AC/DC

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Waters, Freddie King and Chuck Berry. Malcolm was influenced by many of the same players, but it’s his rhythm guitar sound that has always been the foundation of AC/DC. The band has been described by producer Rick Rubin as the greatest rock and roll band of all time, and they’ve won numerous awards as well as being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

The band has enjoyed countless sold-out tours and shifted millions of albums - Back In Black alone selling more than 50 million units to become the highest-selling album ever by a band. After the death of Malcolm Young AC/DC continued to record and tour, with nephew Stevie Young playing rhythm guitar, as he had done during the Blow Up Your Video world tour in 1988 when Malcolm took a break to clean up from substance abuse problems.

The track this month is simple to play, but it will be the way that it’s played that needs real focus. We’re in the key of B Major which is B-C#-D#-E-F#-G#-A# but the sound of the track is largely built around the B Mixolydian mode - the same as listed above but with an A note (b7) replacing A# (maj7). This lends more of a bluesy sound to the track. The solo is built around B Minor Pentatonic scale (B-D-EF#-A) but also leans heavily towards the blues with its Minor sound over the Major chords in the progression.

AC/DC needs very little in the way of introduction, but for those (about to rock) who need it, they were formed in 1973 in Sydney, Australia by Scottish born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. The Young brothers have been the bedrock of the AC/DC sound since they began and the classic line-ups of the group consisted of drummer Phil Rudd, bassist Cliff

Williams and singer Bon Scott, who was replaced after his death by Brian Johnson. Johnson’s first album with the band was the classic Mutt Lange-produced Back In Black. The most notable recent name to have a stint with the band was Axl Rose, who temporarily took over lead vocal duties when Brian Johnson needed to get medical help for hearing loss issues.

The band’s sound has always been a blend of rock, blues and heavy metal, but perhaps more so than almost every other band they are virtually a genre in their own right, and have been the blueprint for many other artists over the past five decades.

One of Angus Young’s main influences is his own brother Malcolm, as well as Muddy

Focus on timing and accuracy when approaching the rhythm part. AC/DC is famous for preferring open-position chord shapes than barres, wherever possible. Also, Malcolm’s parts are always bang in time with the insistent drum beat (or even slightly lazy), so watch out for your timing and attitude here.

The solo is not difficult to play, but you will need to bring bags of confidence and authority if you are to get anywhere near Angus’s strong and bold attitude.