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Tuning: E A D G B E
ARTIST: The Ramones TITLE: Blitzkrieg Bop TRANSCRIBED BY: Hardly Ramone (Me) TUNING: Standard Tuning ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the Johnny Ramone way to play the original 1976 recording of Blitzkrieg Bop. Check my profile for a video clip of me demonstrating the song played this way. It is not easy/intuitive to sound like Johnny Ramone, so I've included extra technique & tone tips below the tabs. I don't really recommend this version for beginners or quick playalongs. Note that the strumming pattern evolved and changed in 1977+ live shows. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHORDS USED: A D E Bm These are all E-shape and A-shape barre chords, though Johnny Ramone played his A-shapes as second inversions, E| 5 5 7 2 where the low E string is fretted rather than muted out. B| 5 7 9 3 Also note that the B chord is B minor, an important G| 6 7 9 4 detail of the song that is sometimes overlooked. This D| 7 7 9 4 might sound rather nasty on some guitar rigs, but it A| 7 5 7 2 can be heard quite clearly on the isolated studio guitar E| 5 5 7 2 track. It is also correct for the key of A. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHORD PATTERN 1 (used repeatedly during the intro and all verses, no need to copy/paste it 20 times): A D E E|--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5-----5--7--------7--7--| B|--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--7-----7--9--------9--9--| G|--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--7-----7--9--------9--9--| D|--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7-----7--9--------9--9--| A|--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--5-----5--7--------7--7--| E|--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5-----5--7--------7--7--| Forming in a straight line They're A D E E|--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5-----5--7--------7--7--| B|--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--7-----7--9--------9--9--| G|--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--7-----7--9--------9--9--| D|--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7-----7--9--------9--9--| A|--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--5-----5--7--------7--7--| E|--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5-----5--7--------7--7--| going through a tight wind The A D E E|--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5-----5--7--------7--7--| B|--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--7-----7--9--------9--9--| G|--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--7-----7--9--------9--9--| D|--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7-----7--9--------9--9--| A|--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--5-----5--7--------7--7--| E|--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5-----5--7--------7--7--| kids are losing their minds The Blitzkrieg A D A E|--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--| B|--5-----5--5--7-----7--7--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--| G|--6-----6--6--7-----7--7--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--| D|--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--| A|--7-----7--7--5-----5--5--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--| E|--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--| Bop ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHANT SECTIONS (guitar comes in at the end): (Drums) E|--------------------------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------------------| G|--------------------------------------------------| D|--------------------------------------------------| A|--------------------------------------------------| E|--------------------------------------------------| Hey ho let's go (Drums) E|--------------------------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------------------| G|--------------------------------------------------| D|--------------------------------------------------| A|--------------------------------------------------| E|--------------------------------------------------| Hey ho let's go (Bass guitar comes in) E|--------------------------------------------------| B|--------------------------------------------------| G|--------------------------------------------------| D|--------------------------------------------------| A|--------------------------------------------------| E|--------------------------------------------------| Hey ho let's go A E|--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--| B|--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--| G|--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--6--| D|--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--| A|--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--| E|--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--| Hey ho let's go ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHORD PATTERN 2 (used twice in the song, during the chorus/change): D E|--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--| B|--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--| G|--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--| D|--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--| A|--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--| E|--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--| Hey ho let's go A D A E|--5-----5--5--------5--5--5-----5--5--------5--5--| B|--5-----5--5--------5--5--7-----7--5--------5--5--| G|--6-----6--6--------6--6--7-----7--6--------6--6--| D|--7-----7--7--------7--7--7-----7--7--------7--7--| A|--7-----7--7--------7--7--5-----5--7--------7--7--| E|--5-----5--5--------5--5--5-----5--5--------5--5--| Shoot 'im in the back now D E|--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--| B|--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--| G|--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--| D|--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--7-----7--7--| A|--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--| E|--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--5-----5--5--| What they want I don't know They're Bm D E E|--2-----2--2--2--2--2--2--5-----5--7--------7--7--| B|--3-----3--3--3--3--3--3--7-----7--9--------9--9--| G|--4-----4--4--4--4--4--4--7-----7--9--------9--9--| D|--4-----4--4--4--4--4--4--7-----7--9--------9--9--| A|--2-----2--2--2--2--2--2- 5-----5--7--------7--7--| E|--2-----2--2--2--2--2--2--5-----5--7--------7--7--| all revved up and ready to go ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TIPS: To make this song sound right with full barre chords, you need a comfortable all-downstroke technique and a suitable guitar tone. Johnny strummed all six strings, but the downstrokes naturally put the heaviest attack on the bottom strings, creating a powerful sound. It is not easy to get this right. Use only the bridge pickup on your guitar, and try to dial your amplfier for a balanced amount of distortion, like an older Marshall amp. Don't overdo it, but you need enough grit & fuzz to avoid a twangy sound. NOTE: Every string in a barre chord adds several harmonic variables into a huge mix that different rigs will handle... differently. Distortion brings out overtones in each string, and every small characteristic of your guitar & amp will start to matter as the overtones/harmonics interact with each other in the context of a chord. This effect is naturally less relevant when playing solos or chords with fewer strings. So while gear & tone isn't everything, it did have a large effect on the sound Johnny got from barre chords. GEAR: Johnny Ramone used Marshall Plexi Super Lead 1959 amps through 1960B cabs with Celestion Greenback speakers on the studio recording, as well as Mosrite guitars. He used a Ventures II slab model on stage, but may have used the more premium Ventures model to record this song. Some characteristics of this rig are: The godly overdrive of old cranked Marshalls, a warm high output bridge pickup, the flatter "Mosrite speed frets" reduce sharp clarity in fretted notes, open strings resonate differently due to "zero fret".