Night Bus · level 1 · goal 150 bpm

Night Bus is an eight-bar punk riff in standard tuning: Punk, E major-ish power chords, all downstrokes. This is level 1 of 3, played at 150 bpm; the three levels of the riff run from 150 to 190 bpm. It works on power chords. The player loops the riff with drums and bass, starts at 70% speed and steps up 5% after every clean pass until you play it at full tempo.

Every chord is a downstroke from the elbow, eight to the bar. Keep the fretting hand loose between changes; the changes happen on the beat, never early. Stop the strings dead for the rest in bar eight.

The three levels

1. Level 1 · 150 bpm · Punk, E major-ish power chords, all downstrokes. Every chord is a downstroke from the elbow, eight to the bar.
2. Level 2 · 170 bpm · Punk, E major-ish power chords, all downstrokes. The muted single notes are the same downstroke as the chords, just with the palm down.
3. Level 3 · 190 bpm · Punk, E major-ish power chords, all downstrokes. Sixteenth pickups are two downstrokes squeezed before the beat; practise them slowly as "and-a-ONE".