You remember Pearl Jam, right? Along with Nirvana, they were one of the seminal “grunge” bands from Seattle to break out in the early nineties. Part of the whole attraction of grunge was that there weren’t the flashy guitar solos and Van Halen-type axe heroics that characterized the eighties hard rock scene. Pearl Jam had (and still has) a good mix of skill and raw energy that helps make their songs very powerful.
Their third album, Vitalogy, was characterized by what the critics called a more “punk” sound, meaning that there were a lot of loud guitars and less stylistically structured songs. The point is, the songs were overall less flashy but still good. The third track, “Not For You,” is a prime example.
The song begins with a simple guitar riff and a drum beat. The chords are ridiculously simple. It’s just E major, then you slide the shape of the chord up the fretboard to the second then third frets, letting the two E strings and the B string ring out the whole time. It is one of the most basic of all chord progressions. A second guitar tinkers with some simple leads during the verses.
When the chorus comes in, both guitars crank the distortion and follow the original riff. This repeats for two total verses, there is a short solo section, then there is a bridge. The bridge has one guitar playing a rhythm part of F followed by A minor. The other guitar plays a mode run in the key of A minor. The combination of the two guitars produces a great effect.
Following the bridge is a short little chill section where just one guitar and the bass play a slight variation on the original riff. This part helps create tension that is released as the chorus comes back in again in full force. The end of the song has all of the instruments fading away into relaxation, with a lone guitar fingerpicking a nifty little riff, and the other guitar playing the strings above the nut—very cool.
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