Green Day guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong is one of todays
most popular guitarist, well known for his ability to
play hard and fast as well as smooth adding finesse.
Many of Green Days guitar songs are based upon easy
to play powerchords, and guitar solo's consisting of
a only a few single notes. This applies the old rule of
thumb "It doesnt have to be hard to be good!"


Green Days album Dookie has been certified diamond 
(10 million copies sold) in the United States since its 
release in 1994. Their second best-selling album American 
Idiot, released in 2004 (a decade after Dookie), has been 
certified quadruple platinum in the U.S., has sold over 
eleven million copies worldwide, and won the 2005 Grammy 
Award for "Best Rock Album".

This lesson teaches the basic format and outline for the
song "Wake Me Up When September Ends", which displays
Billie Joe Armstrongs ability to play arpeggiated guitar
chords (guitar chords played in single note formations)
displaying his use of major and minor guitar chords
as shown from the "Intro to Verse 1 to Example of Bridge."

Also make note of Billys use of 5th chords (powerchords)
during the Chorus in combination with major and minor 
barre chords.

The guitar solo demonstrates his clever work for choice
"single notes" as well as his use of doublestops (playing
more than one string, or also commonly referred to as 
playing two strings together.) 

 

        Green Day * Wake Me Up When September Ends


Intro * (acoustic)
   4x for example
e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :------3----------|-----------------|-----------------|
G :---0-------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D :-5---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|


Verse 1

e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----3-----3-----|-----3-----3-----|-----3-----3-----|
G :---0-----0-------|---0-----0-------|---0-----0-------|
D :-5-----5---------|-4-----4---------|-2-----2---------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|


e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----3-----3-----|-----------------|-----------------|
G :---0-----0-------|-----------------|-----------------|
D :-0-----0---------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|


   C                 Cm                G  (2x)
e :-----0-----0-----|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----1--1--1--1--|-----4----4------|-----3----3------|
G :---0-------0-----|---5---5--5--0---|-----0-0--0------|
D :-----------------|--------5----0---|---0------0------|
A :-3-------3-------|-3---------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-3-------3-------|

   Final Measure *

e :-----3-----------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----3-----------|------3---0------|-----------------|
G :-----0--0--------|------0----------|-----------------|
D :---0-------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|---0-------------|-----------------|
E :-3---------------|-2---------------|-----------------|


Example of Bridge * 
   Em                Bm                 C
e :-----------------|-----------------|-----0------0----|
B :-----0-----0-----|----3-----3------|-----1--1---1----|
G :-----0-0---0-----|----4-----4------|---0--------0--0-|
D :---2-------2--0--|--4---4------4---|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-2------2--------|-3--------3------|
E :-0-------0-------|-----------------|-----------------|

   G                 G/Gb
e :-----3-----------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----3-----------|------3--0-------|-----------------|
G :-----0--0--------|------0----------|-----------------|
D :---0-------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|---0-------------|-----------------|
E :-3---------------|-2---------------|-----------------|

  Repeat as above Em * Bm * C * then followed by D as
  below
    D
e :-----2------2----|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----3--3---3----|-----------------|-----------------|
G :---2----2---2-0--|-----------------|-----------------|
D :-0--------0------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

   Guitar Chords for Chorus played with distortion
   (strummed)                               (last time)
   C                   Cm               G5        Gb
e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-5---------------|-4---------------|-----------------|
G :-5---------------|-5---------------|-----------------|
D :-5---------------|-5---------------|-5---------4-----|
A :-3---------------|-3---------------|-5---------4-----|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-3---------2-----|

 Bridge * Distorted (Basic Outline)
   E5                Bm                C5               
e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----------------|-3---------------|-----------------|
G :-----------------|-4---------------|-5---------------|
D :-2---------------|-4---------------|-5---------------|
A :-2---------------|-2---------------|-3---------------|
E :-0---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
 
                                      (ending chord)
   G5                G5/Gb             D5
e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G :-----------------|-----------------|-7---------------|
D :-5---------------|-5---------------|-7---------------|
A :-5---------------|-5---------------|-5---------------|
E :-3---------------|-2---------------|-----------------|

  Lead Guitar Solo by Billie Joe Armstrong

e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-------12--------|-------12--------|----12-----------|
G :-12-12-----------|-12-12-----------|-12--------------|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|


e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-------12--------|-------12--------|----12-----------|
G :-11-11-----------|-11-11-----------|-11--------------|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-------13--------|-------13--------|-----13----------|
G :-12-12-----------|-12-12-----------|-12--------------|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|


e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-15-15-15-15-----|-15-15-15-15-----|-----------------|
G :-12-12-12-12-----|-11-11-11-11-----|-----------------|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-------12--------|-------12--------|----12-----------|
G :-12-12-----------|-12-12-----------|-12--------------|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|


e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-------12--------|-------12--------|----12-----------|
G :-11-11-----------|-11-11-----------|-11--------------|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-------13--------|-------13--------|-----13----------|
G :-12-12-----------|-12-12-----------|-12--------------|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|


e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-15-15-15-15-----|-15-15-15-15-----|-----------------|
G :-12-12-12-12-----|-12-12-12-12-----|-----------------|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|


e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-15-15-15-15-----|-15-15-15-15-----|-----------------|
G :-11-11-11-11-----|-11-11-11-11-----|-----------------|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-15-15-15-15-----|-15-15-15-15-----|-----------------|
G :-12-12-12-12-----|-12-12-12-12-----|-----------------|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|


e :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B :-15-15-15-15-----|-15-15-15-15-----|-----------------|
G :-11-11-11-11-----|-11-11-11-11-----|-----------------|
D :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E :-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|




  

    

      

        

        
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          Green Day: Wake Me Up Whe...

          
        
         

                    
          
        
        

          Green Day: American Idiot

          
        
         

                    
          
        
        

          Green Day: Boulevard of B...

          
        
 
      
 
      

        

                    
          
        
        

          Green Day: Good Riddance ...

          
        
         

                    
          
        
        

          Green Day: American Idiot

          
        
         

                    
          
        
        

          Green Day: International ...

          
        
 
      
 
    
  


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