Foo Fighters: "The Pretender" and "Rope" Lesson

During the shoot for the May 2011 issue of Guitar World, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl took a moment to sit down and demonstrate a couple of his favorite riffs. You can watch videos for "The Pretender" (Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace) and "Rope" below.

"Rope" is taken from the latest — and perhaps heaviest — album from the Foos, Wasting Light.

"I approach every song trying to write the biggest chorus I possibly can," Grohl says in the May cover story. "But then what I’ll do is use that as the prechorus and go ahead and write an even bigger fucking chorus. That chorus should have a melody and lyric so simple and recognizable that you can mock the melody in the intro with a guitar line. So I’m basically pounding that riff into people’s heads right from the intro of the song."

Wasting Light is out now.

"The Pretender"

"Rope"

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Guitar World Staff

Since 1980, Guitar World has been the ultimate resource for guitarists. Whether you want to learn the techniques employed by your guitar heroes, read about their latest projects or simply need to know which guitar is the right one to buy, Guitar World is the place to look.