Blur - Song 2 - Guitar Lesson

Birra Al Pub

1997 2:02

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About Song 2

Few songs pack as much energy into two minutes as "Song 2" by Blur. The whole track runs at a driving 137 BPM in E Standard tuning, and the key of F major gives the main riff a slightly tense, unresolved edge that suits the frantic mood perfectly. The signature part is a heavily distorted, single-note riff built on a short repeating figure, and getting it to sit right means nailing the pick attack and keeping the muted notes tight between the fretted ones. That rhythmic precision is genuinely the hardest thing here, not the actual fingering. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the verse riff slowed down until the muted-note separation is clean, then gradually bring the tempo back up toward full speed. The chorus is more about brute power than finesse, so once the riff is solid, locking in with the kick drum on the chorus is what makes the whole performance feel convincing. This is a great early study in Alternative Rock guitar tone and tightness.

• The main riff is played in E Standard tuning and relies on tight palm-muted single notes alternating with fretted hits, so pick-hand precision matters more than left-hand difficulty.
• Heavy distortion is central to the tone, and dialling in the right amount of gain is important as too much will blur the muted-note separation in the riff.
• At 137 BPM the track moves fast, so use the Practice Toolbar to slow the riff down and build muscle memory before attempting it at full speed.