Creator Area
Sign in Creator Area

Practice Studio

Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees - Guitar Lesson

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

Not in tune?

Select a Loop

Start of your loop
End of your loop

Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key A major
Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees guitar lesson video
Guitar 365
Guitar 365 Top Contributor
YouTube: 1.6Msubs 638Kviews
Creator Page →
PLAY WITH BACKING TRACK
·
–50¢ 0 +50¢
· Tap to start

Your browser will ask for microphone permission.

Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
The Bends album cover
The Bends
1995 4:51
Listen on Spotify
Radiohead Rock 1995 A major
Capo Advisor 0 A major · Original key

About Fake Plastic Trees

Fingerpicking is at the heart of "Fake Plastic Trees," and getting that gentle, rolling arpeggio pattern to feel natural takes more patience than the tempo might suggest. The chords themselves are not difficult, sitting comfortably in A major, but the challenge is in the touch: too heavy and you lose the fragile, intimate quality the song depends on. Jonny Greenwood's guitar work alongside Thom Yorke's strummed acoustic layers gives the song its quiet depth, and replicating even one of those parts cleanly is a rewarding exercise in dynamics. If you are learning the picked intro and verse figure, use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down until your right-hand pattern becomes completely automatic before you bring it back up to pace. Radiohead built the emotional weight of this track almost entirely on restraint, so resist any urge to play louder or busier than the song calls for. Let the space breathe.

  • The signature guitar part is a fingerpicked arpeggio in A major, where consistent right-hand dynamics matter more than fretting-hand complexity.
  • Keeping the picked pattern light and even is the primary technical hurdle, making it an excellent exercise in controlled fingerstyle touch.
  • Practising the verse arpeggio figure slowly with the Practice Toolbar before building speed will help lock in the subtle rhythmic feel.

How to Play Fake Plastic Trees

Key: A major · Tempo: 74 BPM

Loop each section and focus on clean, even timing rather than speed, with the metronome at 74 BPM.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Ed O'Brien's Eric Clapton Signature Strat with active mid-boost circuitry gives him the jangly, shimmering foundation for Radiohead's layered textures. The Gold Lace Sensors push cleaner signals hotter into his sprawling effects chain, essential for the band's evolving experimental sound.

Fender Telecaster
Guitar

Fender Telecaster

Jonny Greenwood's 1975 Telecaster Plus with Lace Sensor pickups delivers the focused, noiseless midrange that cuts through dense mixes without hum. Its slightly compressed character became Radiohead's workhorse tone from 'Pablo Honey' through 'OK Computer,' defining the band's early guitar voice.

Fender Twin Reverb
Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

Greenwood's Twin Reverb provides the crystalline clean headroom that lets intricate arpeggios shine on tracks like 'Paranoid Android.' Its natural sag and headroom allow him to run effects-driven signals without breaking up the clarity essential to Radiohead's complex arrangements.

Vox AC30
Amp

Vox AC30

Both Greenwood and O'Brien rely on the AC30's warm compression and rich harmonic response for its chimey, breaking-up British crunch across 'The Bends' and 'OK Computer.' The amp's natural breakup character makes it ideal for layering with pedals while maintaining tonal coherence.

DigiTech Whammy
Pedal

DigiTech Whammy

The Whammy is central to Radiohead's compositional approach, creating the iconic pitch-shifting octave effects on 'Paranoid Android' and countless other tracks. Greenwood uses it as a core songwriting tool rather than simple embellishment, transforming the guitar's harmonic possibilities.

Recommended for You

Play with Backing Track

Play with Backing Track

Solo (Backing Track)

Solo (Backing Track)