Rockers Play Their Favorite AC/DC Riffs
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- čas přidán 26. 10. 2023
- AC/DC have unquestionably created one of the greatest catalogs of guitar riffs in rock history.
Through many episodes of Gear Factor over the years, we've heard shredder after shredder tell us about the iconic AC/DC riffs that inspired them to pick up the guitar. See rockers like Zakk Wylde, Jared Dines, Mark Tremonti and Sum 41 talk about and play the songs that changed their lives.
AC/DC was formed in Australia in 1973 by brothers and guitarists Malcolm and Angus Young. After the death of vocalist Bon Scott in 1979, they returned with singer Brian Johnson and the instant-classic 1980 album Back in Black. In this video, you'll hear some of Angus and Malcolm's most unforgettable songs, such as "Highway to Hell," "Thunderstruck," "T.N.T." and "Hells Bells."
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Music: Riffs Two by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License
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To this day it never ceases to amaze me how so many guitarists state how easy it is to play AC/DC riffs and then proceed to play it arse ways
100% agree
I think people say that, but guitarists know better. Easy doesn't mean simple!
You beat me to it! Some appalling versions here, with way too much gain.
Also, Bon died in 1980, not 1979, as written above.
Sorry to Loudwire for the negative comment but the whole piece was wide of the mark.
A couple of these guys are playing it wrong...LOL
Feel obviously number one, but tone is so integral.
AND!!!! Not a single one could truly match the masterful AC/DC tone.
too much distortion. Also playing power chords where Malcolm and Angus would play open chords
@@dylanadams1455 no they played power chords, just in the wrong voicing. A5 D5 G5 is the entire ac/dc arsenal. But yes a lot of times they used open string power chords they a5 is the same wether you voice it on the 5th(standard) fret or the 2nd.
@@BarrackObamna Wrong mate, go watch some early live videos and learn something... I played ACDC cover shows in Australia..
@@MickH60 m8 I have and he plays lead many different ways throughout the years. How are you gonna dispute that they play it multiple ways? How would you know? Have you seen every performance ever? All I have to do to prove my point is tell you to watch two different videos. He plays it different in the video than live sometimes, he plays it dumbed down. I don’t care if you were in an undercover band you’re wrong MATE
If it were easy, everyone would do it
AC/DC is a once in a lifetime band. Their music never leaves you. People try and replicate it but can never match the power and energy of the original mastery. Legends of rock.
Damn straight man. Fuck Airbourne.
Exactly. F🤬🤬k Airbourne.
Exactly. Screw Airbourne.
Thank god we still have Angus to play this stuff
*Malcom. But unfortunately we don't have him anymore
For those mentioning how the tones aren’t accurate - I was in this video and was literally asked on the spot to do it backstage at a festival. No warning or thought beforehand. They plugged me into whatever amp was on site and pressed record. If we were in a studio dialing in a tone of course we could get closer if we wanted to but that’s not at all what this is about. It’s a discussion about the music we love, not a tutorial on replicating tone from a record.
Anywho, I’m honored to appear in this video among so many greats. Long live AC/DC. 🤘🏻😎🤘🏻
Dude, stop it, you had lovely sound, anyone who expects tone like from album probably never played plugged in, if at all.
Was that PRS? Sweet looking piece.
don't listen to them. Who cares if you can copy everything precisely? Obviously this video is about love for AC/DC and not about replicating them 100% accurate.
You are the lucky one. Right place at the right time, how often does that happen?♠️♠️♠️🤘🏼
Cool story but stop with the anywho ffs
Heya Lonny, I don't think anyone is trying to diss any specific guitarist, certainly not you. AC/DC fans just get tired of hearing people say AC/DC is 'easy' when Angus shits out 10 riffs per song that are better than any they could come up with if you gave them a lifetime. Difficult doesn't equal good. And not bashing on you because you definitely aren't one of those guys, you get it.
Not just the riffs, Malcolm and Angus were masters of space. They let the notes and chords breathe, freakin amazing. So much added intensity and anticipation in it.
The tightness!
Also volume/heavy picking over drive.
Natural distortion from the fingers
@@jamesquinn4678 yeah I’ve heard a lot of people say 90% of his tone was in his fingers. Angus could make a Hello Kitty strat sound hard as fk.
"Its Not What you play, ITs what you Dont Play." i learned that in my first Record Studio in 1970 secret from
recording engineers in So Cal........
I've seen AC/DC 34 times since 1985. Thank you for the lifelong tinnitus it was worth it
😮really!!! Commend your dedication Sir👍🏼
34 AC/DC shows !!!! Unbelievable. I only saw them once, and not with Bon. Back in Black tour. My most attended band...Kiss . 11 times.
Envious
Wanna swap lives?
😂😂😂
shake a leg is one of the most underrated riffs ever.
Throw the old "most underrated riffs ever." into the mix. Nice one 👍
Not just the riff, the whole song is underrated! especially Brian's vocal on it.
Everyone drools over radio friendly back in black and you a
Shook me....while rhe album has hells bells, shoot to thrill, have a drink on me, what you do for money honey, given the dig a bone...so many hits
that beating around the bush riff at 3:28 is so criminally underrated
that whole song is criminally underrated
It's basically the same riff from Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" played faster
The demo is better than the Highway To Hell-album version. Backseat Confidential. Listen to it.
It's hands down my favorite song in their entire catalogue.
Beating auround the bush as an awesome groove that's not so easy to drive.
I always found this song so entertaining, it's a car running on the highway to hell but without brakes.
There's all the cool riffs and songs and then there's Angus playing live with all that body movement and energy and still hitting all the notes. One of a kind!
Some of the above couldn't hit them sitting down...supposedly easy riffs too. That Stefan murdered Hell's Bells.
Thats what always amazed me too, always hits the note even in full body contortion! Saw em 3 times, best was 82’ FTATR tour, best live thing i ever saw to this day.
ACDC really does have a freakishly huge amount of recognizable riffs in their catalogue.
Malcom was the Riff Master after all !
It's wild to see how differently people play the same riffs
Shook me all night. I don't even move my hand up the neck. I saw that guy do that. What was he doing. Its all in one spot on the neck.
@@stupoc6715 Wrong. Ang and Mal dont play the same way. Ang plays Shook further down the neck to get the brighter harmonic sounds from that position while Mal played it closer to the head stock of the guitar.
because AC/DC is not about surgeon accuracy. It's about feel. Two guitarists in band sometimes play same riff in different positions
Jared Dines showed one key element of AC/DC, the songs are easy to play but hard to play correctly.
He doesn't play anything correctly
Jared Dines try again.
Ouch! 😂
Jared 😂
buuuurned lol
Gone Shootin' is an awesome song with a cool riff and a nice groove.
Best groove ever!
Brilliant driving tune ⚡️⚡️
Yep great call that is my favorite riff of theirs and that is a tough task to pic a favorite with these guys!
The whole Powerage album is a masterpiece.
People who hate AC/DC must hate groovy riffs, electrifying solos, and contagiously riveting energy.
And hate repetitive music
@@gerardoa9179tell me again how riff raff and dirty deeds sound the same
@StetcynBrown Pantera would be a lot better without their weird confederate BS.
@@gerardoa9179 Yet you're here, on this video. You must be on the same level then
Dude what do you expect man they are old asf. But the rifts for their time are so good and one might even say timeless. How many other songs last the rest of time and still give you a feeling? And they sang about real shit and not wine into the mic about how shitty their rich life is. Ac/dc is one of the greats. Yeah it just sounds repetitive because every commercial movie and event or even cover band has played ac/dc. Imagine if ac/dc never existed. Sad day.
There's a reason they are called AC/DC: their music is pure rock, electrically delivered straight to your heart.
Yes🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
Couldn't have said it better! AC/DC are so damn good! 🔥
@@thepassenger6499 🤟
Actually, Aussies call them Acca Dacca. Their real name!
I'm SOOO glad the song Riff Raff came to mention. I literally pumped my fist at my desk and whispered "YESSS!" when I heard it mentioned. Most underrated AC/DC song of all time. It's my favorite one. It was my dad's favorite AC/DC song too (1961-2017 RIP). That song just has so much energy. Ended up getting an SG Standard in cherry red back in 2017. My dad always wanted me to get a Gibson back when I was into Jacksons. I'm glad he got to see me get and play that guitar before he passed. It's my baby!
Riff Raff is one of the greatest songs of all time
It's good for a laff
Riff Raff is an AC/DC classic, and R.I.P. to your father.
Angus plays his best shred soloing on riff raff too .
Malcolm said it was his favorite song.
Jared Dines: "AC/DC was so much fun because their riffs are pretty easy"
*proceeds to play an absolutely piss poor rendition of you shook me all night long*
Yeah, ok bro.
Ya not only was he bad at it his time was terrible.
He sounded fine. You sure you had the right video playing?
@@c4bb4g3 typical overly distorted tone, played in a lazy manner. Each to their own mate, but it sounded pretty terrible to me.
@@seanmckelvey6618 Ah, you're allergic to scooped mids. That explains it.
@@c4bb4g3 I'm not allergic to it, just sounds like crap in the context of AC/DC. Same with adding bends with harmonics for no good reason other than to show off to internet guitar-bros that you're a 'good' guitar player. 👍
Beating around the bush is such an awesome riff
When I was in high school I ( 75 or 76 ) we went to see the KISS Alive 2 show and the opening act was AC/DC it was one HELL OF CONCERT and one I won't ever forget ! Angus Young was on Bonn Scott's shoulders and they ran all around the concert hall ( Freedom Hall , Louisville Kentucky ) and they ran right past us ! Let there be Rock was tearing up the radio and IT WAS SO GOOD ! PK
One of the most influential bands around? Yes.
This video just shows that nobody can play an AC/DC riff even remotely close to Malcom and Angus. That's why they're one of the top 3 guitar duos ever.
i was thinking the same. All top tier guitarists in this video, and not a single one who actually got that Acdc sound correctly. some came close, but you can still hear it's someone else playing these riffs
As a guitarist comments like this are comedic
All these guys have their setups geared to metal lead guitar. Malcolm was as opposite to that as you could get while still in more or less the same genre.
@bfbros3737 As a guitarist myself, I find this comment to be 100% accurate. Not only can these guys not get the right tone, most are playing the riffs wrong. For example, for those about to rock is pinched, and thunderstruck is picking every single note. Listen more closely to the nuances and you'll be able to play better. Good luck.
The difference is THEY know that. That's why they love it. It's more of an homage.
"Gone Shootin" is my favourite riff of AC/DC, cheers from Oz.
Yes!
Same bud
Powerage is the greatest AC/DC album, one of the best rock albums ever
My fav rock band of all time. Pure power and energy. Unmatched live show. Incredible catalogue of albums. Insanely influential. Forever iconic riffs, melodies, choruses, solos, etc. No bullshit, gimmick, or egos. They just turn up the amps as high as possible and let Angus go crazy. Love em always ❤🤘⚡️
PREACH!!
Amen
Guy from sum 41 absolutely killed it. Flawless execution, precise, and great tone.
Brian Baker (Bad Religion) also nailed the same riff, but with a bit more clarity and at a steady tempo.
My step dad played Jailbreak by ACDC and i was hooked on rock from there.
I love that Beating around the bush was mentioned. That song doesn't get enough love.
“Their riffs are pretty easy.”
Proceeds to play the riff wrong.
AC⚡DC riffs are so damn fun to play and mess about with. But nobody did Jailbreak or Flick of the Switch. Two of my favorites.
Flick record is vastly underrated. Label ignored because it was less produced than others. Artwork
was underwhelming and not eye-catching but that record shouldn’t be ignored.
@@georgemaranville3305I think it's their last great album. So underrated, I like it as much as FTATR
Jailbreak is my all-time favourite ACDC song. And the video rules.
Because people think AC/DC is Highway To hell and Back In Black. Quite an American approach to the band and a very pathetic one as well.
⚡️ *FLICK OF THE SWITCH* ⚡️ 🤙🏼
That "School of Rock" intro was a nice touch
Brian Baker actually had a pretty nice AC/DC tone. Nice playing too. People tend to underestimate this band, with all their rhythm details, syncopes, offbeat nuances. Yes, the songs are easy, the riffs are maybe easy to replicate to 80%, but after that it's becoming more challenging.
Jared "Looking Sickly As Always" Dines: "AC/DC was so much fun because their riffs are pretty easy." *Proceeds to play the riff wrong, with horrible tone*
Right!?! 😂
Ha I just commented this exact sentence. Stressing the tone was even worse than his plsying
Did you listen to that clip from Avatar band? I’m not familiar with them tbh but it sounds terrible
Haha I thought that straight away. Way too much gain
angus young is the reason why I pick up a guitar I remember the first time I heard shoot to thrill when I was 9 and my mind blown
Acdc one of the greatest most influential bands ever!!!
I tried learning beating around the bush in my first year or two of playing guitar and the timing of the riff always eluded me. Years and years of playing later I went back to AC/DC and I nailed it. It was one of the most stoked bedroom sessions I’ve ever had.
AC/DC is always hard to play. There’s nowhere to hide and you have to play it full tilt. You must commit or you eat shit. Very much like skateboarding. As a nervous player it’s always scary going for a legit AC/DC jam. Those blues bends and double stops. The riffs are quite clean but crunchy. If you’re off it’s obvious. Perpetual respect for those about to rock the AC/DC
Growing up I had the fortune to see AC/DC 13 Times Live. Bon Scott twice, then Brian with BIB. I can't name a favorite riff because all of them are so iconic. You know AC/DC riffs within the first 4 chords, yea.. they may be simple... but they are legendary. First one that blew be away would have to be Riff Raff.
You saw Bon twice!?! Well I'm jealous...
Malcolm was and is the man
👍👍
Back in Black was an absolute *must own* album the second it became available. That whole record is a punch in the face that you ask for over and over again. Shake a Leg, Back in Black, Shoot to Thrill, those are my own favorites. Dirty Deeds had a song called Big Balls, but this album had the biggest Balls of all.
AC/DC had so many killer riffs, and a groove that few rock bands have ever matched.
You can learn to be a technical, flawless, hyperfast guitarist but you can't learn to make riffs like Angus Young. That's genius.
Riff Raff is amazing
ACDC great band!😊
I was around 9 years old when ACDC came on the scene here in Australia, and for the first time I heard them I was addicted. So, I was very lucky to grow with them and watch them become megastars. I have all of their 13 albums, and they are without a doubt, my all-time favorite band. I Just love to watch their WOW ! reaction and the instant smile and nodding of the head to the beat of their music, that these people on these reaction channels experience.
Guys all love AC/DC it's great to see all those fantastic artists, professional players jamming on others riffs. Music is all about sharing and I see the influence they have shared us❤
So Brian Baker the only person in this video who had a decent tone and could actually play an AC/DC riff proper.
There were some other good ones. The guy right after him Tom Keifer did a good job too just played a much slower riff than everyone else, but yes some butchered it.
@@williamsmith8522 There was no other good ones lol
Hahah I thought the same 😂🙏
I’m mediocre and I definitely play all these riffs better than these guys did. A couple played them not even close to correct…. . A few played good but overall they were way off with tempo or even wrong chords. Makes me feel better about my playing for sure…..
@@scottmelton3092as long as you don't just think you can just easily play them like Angus
Going from Zakk to Jared was... something
Yea i am always like "why tf do they include this guy"?
Because he’s more successful than you?
@@Slypooch that'd depend on what I consider success
@@dagonzalez1757able to play music for a living is pretty successful
haahahahaha what?!??@@Slypooch
Touch Too Much was one of the first I can remember.. hooked from that day til death.
Great upload!
Thx 🤘
you shook me all night lonog has probably the best intro & riff, ever.
Tom Keifer definetely has the AC/DC vibe.
I love technical players. To hear the capabilities of a great musician is inspiring. To me though, the songwriter and the riff crafter are just a step above because they create something I and millions of others will always remember. You want to give them a hug and buy them a beer.
I'm 61 now. I started playing guitar when I was about 16 (late 70's) and Angus is one of the players that made me want to learn. I saw them several times when Bon was still alive. One time in Johnson City, Tn with Cheap Trick for only $3, yes, I said three dollars... haaaaa Those were the days.. Riff Raff ~ 2:30 in the video, one of my all time favorites to listen to and play. That song is just hella fun to play and still makes the hairs on my arms stand up this many years later.. LONG LIVE AC/DC!!!
I couldn't help but notice how many "Bon era" riffs were played...
Everyone likes AC/DC... but us true fanatics know AC/DC did their best work in the '70s.
I mean the 70s albums had more good songs per album or less filler per se overall but they done alot of great stuff since 1980. I mean considering it was only a 5 year or so period they did alot of amazing stuff in the 70s but they were also young and full of fire alot of bands do their best stuff when they're younger. The ball breaker album was awesome. Flick of the switch is ubderrated imo. Lots of good material in the Brian years just more filler which is to be expected when you been performing for 40-50 years but they still make great music even today their 2020 album was pretty good. Black ice was also a good album.
@@midnight347 I totally agree... I own all their albums, box sets, dvds... (I even paid way too much for their rare early stuff that I could only find on ebay... lol) They never wrote a bad song, even their "filler" is better than a lot of other band's hits. I grew up in the 90s when the "Live" album was everywhere... but Bon's songs always had the most appeal to me. Those were the albums I collected first and still the ones I listen to the most.
One of my favorite riffs is the opening for Have a Drink on Me
1:28
AC/DC has got every single AC/DC riff.
Wow, who would have thought that. Such inspirational words...
Fascinating guitar sound.
Anyone who says AC/DC is easy to play has never played AC/DC...
No one mentions this, but AC/DC built their whole career without ever writing a ballad 🤟
Ride On is their closest attempt at a ballad.
@@amnm12 Ride On is more of a blues one. I think Love Song is their closest attempt and one of their most extraordinary songs in general.
Now they have one. Through the mists of time. Great song by the way
@@amnm12and Ride on is awesome 🙌
@@amnm12I think love hungry man is close.
Seen AC/DC live, twice. 🤘🏻☺️
Highway to Hell was the riff that me buy my first guitar, but Beating Around the Bush was the one made my jaw drop. That tone is VISCIOUS!!! I have never heard a tone like that before or since. I have tried time and time again with different amps and I cannot get it.
Whats next to the Moon Is my favorite. Bon scott all day!
Fantastic riffs from Malcolm and Angus,but Stevie is the only other person who could step in to his uncles spot.
AC/DC were just so "naughty" when I was a kid. Great lyrics, great growl of the guitars, they just played awesome straight forward rock and roll.
The first five (American) AC/DC records - "High Voltage" thru "Back in Black" - were like Rock Guitar 101 for me. When I started to get serious about learning, and discovered that I could actually figure out how to play those mammoth riffs, I dove in head first with both feet so to speak. They're simple for a beginner to learn, but you'll spend a lifetime trying to master Malcolm Young's incredible sense of timing and touch. I know a lot of the guys featured in this video are just doing their thing the way they do it, but honestly most of them are playing with WAAY too much gain. Malcolm's tone was actually just lightly crunchy, that attack is what makes it sound so hard.
It's funny to me that all the critics who HATED them and dismissed them as worthless simpletons early in their career (Rolling Stone, cough cough) now try to act like they've always been on their side. Yeah, you guys were clueless.
I was playing in a cover band in the 80s and a sound guy gave me some pointers on an AC/DC song we did during sound check. I nearly told him to fuck off but later learned he roadied for them. Back in Sydney in the early days.
Most the guys here are fucking it up.
I think Brian Baker, at 3'08, il really the guitarist with the greatest proximity to the sound and this so special "guitar touch" of the ACDC's Young brothers.
Time code 3:08
Thanx so much!❤💪
Riff Raff (2:34) was always so fun for me to play. I also broke a string on the electric guitar for the first time to Whole Lotta Rosie.
"Never Write Anything You Can't Play On A Piano First!"
Wise words that Angus and Malcolm took to heart!
🤘🏻
AC/DC.. forever
I really like the riff in Flick of a Switch.
Someone played me Powerage one night and I found out how good AC/DC actually were, I went out and brought a lot of their albums and immediately sat down to learn their tunes. There's more killer AC/DC songs to play, Walk All Over You, Overdose, Girls Got Rhythm to name a few. I bang out basic cowboy chords when playing TNT btw. Just bash the shit out of them.
As good as their singles and mainstream stuff is, ACDC has s9me awesome deep cuts
8:50 Angus was never drunk. He is tea totaller.
AC/DC has influenced every guitar player on whatever level of a guitar player they are somehow...it's just a given...when I was young it was AC/DC and KISS...40 years later the riffs are still in my hands...AWSOME!!
Shot down in flames is so underated, pure party 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Classic bon Scott. Great song
Acdc and black sabbath are my favs
Brian Baker the only one who can really play and has great tone. 3:30
Bang. Thank you Zakk
Rock on Tommy - brilliant riffs.
Showing my age, my favorite riff by AcDc is the Big Jack riff
The Black Ice album was awesome!!
Let’s Get It Up, Badlands, Squealer, Send For the Man, Given the Dog A Bone, Beating Around the Bush, The Honey Roll, Inject the Venom, Riff Raff……..
And the list just goes on and on and on.👍
Zack playing Mississippi Queen live is one of the greatest live videos I've seen. I highly recommend it.
There are those riffs that are just pure fun to play. And "Rock And Roll Damnation" is the number one of those.
Jared Dines just proved that AcDc riffs are so hard.
2:39 jeez, back off the distortion
I've played guitar for 25 years, but only in last years i can play something close to AC/DC tone when i got Les Paul (Epiphone) guitar. No delay, pure gain overdrive, precise picking and muting. Lot of techniques to develope
Brian Baker - thank you for the Wilko tshirt. He taught me at school!
Powerage was their best album. It's just one smoking track after another during the height of the disco craze, no less. They always knew exactly who they were.
Maybe the most underrated rock album of all time
If ACDC is so "simple and easy ro play" then why didn't you write it? I mean Gone Shootin will for me is the quintessential rock/blues songs of all time, period!
thank god for AC/DC
This video really highlights how elusive Angus's playing style is. 3 incredible guitar players miss the 'swing' to the single notes in Back in Black...it is very nuanced but what makes the riff so awesome.
AC/DC is the only true rock and roll band. I will always stand by that.
EDIT: And Malcolm deserves more credit than this video shows 😀
Malcolm was literally mentioned by name a few times :)
@theobaldINsorrow -- In my defense, I watched it while on the phone with the sound off, lol. I was just going by what I saw on the screen. I'm going to watch it with sound this time.
Even if he was mentioned 20x it wouldn't be enough 🤘 Too many people think Angus when they should be thinking Malcolm 😎
All these guys are badass ❤👍😁🤘
I remember the first time I saw AC/DC on Countdown, a music program on Australian TV. It would have been ‘74 or ‘75. Good stuff. Angus really was a boy back then. He used to wear his school uniform to practice after school. That’s where the uniform came from folks.
AC DC ... there is nothing simple about them... They just focused on different techniques.. They made masterpieces that almost sound easy to replicate.. but are they?? They are an inspiration for so many artists and bands. It's not about what you see, it's what it makes you feel 🔥
Gone shootin'
"...their riffs are pretty easy..." ---> then plays the riff wrong
A lot of people say AC/DC riffs are easy. On paper yes, but getting the right sound, tone, and feel of the riffs is what’s hard. Angus and Malcolm have a distinct sound and tone.
the AC/DC chord progression/hook that hooked me was "Walk all over you" those chords were Colossal...
Jailbreak🤘🏻