Essential Guitar Riffs

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Here are some guitar riffs that you should know. They are fairly easy but they soung brilliant and are great for showing off when someone asks you to play something by a certain band

Design For Life - Manic Street Preachers

The Intro and verse to a great song and really easy, try to play it as smoothly as possible.

        x4            x4             x4

E---------------------------------------------
B-------0--------------0----------------------
G-----5---5----------5---5------------4-------
D---5-------5------3-------3--------5---5-----
A-3-----------3--5-----------5----5-------5---
E-------------------------------3-----------3-

        x2             x2             x4

E---------------------------------------------
B-------8--------------8--------------0-------
G-----7---7----------7---7----------5---5-----
D---5-------5------6-------6------5-------5---
A-6-----------6--5-----------5--3-----------3-
E---------------------------------------------

Motorcycle Emptiness - Manic Street Preachers

E-----|-------------|--------------------------------------|
B-----|-------------|-2h4-4-4-4h6-6-6-6h8-8-8-8h9/11-------|
G-----|-------------|--------------------------------------|
D-9^9-|-7h9p7h9-9^9-|--------------------------------13^13-|
A-----|-------------|--------------------------------------|
E-----|-------------|--------------------------------------|
          twice

E-------------------|----------------------------------|
B-------------------|-2h4-4-4-4h6-6-6-6h8-8-8-8h9/11-8-|
G-------------------|----------------------------------|
D-11h13p11h13-13^13-|----------------------------------|
A-------------------|----------------------------------|
E-------------------|----------------------------------|
           twice

E-------|---------------------|----------------------------------|
B-------|---------------------|-2h4-4-4-4h6-6-6-6h8-8-8-8h9/11-8-|
G-12^12-|-12h14p12--h14-12^12-|----------------------------------|
D-------|---------------------|----------------------------------|
A-------|---------------------|----------------------------------|
E-------|---------------------|----------------------------------|
                      twice

Key: ^ = A full bend

We Are The Pigs - Suede

Detune your guitar a semitone for this one.

E---7-----------|------------------0-|
B-----8p7-------|---8/10-10\8----0---|
G---------9-7---|--------------7-----| x3
D-------------9-|---9/11-11\9--------|
A---------------|-0------------------|
E-0-------------|--------------------|

Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin

This is the intro to the song which everyone has to know how to play. This is really a bit of a cliché now but you may as well learn the opening few bars anyway.

E-------5-7-----7-|-8-----8-2-----2-|-0---------0-----|-----------------|
B-----5-----5-----|---5-------3-----|---1---1-----1---|-0-1-1-----------|
G---5---------5---|-----5-------2---|-----2---------2-|-0-2-2-----------|
D-7-------6-------|-5-------4-------|-3---------------|-----------------|
A-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-2-0-0-----------|
E-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

Knockin' On Heavens Door - Guns N' Roses

It looks harder than it is. It is played quite slowly so is fairly easy after a few goes.

 G                 D          C
E------------------------------------------------------
B-------------------15---------------------------------
G-12-14b16b14-12-14-------14b16b14-12-12-----------12--
D------------------------------------------12/14~~~----
A------------------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------

 G                    D           C
E---------------P------------P--------P------------------15----
B15/17---15---13-12-13b15--13-12---13--12----------12-13----13-
G--------------------------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------14~~~~~~~------------
A--------------------------------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------

 G                     D              C
E--~~~-------15-17b19--17b19--17b19---15-----------------------
B12---15/17----------------------------------------------------
G--------------------------------------------------------------
D--------------------------------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------

 G                     D             C                                   G
E--20b22-20p19-20--19-20b22--20-20-20------------------------------------------
B-------------------------------------17----------------------------------20~~-
G----------------------------------------19b21b19b21b19------------------------
D-------------------------------------------------------19b21b19b21b19---------
A-----------------------------------------------------------------------17-----
E------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

Here is the Solo

 E|-----------------------------------|---------------------------------|
 B|-----------------------------------|---------------------------------|
 G|-----8-10\8-----8-8b(10)r(8)-6-5~~~|-6-5-----------------------------|
 D|--10--------6~~~-------------------|------8--6~~~8-8b(10)r(8)-6-5~~~-| x2
 A|-----------------------------------|---------------------------------|
 E|-----------------------------------|---------------------------------|


 E|---------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 B|---------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 G|---------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 D|---6-5---6-5---6-5---6-5-5-------|-6-5---6-5---6-5---6-5-5--------| x2
 A|---------------------------8~~~~~|-------------------------8~~~~~-|
 E|---------------------------------|--------------------------------|

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