How to play Hertz by Amyl & The Sniffers
Old-school Aussie Punk rockers, Amyl & The Sniffers are giving the 2020s a timely reminder of the stripped back power of a three-piece band with a high energy front woman. Hertz is one of the singles from the band’s 2021 album Comfort to Me. The full on punk rock vibes and sing along chorus of Hertz make it a great, fun track for electric guitarists.
Riff & chords: Riff in C# pentatonic minor and power chords C#5 B5
Does the riff have to move down to the 2nd fret? The distortion tone will be sharper with the B on the 5th string, 2nd fret but you may find the riff a more comfortable staying in the 4th position. The original is played moving back and forth between 4th and 2nd position. Bracketed numbers show an alternative position for that note.
Pick or Fingers? Pick, for sure. Use a medium-hard pick to create the energy of this style.
Acoustic or Electric? Definitely an electric guitar song ; Hertz is not an acoustic guitar kind of thing!
Lead guitar : The lead fills and solo in Hertz use the C# pentatonic minor scale and feature some classic string bending Rock cliches. Use a good overdrive/distortion tone with a little reverb and play a firm attack with the pick.
How does the timing of the riff work? The riff in Hertz is a two-bar pattern with a strong syncopated rhythm. The quaver rests (these look a bit like a ‘7’) are all on a downbeat. Each creates a short silence between the surrounding notes, and having four of them within a two-bar riff makes for a spikey, choppy feel. Make sure the first note of the riff has a strong accented feel and lands squarely on the 1st beat of the bar. Listen carefully to the recording and try tapping/clapping the riff in time with it.
How do you play the bend notes? With at least two fingers, preferably three on the string to control the action. Do not use your little finger for bending; it needs all the other fingers supporting it and is often needed for the next note after a bend note. For concise descriptions of string-bending techniques and graduated exercises to develop your technique check out the very helpful Electric Guitar Solo Style 1
Relevant pages in Electric Guitar Solo Style 1 : to learn more about the techniques and TAB reading used in Hertz go to pages 7 - 10, 18 -19, 25 - 26 and 32.
Need a bit of help?
Electric Guitar Solo Style 1 : Suitable for beginners, this very helpful book is for entry-level to intermediate guitarists who want to improve their lead guitar skills. Presented with TAB throughout to assist, EGSS1 will consolidate your core lead guitar skills like hammer-on, pull-off, string-bending, pentatonic and blues scales, and more. All techniques are explained clearly and then applied to cool solos throughout the book. EGSS1 will help you build a rock solid foundation for your guitar soloing!
