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Radiohead - Paranoid Android Pt.2 - Guitar Lesson

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Key C minor
Radiohead - Paranoid Android Pt.2 guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

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Radiohead Progressive Rock C minor
Capo Advisor 0 C minor · Original key

About Paranoid Android Pt.2

Few rock songs shift gears as dramatically as "Paranoid Android," and the second section is where the guitar work gets genuinely strange. The clean, arpeggiated figures of the opening give way here to a slow, brooding feel in C minor, with chords that sit in an uneasy space between stillness and tension. The main challenge is controlling your touch: the dynamic range is wide, and notes that are rushed or played too heavily collapse the atmosphere Radiohead build so carefully. There is no single brutal technique hurdle, but the subtlety of tone and timing is harder to nail than it looks on paper. Spend time with the Practice Toolbar to loop any passage where your phrasing feels stiff, slowing it down until the timing feels relaxed rather than mechanical. Getting comfortable in C minor here also means trusting space, knowing when not to play is as important as knowing what to play.

  • The section sits in C minor, so familiarising yourself with that key's natural and harmonic forms will help you navigate the chord voicings and melodic lines.
  • Keeping a controlled, even pick attack is the core technical demand here, as the arrangement leaves little to hide behind.
  • Use the Practice Toolbar to loop and slow down the transitions between sections, where the feel shifts and timing errors become most noticeable.

How to Play Paranoid Android Pt.2

Key: C minor · Tempo: 82 BPM

Loop each section and focus on clean, even timing rather than speed, with the metronome at 82 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.

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