Radiohead - No Surprises - Guitar Tab

About No Surprises

The gentlest thing about "No Surprises" can also be the trickiest: that chiming, repetitive glockenspiel-like guitar melody that floats over the whole track. On guitar, you replicate it with clean, even picking, and every note needs to ring with exactly the same weight. In F major at 92 BPM, the tempo is slow enough to feel relaxed, but that relaxed pace is deceptive because any unevenness in your picking or fretting hand tension is immediately exposed. The chord movement underneath is relatively simple, but keeping the melody smooth while managing those chord changes underneath demands real independence between your fingers. Use the Practice Toolbar to isolate the opening melody phrase and slow it down until your picking feels completely controlled before bringing it back up to tempo. Radiohead built the arrangement around a deliberately hypnotic, lullaby quality, so your goal on guitar is stillness and consistency rather than flash. Fans of Alternative Rock will find this a rewarding piece for developing right-hand precision and tonal control.

• The signature guitar part mimics a glockenspiel tone, so a clean amp setting with minimal gain and a light picking touch is essential to get the right sound.
• At 92 BPM in F major, the tempo feels slow, but even single-note lines demand very consistent picking dynamics because any variation is clearly audible.
• Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the melody phrase at reduced speed, focusing on making every fretted note ring cleanly for its full duration before moving on.