to my riff collection at long last.
"...at step-dad speed."
Love that! Practical too.
I was getting worried that my Uncle Ben wouldnt post today D:
The 1st person to show the way for me with this sweet riff!!!!! Dig yer Ibanez. I have a roadstar series II all black.
Dude, every time it goes out of focus I don't know if you are melting my brain with magical rock knowlage or if I am having a seizure. Either way, my eyes are crossed the rest of the day.....:)
Great video thank you now comes the work .
Yes man...The CM PUNK chants are coming... I cab feel it
i knew it in closed position then, after seeing and hearing him do it with open strings i learnt whole section with them.
On Monday I bought a Jackson Dinky and found out the saddle was stripped so I returned it to GC and for a 100 dollars more got an RG470. The Ibanez is way better quality and the stock pickups sound way better and it feels great too. The only thing I don't like is the Autumn Fade finish but I want to do something like your guitars anyway.
Uncle Ben always coming in clutch!
Dang... you're a good teacher.
Excellent !!!! Thanks !!!!
10:24 How to build character...
Yea just was watching Vernon playing it live and he doesn’t play open strings. Also Marty Schwartz guitar lesson plays the first change up different so far as I can tell but your pace lesson shows it better! Good vid
Great video I'm fortunate I learned it the right way from Guitar Magazine back in the day. They had it right on the money. Both ways sound good.
Awesome lesson. Beautiful Ibanez.
This is super awesome. Thank you Uncle Ben!
Duuuude...I didn't hear anything you said in the first part this video. I was just staring at your guitar. That paint job is awesome! Great info in the video, once I was able to focus. Thanks!
Love the ferocity!
Best lesson on this !!
The name of your channel deserves an update just by itself.
You going to post your gigs with Skank Banger.?
Things I learned:
“Drinking your own piss builds character.”
It’s always a good idea to “watch those fingerings” when you’re pummeling the wood with Skank Banger.
Thanks, Uncle Ben.
Lol got me with the piss thing😂
"skank Banger" !!?? that is the best name ever for a 80's cover band. someone should get an award for that one. lol
I have to play this in my band this weekend and im underrehearsed AF. thank you for this so so so much.
amazing tutorial to an amaaazing riff, thank you..
Please do a cover of this song in full! I’d love to see you’re interpretation of the solo! Thanks uncle Ben! Where can we hear Skank Bangers?
Ron Figg Skankbanger is a life cover band, coming soon to a town near you!
*live
Actually full covers are great for learning too and I join the choir to ask for more! Don't need explanations, just plain cover with fixed view on full fret-board and right hand is enough. Please?
Solo:
8 parts G Minor scale
4 parts mindless shredding
Mix
Sprinkle liberally with trem bar wiggles and dives
Bake at 96 BPM for sixteen measures, or until you break a string... Or a finger.
This guy is good!
I was doing it right the whole time and is very challenging
When I learned this riff I played the G with my thumb and use the open D string ;) and still do
Awesome Riff Dude! As usual you taught me something new. I was doing the open string too. Gonna take a minute for my hand to remember it tho...😊
great song .. song sound great when he starting playing fast guitar sound great make song sound so f good
I like using the middle two fingers for the 3rd fret notes
He just watched Vernon explain it on his video and then sold it as his own lesson lol
That's how it's written in Rocksmith.
I remember the tab in guitar player ( I think they had it wrong ). This song gets me amped every time
Thanks Ben!
Great teaching style and that's one helluva pretty axe!!
The picking is tricky. I think it's "angular picking". Something like down, up, up ,down, up, up, down, up, up, down, up. Like a combo of alternate and sweep picking. Good luck everyone. I've been playing guitar for over 37 years and this one ain't easy up to speed.
Glad I found this channel
Good stuff man. Subbed up 👍
Skank Banger!!!?! God that's brilliant.
You have earned a new follower
Yeah a lot of people think the chords for the next part are played near the open position as well but he actually jumps way up the neck for them. Nice lesson bro \m/
I would have thought a "wank" shop would be an entirely different video! Anyway, great song, great tutorial. 👍🏻
What? No solo transcription. Pfft.
J/K - Saw them open for The Stones in '89 & Lollapalooza in '91. Vernon was just strolling around the stage while casually tearing off those mind-bending, shred-tastic solos. I've never seen anything like it - before or since.