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Men at Work

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Down Under - Guitar Lesson

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Band Overview

Men at Work emerged from Melbourne, Australia in 1979, riding the New Wave and pop-rock wave of the early 1980s with infectious energy and surprisingly sophisticated musicianship. Led by vocalist Colin Hay and guitarist Ron Strykert, the band became a global phenomenon with their 1981 debut album Business as Usual, which spent 15 weeks at number one on the Billboard 200. For guitarists, Men at Work represent something often overlooked in the MTV era: melodic precision and rhythmic discipline applied to pop structures. Strykert's approach is rooted in clean, articulate fingerstyle work combined with sharp rhythmic strumming that drives the band's signature sound. His playing style demands accuracy and feel rather than flashy technique, making him essential for players learning how to carry a song through clever arrangement and pocket playing rather than soloing pyrotechnics. The band's difficulty level sits in the intermediate range; their songs are deceptively simple on the surface but require genuine timing control, understanding of syncopation, and the ability to lock into odd time signatures. Ron Strykert, the primary guitarist, brings a jazz-influenced sensibility to pop-rock, using sus chords, slash chords, and unexpected harmonic movements that reward close listening. Learning Men at Work material teaches you how to serve the song first, how rhythm guitar can be as compelling as lead work, and how Australian pop-rock sensibilities shaped a uniquely clean, percussive approach to the instrument during an era dominated by heavier aesthetics.

What Makes Men at Work Essential for Guitar Players

Fingerstyle rhythmic foundation: Strykert uses fingerpicking patterns combined with rhythmic strumming to create intricate, almost percussive textures without effects or distortion. This approach teaches players to generate movement and interest through pure hand technique and precise muting rather than relying on tone processors.
Syncopated rhythms and odd phrasing: Men at Work songs often sit on unexpected beats and use swing-influenced rhythmic phrasing that keeps listeners slightly off-balance. Learning these patterns sharpens your internal clock and understanding of groove, especially how to sit slightly behind or ahead of the beat for pocket control.
Jazz-influenced chord voicings: The band frequently employs sus chords, major-7th extensions, slash chords, and modal movements that hint at jazz sophistication. This challenges players to move beyond basic open chords and understand how extended harmonies can create sophistication within pop contexts.
Clean tone discipline: All guitars are played through clean, non-distorted tones with careful attention to transient clarity and note articulation. This forces guitarists to nail their technique since every finger movement, string noise, and timing imprecision is audible with nowhere to hide behind crunch or gain.
Complementary guitar interplay: Many tracks feature layered guitar parts where Strykert balances lead hooks, rhythm countermelody, and foundational harmonic support. This teaches arrangement thinking and how acoustic and electric guitars can be voiced for clarity and separation within a mix.

Did You Know?

Down Under's distinctive didgeridoo sound (played by band member Jerry Speiser) was recorded by having the musician actually play a didgeridoo in the studio rather than using samples or effects. This reflects the band's commitment to organic, acoustic textures even as they were breaking into the digital '80s era.

Ron Strykert primarily used acoustic guitars layered with electric guitars throughout Business as Usual, giving the record its warm, intimate quality despite being recorded in a professional studio. This explains why Men at Work songs feel so transparent and why the guitar work is so clearly audible compared to the wall-of-sound production of many '80s acts.

The band's use of hand percussion, congas, and latin-influenced rhythmic elements came from their Melbourne pub-rock origins, where they learned to drive crowds without relying on synthesizers or drum machines. This percussive approach influenced how Strykert voiced his rhythm parts to sit alongside and complement these textures.

Men at Work's arrangements often reference world music and jazz without the songs ever feeling pretentious or overly complex. They proved you could use sophisticated harmonic ideas and unusual time signatures in three-minute pop songs designed for radio and dancing, making them invaluable references for players learning to balance musicality with accessibility.

The band rarely used distortion or overdrive pedals, instead relying on Fender and Martin acoustic guitars played through clean tube amps and board mixing. This early-'80s philosophy prioritized natural amplification and pure tone, an approach that influenced a generation of clean-playing alternatives like INXS and The Police.

Ron Strykert's fingerstyle technique was partly influenced by Australian folk and didgeridoo traditions, giving his playing a percussive quality unusual in pop-rock contexts. He generates rhythmic complexity through muting, damping, and precise finger placement rather than effects, a technique worth studying for any player seeking to maximize expression from clean tone.

The band's biggest hit, Down Under, was recorded in one take with minimal overdubs, capturing their raw interplay between acoustic guitars, percussion, and vocals. This studio approach emphasizes how their arrangements were designed for live, ensemble performance rather than built layer by layer in the studio.

Essential Albums for Guitarists

Business as Usual 1981

The definitive Men at Work album and where to learn their core sound. Down Under showcases their signature acoustic-electric layering, syncopated rhythms, and didgeridoo integration. It Ain't Over Till It's Over demonstrates Ron Strykert's ability to craft sophisticated chord progressions within pop frameworks, while tracks like Who Can It Be Now feature intricate rhythmic interplay between guitars and percussion that teaches pocket playing in non-standard time signatures.

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Tone & Gear

Guitar

Ron Strykert favored Martin and Fender acoustic guitars for their bright, articulate response, combined with Fender electric guitars (primarily Stratocasters) for cleaner lead passages. The acoustic guitars were chosen for their inherent clarity and percussive attack, allowing finger technique to remain transparent without heavy body resonance muddying the mix.

Amp

Clean tube amplifiers, typically Fender Twins and similar wattage combos driven at moderate volumes rather than pushed into saturation. The band prioritized crystal-clear headroom and natural compression from the tubes themselves, rejecting the cranked Marshall tones favored by rock acts. This approach preserved note definition and allowed percussive picking sounds to remain audible.

Pickups

Single-coil pickups with moderate output, optimized for articulation and clarity rather than sustain or thick tone. The brightness of single-coils complemented their use of clean amp settings and allowed rhythmic finger movements to generate clear transient response without excessive compression or filtered frequencies.

Effects & Chain

Minimal effects usage; Men at Work relied almost entirely on clean, unprocessed tones. Any subtle modulation or spatial effects came from studio mixing rather than pedal boards. This forced discipline in technique and demonstrated that sophisticated, ear-catching arrangements don't require distortion, reverb units, or delay pedals on stage.

Recommended Gear

Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Ron Strykert used Stratocasters for clean lead passages that cut through Men at Work's pop arrangements with bright, articulate single-coil tones. The guitar's natural clarity paired perfectly with Fender tube amps, allowing his finger-picked melodies and rhythmic precision to remain transparent without any distortion muddying the band's sophisticated sound.

How to Practice Men at Work on GuitarZone

Every Men at Work 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 Down Under - Guitar Lesson