How to Play "American Idiot" by Green Day on guitar!

Hey, how you doing? Let’s check out American Idiot by Green Day on electric guitar! This is an awesome song from an awesome band. This record’s got a massive sound, and the production is outstanding.

I messed up a bit in the video (I really must listen more carefully!). It turns out the chord changes alternate between the open strings and the F# power chord. Sorry about that!

This was also one of my earlier videos – from the first year I started on YouTube. It’s kinda scary looking back at this old stuff!

Anyway, there are lots of power chords here, as can be expected with Green Day and punk music. And we’ll also check out the fun riff. Let’s get to it.

American Idiot by Green Day – Verse Riff

You just need power chords for the ultra-cool verse riff. We’re going to play Ab power chord (466XXX) followed by Db (X466XX), Gb (244XXX), and Db. At the end of the riff, lift off all your fingers and hit the top four open strings (0000XX).

💡 The Message – Green Day were already well established on the punk scene when this album and single came out, but this one feels a world away from their other stuff. Politically charged with a timeless message, this song was a big deal in the States when it was released amid the Iraq war.

American Idiot by Green Day – Strumming

You want to nail the strumming to really make it sound like the record! Here’s the rhythm (the giant “O” means open strings!):

1 + 2 +   + 4 + 1 + 2  3  4 

Ab    Db      Gb    Db Ab O

Ideally, you want to listen to the original and try to replicate it. That’s how you’ll really nail the rhythm! Time for that awesome chorus. :)

American Idiot by Green Day – Chorus

If you’ve got the verse down, the chorus will be real easy. We’re going to play power chords again. This time, each one lasts for two bars. It goes Db, Ab, Eb (X688XX), then Ab. The pattern 1 2 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + works great for all the chords. :)

After the final Eb of the chorus, mute all your strings. Then it’s back to the verse.

American Idiot by Green Day – Solo

The solo is pretty different from the other parts. Most of it uses octave shapes. The main ones are F (X8X10XX), Eb (X6X8XX), which each last two bars, then Bb (X1X3XX), which lasts for half a bar. There are also transition octaves between the main ones! :)

🎸Playing Tweaks – I have a feeling they played the solo in D tuning and the rest in standard tuning. And when they perform it live, they add another guitar part to their usual three-piece band.

For the transition octaves, you’ll need Eb, Db (X4X6XX) and C (X3X5XX). It’s real tricky to explain the rhythm in writing! Listen to the original and try to replicate it – it’s the chorus melody line in a lower octave.

After the octaves part, we’re going to play 3:3, 3:5, 3:6, 3:5, then 3:3. Now we move up to 2:4, play it twice, then roll finger 1 over to play 3:4. Do the same: 2:4 twice, this time followed by 1:6, then 2:4 twice followed by 1:8 (using finger 4). Go back to 2:4 twice, then 1:6, before finishing on 1:4 with vibrato.

The part on strings 1 and 2 is only on the first rep of the solo. On the second rep, slide from 2:4 to 2:9.

🧐 Greenday on Broadway – This album was made into a Broadway musical too! Pretty crazy, but it’s cool to hear the songs performed in a different medium by world-class singers and actors. Whether you’re into Broadway musicals or not, this brings the music to a whole new audience. Gotta love that!

I hope you have tons of fun with this tune. Definitely get the distortion high and turn the volume up, as long as you don’t upset the neighbors! See you for more song lessons real soon. :)

🎵 Dig Green Day? Find more Green Day song lessons in my Songs section!