Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the U.K. - Guitar Lesson

Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols

1977 3:32

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About Anarchy in the U.K.

Few riffs in Punk Rock hit as hard or as immediately as the opening chord stabs of "Anarchy in the U.K." The song sits in E major at a steady 120 BPM in standard tuning, which makes it approachable for intermediate players, but getting the attitude right is where most people stumble. The rhythm guitar work demands tight, aggressive downstrokes with heavy palm muting released at just the right moment for the chords to ring out and cut through. The chord transitions need to feel locked-in and deliberate, not sloppy, because at this tempo any hesitation is obvious. Sex Pistols built the track on power chords that sound simple on paper but require real physical commitment in your picking arm to nail the tone and drive. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the verse rhythm slowed down until your muting and chord changes feel automatic, then bring it back up to full speed.

• The entire song uses E standard tuning, so no retuning is needed, but your power chord fingering must be solid to keep up with the relentless rhythm.
• Palm muting and precise downstroke attack are the core techniques here, giving the riff its punchy, compressed feel rather than an open, ringing tone.
• At 120 BPM the chord changes are not fast, but stamina in your strumming arm is the real challenge across a full run-through.