For guitarists of all levels, the iconic riff of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” is instantly recognizable and incredibly satisfying to play. You might find yourself instinctively strumming along when you hear it, or even showing a beginner guitarist “how it’s done” with a casual “I just do it.” But while that intuitive approach works for some, it’s not helpful for those who are eager to learn and understand the mechanics behind the music, especially aspiring guitar players.
This lesson breaks down “Seven Nation Army” to its core elements, focusing on the distinctive rhythmic pattern and the powerful chord progression that drives the song. We’re not just going to learn to play it; we’re going to understand how it works. This understanding is crucial for developing your musicality and expanding your guitar skills. We will dissect the song piece by piece, setting the stage for a future lesson where we’ll explore creating a captivating acoustic guitar arrangement. For now, plug in and turn up the volume – we’re going electric!
Deconstructing the Song Structure and Rhythmic Hook
“Seven Nation Army” boasts a remarkably simple structure, which is part of its genius. Think of it as having verses and a chorus, but with a twist. The song is built around repeating sections, creating a hypnotic and driving feel. There are essentially three main verses (or four if you consider the guitar solo as a verse). These verses are built upon two primary musical ideas.
The first idea, and the one we’ll focus on initially, is the repeating bass line. This line acts as the introduction, reappears between verses as interludes, and provides the foundation for the verses themselves. Sometimes it’s played solely by the bass guitar, other times it’s layered with multiple guitars, creating a richer, denser sound.
The second musical idea is a shorter, two-measure pattern that serves as a formal ending to each verse. It also makes appearances during the guitar solo and at the conclusion of the interlude between the first and second verses.
It’s the first part, the recurring bass line, that holds the key to the song’s signature rhythmic hook. Let’s take a closer look at this iconic riff. Here’s a guitar transcription of the bass line:
Guitar tablature for the iconic bass line of Seven Nation Army, played on the second fret of the D string, demonstrating the rhythmic pattern.
The initial two notes, both Es played at the second fret of the D string, are relatively straightforward. The first E is a dotted quarter note, sustaining for one and a half beats, while the second is an eighth note, lasting for half a beat. It’s worth noting that while the tab shows these notes on the D string, you have options! You could also play them on the 7th fret of the A string or even the 12th fret of the low E string, depending on your preference and where you are on the neck. For this lesson, keeping them close together on the D string makes fingering easier to grasp initially.
Now, let’s examine the last three notes. At first glance, they appear to be quarter notes, which would create a five-beat measure in a song clearly in 4/4 time (meaning four beats per measure). However, if you look closely, you’ll see a bracket above these three quarter notes with a small “3” inside. This indicates a quarter note triplet. This means these three notes are compressed evenly into the space of two beats.
This triplet rhythm can be tricky to count, even for experienced musicians. To simplify things for learning purposes, we can temporarily imagine the song is in 2/4 time. This means we halve all the note values: half notes become quarter notes, quarter notes become eighth notes, and eighth notes become sixteenth notes. A triplet spanning two beats then becomes a triplet over a single beat.
Why this temporary time signature shift? It makes counting and internalizing the rhythm much easier. Most guitarists count sixteenth notes as “One, ee, and, ah, two, ee, and, ah…” and triplets as “one and ah two and ah…” By combining these, we can count our 2/4 measure as “One, ee, and, ah, two and ah.”
The crucial aspect is to ensure the triplet is a true triplet, with the three notes evenly spaced within the beat, and not just three sixteenth notes followed by a rest. If you’re familiar with the first part of Guitar Noise Podcast 3, you’ll know exactly what we mean by rushing or uneven triplets!
A helpful practice technique is to tap your foot steadily to the beat. Once you’re comfortable with the beat, try saying a four-syllable word evenly across each beat. “Alligator” is a good example! Repeat this for a few beats, then switch to a three-syllable word like “elephant” (fitting, considering the album “Elephant”!). Again, focus on keeping the three syllables evenly spaced within each beat.
Once you’ve mastered counting the rhythm, you can put it back together, first in 2/4 time, then in the original 4/4 time, as demonstrated in this audio example:
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Listen carefully to the audio example. You’ll notice when counting aloud in 4/4 time, the triplet on the third beat is drawn out slightly to emphasize it. Counting even beats while playing quarter note triplets can be challenging, so this method often proves to be more intuitive. Since this rhythm is the very heart of “Seven Nation Army,” it’s essential to ingrain it into your muscle memory until you can play it effortlessly. Don’t rush this practice! Whatever counting method you choose, don’t hesitate to count out loud – it truly helps solidify the rhythm.
With this rhythmic foundation solid, the rest of the song becomes significantly easier to learn. The second part, which we’ll call “Example 2,” consists of two measures of power chords – G5 and A5 – played with straight eighth notes. Here’s how it looks:
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There are various ways to play this section. On the original recording, there are at least two guitar parts: one using two-string power chords and another using two-string power chords for G5, then switching to the open position A chord (as shown in the “Alternate” example in many chord diagrams). In these examples, we’re using three-string power chords for a fuller sound, as we’re aiming for a single-guitar arrangement. Experiment with different voicings and find what you prefer!
Building Chords and Expanding the Sound
The next section of “Seven Nation Army” is a variation on the first, but now fleshed out with full chords, using the single-note bass line as the root notes for these chords. Again, the original recording features multiple guitar parts. One guitar part plays Root 5 position three-string power chords (not included in the MP3 examples, but described below).
If you’re unfamiliar with “Root 5 Power Chords” or power chords in general, take a quick detour to our lessons on The Power of Three which explains basic chord types, and Building Additions (and Suspensions) where power chords are introduced as the first example.
“Root 5” power chords simply mean the root note of the power chord is on the fifth (A) string. You’ll notice all power chords in this example have their root on the A string.
Another guitar part in the original recording plays full major chords on the D, G, and B strings, often with a slide. To keep things simple for this lesson, we’re omitting the slide in the MP3 example:
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Hopefully, the use of the open position A chord in Example 2 now makes more sense. Your fingers are already in a shape that can easily slide up and down the neck. If you strum carefully, avoiding the high E string, you can barre across the second fret with one finger for the open A shape and smoothly transition through Example 3.
It’s also worth noting that in the original recording, the slide guitar plays a single quarter note of the final B chord (represented as a half note here) and then follows with a quarter note of A (X0222X). Both approaches work effectively.
Once you’re comfortable with Example 3, the final step is to seamlessly switch between the sections: Example 1 to Example 2 to Example 3, and back again, as demonstrated in this combined MP3:
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Mastering these transitions is essentially learning the entire song structure. Being completely comfortable with the core rhythm is crucial, especially if you plan to sing and play simultaneously. Practice it diligently, and then practice some more!
Here’s a simplified song layout:
(Song structure layout as in the original article – keep as is)
As mentioned earlier, a guitar solo appears between the second and third verses. While originally played with a slide, it can be adapted for standard guitar playing and still sound great. Minor adjustments might be needed, which we’ll discuss shortly.
The solo itself is relatively straightforward, primarily using notes from the E minor pentatonic scale in these positions:
(Pentatonic scale diagram as in the original article – keep as is)
We’ve included two notes outside the Em pentatonic scale (C at the 13th fret of the B string and F# at the 14th fret of the high E string) in parentheses. Consider adding these to your scale practice for a broader sonic palette.
The solo is played over four repetitions of “Example 3” and concludes by returning to “Example 2.” Since the solo position is high on the neck, playing the G5 in the same three-string style as the slide guitar (finger across the 12th fret: X X 12 12 12 X, playing D, G, B strings) becomes more practical. For the A5, simply slide up two frets (X X 14 14 14 X).
Here’s the solo audio example. Notice the double stops in the first half (first eight measures) on the 7th fret of the D and A strings. These notes are A and E, forming an A5 inversion against the E chord in the rhythm part, creating a slight dissonance – a characteristic element from the original recording, likely due to the slide guitar.
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This solo transcription is not perfectly note-for-note, but captures the essence and is accurate enough for most players.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning “Seven Nation Army”! We’ll revisit this song later to explore creating a compelling single guitar acoustic arrangement – a fascinating challenge!
As always, feel free to ask questions and share suggestions on the Guitar Noise Forum’s “Guitar Noise Lessons” page or reach out via email.
Until our next lesson, keep practicing!
