Guitar Songs, Tabs & Lessons

Incubus

2 guitar songs · Tabs, Lessons & Tone Guide Alternative Rock

Choose a Incubus Song to Play

Drive - Guitar Lesson

YouTube Stats: 950K · 11K

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Pardon Me - Guitar Lesson

YouTube Stats: 23K · 924

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Band Overview

Incubus formed in Calabasas, California in 1991 and spent the rest of the decade evolving from a funk-metal outfit into one of the most sonically adventurous Alternative Rock bands of the early 2000s. Guitarist Mike Einziger is the creative engine behind their sound, blending clean arpeggiated passages, atmospheric delay-laden textures, and aggressive riffing into a style that is instantly recognizable. His playing draws from a wide palette: jazz chords, funk rhythms, Progressive Rock dynamics, and even electronic-influenced ambient layers. For guitarists, Incubus represents a masterclass in versatility and the art of serving the song rather than showing off. Mike Einziger's approach is what makes Incubus essential study material for intermediate to advanced players. He frequently uses unusual chord voicings, open-string drones, and add9 or sus2 chords that give Incubus songs their distinctive shimmer. Rather than relying on standard power chords, Einziger builds textures that interlock with DJ Kilmore's turntable work and Ben Kenney's (or earlier, Dirk Lance's) bass lines. His lead work tends to be melodic and tasteful rather than shred-oriented, with a strong emphasis on vibrato, note choice, and dynamics. You will rarely hear him play a generic pentatonic lick; instead, he favors intervallic jumps, hybrid picking, and layered clean tones. Difficulty-wise, Incubus songs range from accessible to quite challenging. A track like "Drive" is an excellent entry point for intermediate players working on fingerpicking and clean chord transitions, while "Pardon Me" demands tighter rhythm playing and confident shifts between clean and distorted tones. Songs from their earlier albums like S.C.I.E.N.C.E. push into genuinely difficult territory with complex time signatures and funk-influenced syncopation. Overall, learning Incubus will stretch your chord vocabulary, improve your dynamic control, and teach you how to create atmosphere with an electric guitar.

What Makes Incubus Essential for Guitar Players

Mike Einziger frequently uses extended chord voicings like add9, sus2, and major7 shapes instead of standard barre chords. Learning these voicings will immediately expand your harmonic palette and help you understand how Incubus songs achieve their airy, open sound.
Clean tone dynamics are central to the Incubus guitar style. Einziger controls volume and intensity with his picking hand, often switching between fingerpicking and flatpick within the same song. Practicing this contrast is essential for nailing tracks like "Drive."
Einziger's rhythm playing relies heavily on syncopation and ghost notes, especially on earlier funk-metal tracks. Working on muted strums between chord hits and locking in with the bass and drums will help you capture the groove-oriented side of Incubus.
His lead style favors melody and intervals over speed. Einziger often uses wide interval jumps (fourths and fifths) and slides rather than running scales. Practicing these intervallic ideas will improve your phrasing and help you break out of pentatonic box patterns.
Tone-shifting within a single song is a hallmark of Incubus arrangements. "Pardon Me" is a great example: you need to nail the transition from a clean, slightly effected verse tone to a thick, overdriven chorus without losing the groove. Practice using your guitar's volume knob and pickup selector for seamless transitions.

Did You Know?

Mike Einziger studied music at Harvard University while still actively touring and recording with Incubus, and has cited his academic study of composition and orchestration as an influence on his guitar arrangements.

On the album S.C.I.E.N.C.E., Einziger ran his guitar through a DJ mixer and various analog effects to create sounds that blurred the line between guitar and electronic music, years before such techniques became trendy in rock.

"Drive" was originally written on acoustic guitar and almost became a B-side before the band realized how powerful the stripped-back, clean-tone arrangement was. It became their biggest hit.

Einziger is known for using a capo in unconventional positions and tunings to create chord voicings that would be physically impossible in standard open tuning, giving Incubus songs their unique harmonic fingerprint.

For the recording of Morning View, the band rented a house in Malibu overlooking the ocean and set up a studio inside. Einziger has said the ambient, reverb-heavy guitar tones on that album were directly inspired by the sound of waves and the open-air recording environment.

Mike Einziger later co-founded a company focused on audio technology and has collaborated with Hans Zimmer on film scores, applying his layered guitar approach to orchestral contexts.

Incubus deliberately avoided drop tunings for most of their career, with Einziger preferring standard tuning and relying on creative voicings and effects to achieve heaviness rather than simply tuning down.

Essential Albums for Guitarists

Make Yourself 1999

This is the definitive Incubus album for guitarists. "Drive" teaches fingerpicking over clean tones with expressive chord voicings, while "Pardon Me" is a lesson in dynamic rhythm playing and clean-to-distortion transitions. "Privilege" and "The Warmth" offer more complex arrangements that challenge your ability to blend atmospheric clean passages with aggressive riffs.

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Morning View 2001

Morning View is a masterclass in ambient, effects-laden guitar tone. Songs like "Wish You Were Here" and "Nice to Know You" showcase Einziger's ability to build layered textures with delay, chorus, and reverb while maintaining melodic clarity. The album is perfect for players looking to improve their use of effects and dynamic range.

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S.C.I.E.N.C.E. 1997

For advanced players who want a challenge, S.C.I.E.N.C.E. delivers funk-metal riffing, odd time signatures, and wildly experimental tones. Tracks like "Redefine" and "A Certain Shade of Green" demand tight alternate picking, syncopated strumming, and confidence with unconventional effects. This album will push your rhythmic precision and creativity.

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A Crow Left of the Murder... album cover

A Crow Left of the Murder... 2004

This album blends the heaviness of earlier Incubus with the sophistication of Morning View. "Megalomaniac" features a driving, aggressive riff that is great for working on palm-muted power chord precision, while "Talk Shows on Mute" requires finesse with arpeggiated clean tones and subtle dynamic shifts. A well-rounded album for intermediate guitarists.

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Tone & Gear

Guitar

Mike Einziger's signature guitar is the PRS Mike Einziger Signature model (based on the PRS Custom 24 platform), featuring a mahogany body with a maple top and a 24-fret neck. Earlier in his career, he was closely associated with PRS Custom 22 and Custom 24 models. He has also used Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters for cleaner, more single-coil-flavored tones on tracks that require a thinner, more jangly character. His PRS guitars are typically stock, relying on the instrument's natural resonance and pickup versatility.

Amp

Einziger has used Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier and Triple Rectifier heads for his heavier tones, getting thick saturation with a tight low end. For cleans and lighter drive, he has relied on Vox AC30s, which provide the chimey, warm breakup heard on tracks like "Drive" and much of Morning View. He has also used Fender Twin Reverbs in the studio for pristine clean headroom. His approach often involves running multiple amps simultaneously to blend clean and driven signals.

Pickups

His PRS guitars come equipped with PRS-designed humbuckers (typically the PRS 85/15 or earlier Dragon pickups), which offer a balanced output that handles both sparkling cleans and saturated drive without getting muddy. The coil-split capability on PRS guitars is key to his tone versatility, allowing him to access single-coil-like sounds for cleaner passages while switching to full humbucker mode for heavier sections. The moderate output keeps dynamics responsive.

Effects & Chain

Einziger's pedalboard is relatively adventurous. Key effects include a Line 6 DL4 delay modeler (used extensively for ambient textures and rhythmic delay patterns), a Boss DD-series digital delay, a Dunlop Cry Baby wah, and various modulation pedals including chorus and phaser units. He has also used an Electro-Harmonix POG for octave effects and a DigiTech Whammy for pitch-shifting leads. Reverb is a constant in his signal chain, often set to a medium-long decay to create spacious soundscapes. Despite the effects, his tone always retains clarity, and he frequently bypasses everything for raw, direct-to-amp moments.

Recommended Gear

Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Einziger uses Strats for their bright, jangly single-coil character on tracks requiring thinner, cleaner textures. Their natural sparkle complements Incubus's alternative rock aesthetic without the fullness of his signature PRS guitars.

Guitar

Fender Telecaster

The Telecaster's punchy single-coil tone gives Einziger a tighter, more articulate voice for passages needing definition and snap. Its twang cuts through Incubus's dense production while maintaining the clarity essential to their sound.

Guitar

PRS Custom 24

Einziger's workhorse guitar, the Custom 24 delivers balanced versatility from chimey cleans to saturated drive with its responsive humbuckers. The 24-fret neck and coil-split capability enable seamless transitions between Incubus's dynamic song structures.

Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

This amp provides the pristine, headroom-rich clean foundation Einziger needs in the studio for crystalline tones without breakup. Its natural reverb contributes to the spacious soundscapes integral to Incubus's atmospheric passages.

Amp

Vox AC30

The AC30's warm, chimey breakup defines Incubus classics like 'Drive', offering the perfect balance between clean jangle and gentle saturation. Its organic response to dynamics captures the emotional subtlety Einziger brings to their alternative rock arrangements.

Amp

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier

This head provides the thick, saturated gain and tight low-end punch Einziger uses for Incubus's heavier riffs and power passages. Its responsive saturation maintains clarity and definition even at high gain levels, crucial for their technical rock style.

How to Practice Incubus on GuitarZone

Every Incubus 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 Drive - Guitar Lesson Practice Pardon Me - Guitar Lesson