Guitar Songs, Tabs & Lessons

Elle King

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Ex's & Oh's - Guitar Cover

YouTube Stats: 67K · 1.4K

Band Overview

Elle King is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who burst onto the scene in the mid-2010s with a raw, swampy blend of Blues Rock, country, and garage pop. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Ohio, she grew up surrounded by music (her father is comedian and actor Rob Schneider, but her musical influences came from her mother's side and her own deep dive into roots music). Her debut album "Love Stuff" (2015) delivered the massive hit "Ex's & Oh's," a track that lives at the intersection of stompy blues-rock and pop hooks. For guitarists, Elle King's catalog is a masterclass in how simple, well-chosen riffs and aggressive rhythm playing can drive a song harder than any technical shredding ever could. From a guitar perspective, Elle King's music centers on gritty, bluesy electric guitar tones paired with banjo textures and distorted low-end crunch. Her band's guitar work leans heavily on power chords, blues-box pentatonic riffs, and punchy rhythm parts that sit right in the pocket. The playing is direct and feel-driven rather than technically demanding, making her songs great entry points for intermediate guitarists who want to work on timing, dynamics, and getting a fat overdriven tone without relying on complicated chord voicings or fast lead work. Think Black Keys energy with a pop songwriting sensibility. Her live band has featured several guitarists over the years, but the overall guitar approach stays consistent: crunchy, mid-heavy tones with a slight Southern Rock swagger. The guitar parts often double the vocal melody or provide a rhythmic counterpoint that gives the songs their stomp-and-swagger feel. If you are a guitarist looking to develop your rhythm chops, learn how to lock in with a drummer, and understand how simplicity can be devastatingly effective in a song arrangement, Elle King's music is an ideal study. The difficulty level is beginner to intermediate, with the real challenge being in the feel and attitude rather than the notes themselves.

What Makes Elle King Essential for Guitar Players

The guitar work in Elle King songs revolves around tight, percussive rhythm playing. Palm-muted power chords and quick open-string stabs are staples, so practicing your muting accuracy and right-hand consistency is key to nailing her band's sound.
Her music frequently uses blues pentatonic riffs in the key of E or A, making it perfect for guitarists working on their pentatonic box positions. The riffs are simple but rely on aggressive pick attack and confident timing to sound right.
Tone is everything in this style. The guitar parts sit in a mid-heavy, overdriven sweet spot, not quite full distortion, not quite clean. Learning to ride your volume knob and pick dynamics to control your breakup is a real-world skill you will develop playing these songs.
Many of Elle King's songs blend banjo and electric guitar textures. For guitarists, this means the electric parts need to cut through without overwhelming the mix, teaching you restraint and how to find your sonic space in a band context.
Downpicking features heavily in the rhythm parts, similar to what you would hear in garage rock or early punk. If you tend to default to alternate picking, her catalog is a great workout for building downpicking stamina and consistency.

Did You Know?

Elle King is a proficient banjo player and often writes songs on banjo before they get translated to full-band electric arrangements. This gives her guitar riffs a folky, melodic quality that sets them apart from typical blues-rock fare.

"Ex's & Oh's" was originally demoed with a much more stripped-down arrangement. The final version's crunchy guitar tone was crafted to give the track a retro garage-rock edge, inspired by acts like The Black Keys and Jack White.

Elle King has cited AC/DC, The Black Keys, and Otis Redding as major influences, which explains the combination of heavy riff-driven guitar and soulful vocal phrasing in her music.

She started playing guitar at age 13 after receiving her first instrument, and was largely self-taught, developing the raw, feel-first approach to playing that defines her band's guitar style.

In live performances, her band often tunes to standard E tuning but uses heavier gauge strings to get a thicker, more aggressive tone, a simple trick any guitarist can try at home.

The guitar solo in "Ex's & Oh's" is notably brief and melodic rather than showy, proving that a well-placed four-bar solo with great tone can be more memorable than two minutes of shredding.

Essential Albums for Guitarists

Love Stuff 2015

This is the essential Elle King album for guitarists. "Ex's & Oh's" teaches you punchy, palm-muted rhythm guitar with a killer blues-rock riff, while tracks like "Under the Influence" and "America's Sweetheart" offer lessons in controlling overdrive dynamics and playing gritty, swampy power chord progressions. The whole record is a crash course in making simple guitar parts sound massive.

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Shake the Spirit 2018

Her second album pushes the guitar tones heavier and darker. Songs like "Shame" and "Baby Outlaw" feature thicker distortion and more prominent lead guitar lines, giving intermediate players meatier riffs to sink their teeth into. It is a great next step after learning the more pop-leaning material on Love Stuff.

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Tone & Gear

Guitar

Elle King's band guitar sound leans on classic American and British rock staples. Live performances have featured Gibson Les Pauls and Fender Telecasters, both of which contribute to the thick, midrange-focused crunch that defines her recordings. A Telecaster with a bridge humbucker or a Les Paul with PAF-style pickups will get you in the ballpark quickly. The Telecaster brings some country-tinged bite on the cleaner passages, while the Les Paul handles the heavier, sustained riff work.

Amp

The amp tone across Elle King's catalog sits in classic tube-amp territory: think a Fender-style clean pushed into breakup, or a mid-gain Marshall-style crunch. A Fender Hot Rod Deluxe or a Vox AC30 driven hard with the master volume around 5 to 7 would capture the gritty-but-not-saturated overdrive heard on tracks like "Ex's & Oh's." The key is natural tube saturation rather than high-gain preamp distortion.

Pickups

The guitar tone calls for medium-output humbuckers or hot single-coils. PAF-style humbuckers in the 7 to 9k ohm range deliver the warm, punchy attack without excessive compression, keeping the dynamics intact for those percussive rhythm parts. If you are using a Telecaster, a hot bridge single-coil (or a single-coil-sized humbucker) will give you the necessary bite and grit while maintaining note clarity.

Effects & Chain

The effects approach is minimalist, which suits the raw, garage-rock aesthetic. A good overdrive pedal (such as a Tube Screamer or Boss SD-1) set with low gain and boosted mids will push a clean amp into the right territory. A touch of spring reverb adds depth without washing things out. Occasionally, a light slapback delay appears on lead lines. The philosophy here is amp-first tone with pedals used as subtle seasoning, not the main course.

Recommended Gear

Guitar

Fender Telecaster

Elle King uses the Telecaster's bright, country-tinged bite on cleaner passages and rhythm work, balancing the thicker Les Paul tones in her rock arrangements. A hot bridge single-coil or single-coil-sized humbucker keeps the necessary grit while maintaining note clarity for her percussive playing style.

Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

The Les Paul Standard's PAF-style humbuckers deliver the warm, punchy attack that defines Elle King's sustained riff work and heavier rock passages. Its midrange focus cuts through without excessive compression, preserving dynamics for her garage-rock aesthetic.

Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Custom's hot humbuckers provide the thick, sustained tone Elle King needs for heavy riff work while maintaining the warm punch that characterizes her recording sound. This setup handles her classic rock crunch with natural tube saturation.

Amp

Vox AC30

Driven hard with master volume around 5 to 7, the Vox AC30 captures Elle King's gritty-but-not-saturated overdrive heard on tracks like 'Ex's & Oh's' through natural tube breakup. Its chime and compression perfectly complement her raw, garage-rock approach.

Pedal

Ibanez Tube Screamer TS9

Elle King uses the TS9 set with low gain and boosted mids to push her clean amp into the right territory, adding minimal coloration while enhancing her natural tone. This keeps the emphasis on amp-first character rather than pedal-driven effects.

Pedal

Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive

The SD-1's transparent overdrive drives Elle King's amp into gritty saturation when set low with mid-boost, serving as subtle seasoning to her core tube amp tone. It preserves her guitar's natural dynamics while adding the slight edge needed for her rock crunch.

How to Practice Elle King on GuitarZone

Every Elle King song page on GuitarZone includes a built-in Practice Toolbar. No app to download, no account needed. Open any song, then use the toolbar to slow the video to 0.5× speed, set an A/B loop around the exact riff you're working on, and jump between song sections instantly.

The toolbar appears automatically on every guitar tab, lesson, and cover page. Pick a song below, hit play, and start practicing at your own pace.

Practice Ex's & Oh's - Guitar Cover