Sum 41 Style

Hi GMC!

This new lesson is based on the style of the punk rock band Sum 41. They are a Canadian rock band formed in 1996 and that became popular as soon as they released they first album “All Killer, No Filler” in 2001 thanks to the single “Fat Lip”.
If you like this lesson you will also like my Punk Rock Lessons: Classic Punk Series, Pop Punk Series, Skate Punk.

Music Style:

Their style is an interesting mix of punk rock, metal, pop and hardcore. They are usually related to other punk bands from the 90’s that became very popular like Blink 182, Green Day and Offspring. The main difference that I find in Sum’s music is their more metal influence that comes from bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden.

Tonality, Chord Progression & Scales:

As many Punk Rock bands, their music is based in mostly minor tonalities sometimes also combined with major progressions to get that “happy” feeling of Pop Punk music like Blink. This tune is in G#m and the chord progressions can be found in the main video and also over the tabs. The classic progression Im – VI – III – VII is used and it’s also one of the most used in Sum’s songs.

Techniques:

This lesson is not technically difficult. We will use palm muting, only down strokes rhythms and alternate picking. Excepting the most metal songs which are fast and has some tricky solos, Sum 41’s music is not very difficult to play on guitar.

Sound:

I used my POD hd500 to build a sound based on Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier amps and 4x12 cabinets.
I used Cubase to record audio and midi, EZdrummer for drums and Hallion for bass.

Click HERE to download the patch.

Tuning:

I used standard 440

Tempo:

180 BPM

Ok guys – it’s time for punk rock!