Guitar Songs, Tabs & Lessons

Spin Doctors

1 guitar song · Tabs, Lessons & Tone Guide Alternative Rock

Choose a Spin Doctors Song to Play

Two Princes - Guitar Tab

YouTube Stats: 6.4K · 240

Band Overview

Spin Doctors emerged from the New York club scene in the early 1990s, becoming one of the decade's most distinctive guitar-driven pop-rock bands. Led by guitarist Aaron Comess and frontman Dweezil Zappa collaborator Chris Barron, the band built their sound on clean, articulate guitar work that blended funk rhythms with alt-rock sensibilities. What makes Spin Doctors essential for guitarists is their approachable yet sophisticated technique: their riffs prioritize groove and pocket over pyrotechnics, making them perfect for players wanting to develop rhythmic precision and dynamic control. The band's signature sound relies on bright, jangly single-coil tones with minimal distortion, favoring technique and timing over effects pedals. Aaron Comess's playing style emphasizes muting, articulation, and rhythmic syncopation, demonstrating that powerful guitar work doesn't require high gain or complex effects chains. For most guitarists, Spin Doctors songs fall into the intermediate range: rhythm parts are rhythmically sophisticated but technically accessible, while lead fills require good timing and vibrato control rather than extreme speed. Their 1991 debut 'Pocket Full of Kryptonite' showcased a band where every guitar note served the song's groove, with 'Two Princes' becoming their flagship example of how clean, carefully voiced riffs can dominate the radio. Learning Spin Doctors teaches you song structure, the importance of restraint, and how to lock in with a rhythm section for maximum impact.

What Makes Spin Doctors Essential for Guitar Players

Bright single-coil tone with minimal gain: Spin Doctors rely on Fender-style single-coil pickups run clean or with just slight breakup, allowing every note articulation and pick attack to shine through without distortion masking technique. This forces you to develop precise picking accuracy and hand muting.
Funk-influenced rhythmic muting and syncopation: Aaron Comess uses aggressive palm-muting, string dampening, and rhythmic rests to create pocket and groove, especially on 'Two Princes' where the riff sits between attack and silence. Learning this teaches you how silence and dynamics matter as much as notes.
Jangly major-key voicings and bright arpeggios: The band favors open, bell-like chord voicings and arpeggio-based riffs that cut through a mix naturally, avoiding the heavy chord blocks typical of grunge-era rock. This is essential for understanding how note spacing and string selection control brightness.
Restrained vibrato and controlled lead bending: When Comess takes a lead, he uses measured vibrato and precise bend control rather than aggressive speed; this demonstrates how phrasing and sustain create impact on clean tones where every nuance is audible.
Interplay between guitar and bass groove: Spin Doctors' bass and guitar lines are deliberately locked together for maximum funk feel, teaching you to listen and respond to your rhythm section rather than playing independently. The pocket is the goal, not the individual riff.

Did You Know?

Aaron Comess recorded 'Two Princes' using a relatively modest setup with minimal processing; the song's iconic bright, woody tone comes primarily from his single-coil guitar and careful pick attack rather than studio EQ or effects, proving that clarity beats complexity.

The band's early live shows in NYC clubs were built around improvisation and tight rhythmic grooves, making them more similar to jam bands than typical 1990s alt-rock acts; this influenced their recording approach to prioritize ensemble feel over overdubs.

Spin Doctors' success during the grunge era was somewhat unusual because they deliberately avoided the heavy, distorted guitar tones that dominated rock radio, instead opting for funky, clean grooves that harked back to 1970s and 1980s new wave and pop-rock.

The main riff of 'Two Princes' uses a relatively simple but syncopated picking pattern that creates complexity through timing rather than technique, making it a lesson in how rhythmic placement can make basic shapes sound sophisticated.

Aaron Comess has cited funk and Motown producers as major influences on his approach to guitar tone and space, explaining why Spin Doctors songs often feel more like pop records with rock guitars than rock songs with pop sensibilities.

The band performed extensively on MTV Unplugged and acoustic sessions, which showcased their ability to maintain groove and clarity without electric amp aggression, highlighting their emphasis on picking technique and inherent tone quality.

Essential Albums for Guitarists

Pocket Full of Kryptonite 1991

This debut is the definitive Spin Doctors album for learning their approach: 'Two Princes' teaches you syncopated pocket rhythm and clean tone articulation, while deeper cuts like 'Jimmy Olsen's Blues' and 'Forty Days and Forty Nights' show how they layer jangly riffs with funk grooves. Every song is a masterclass in restraint and rhythmic precision over distortion.

Spotify Apple Music

Turn It Upside Down 1994

The follow-up demonstrates expanded songwriting with more complex arrangements and layered guitar textures while maintaining their clean tone philosophy; tracks like 'You Don't Get Much' showcase interplay between rhythm and lead, teaching you how to use the same bright tone for both rhythmic and melodic purposes without switching gear.

Spotify Apple Music

Tone & Gear

Guitar

Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster models with single-coil pickups; Aaron Comess favored brightly voiced instruments with clear articulation. Stock Fender specs prioritized the warm-bright character needed for clean, groovy tones that cut through a mix without requiring distortion.

Amp

Fender tube amps in the 65 or 100 watt range, run clean or with minimal breakup; the strategy was to use amp headroom and volume for natural dynamics rather than heavy gain saturation. This approach preserves pick attack and tone clarity essential to funk-influenced rock.

Pickups

Standard Fender single-coil pickups (5k to 6.5k output range); the vintage-spec brightness allows percussive picking dynamics to translate clearly to the listener. These pickups are less compressed than humbuckers, giving every pick strike and muting articulation definition.

Effects & Chain

Minimal effects philosophy; light chorus or Univibe for texture on select songs, but primarily straight into the amp. Spin Doctors built their sound on technique and tone shaping at the amp level, not on pedal-based effects, making their approach perfect for players developing core picking and muting skills.

Recommended Gear

Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Spin Doctors use the Stratocaster's single-coil pickups for bright, articulate tones that cut through their funk-rock grooves without distortion. The warm-bright character and clear pick attack let their percussive playing style shine in a full band mix.

Guitar

Fender Telecaster

The Telecaster's sharp, cutting single-coil tone gives Spin Doctors definition on rhythm parts and punchy lead work that defines their signature sound. Its direct tonal response rewards precise muting and picking technique, core elements of their approach.

How to Practice Spin Doctors on GuitarZone

Every Spin Doctors 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 Two Princes - Guitar Tab