Picking "Thunderstruck"

I was wondering if anyone know how to not mess up with the beggining part (0407...etc) I always get the timing messed up. Does he even pick or just pull off and hammer on all of the notes? I can always practice...duh

Hmmm... when I saw this thread title and the username who started it, I thought "Finally! Someone who can help me play the intro!".

DOH!

It doesn't require the picking hand whatsoever. You simply hammer-on/pull-off that part (0-4-0-7) and make sure your gain/distortion is cranked. Furthermore, you may want to consider muting all the other strings with your picking hand while you're doing the hammering/pulling-off because they may create noise/feedback.

I think it's played by picking the fretted notes only , and pulling off the 0s.
Do whatever sounds nicer to you , and practice this lick with both legato and picking techniques ... Extra practice never harm. ;)

I'm almost 100% it's all picked, although playing all legato is a good exercise, it's much harder to play it propperly. To back my statement, Angus plays with very low distortion and heavy picking, so it would sound too mellow if done legato.

I am pretty sure that he plays the entire intro legato. when plying this it is easier to mute atleast your e and G strings with you picking hand(which is not in use as you are playing legato)
goodluck with it

We should email Angus and see if he picks the notes or does it legato. It's hard to tell...

It certainly sounds like it's picked... you can hear the pick noises and the notes are very "clucky". However, I've never understood how a human being could pick that whole thing.

what I do when I play it is constintly pick and let my fretting hand
do the rest. I always like to add a littile bend to it too. just a quick littile
half bend like -0-4bp0-0-7bp0-- I hope you understand that it sounds good
to me you got to practice to get the timeings right

It is not picked!! ever seen them live? Well. The guiatr player playes it with one hand while he uses the other to 'salute' the people who are attending to the concert.

If you've seen them live, or just have seen a video... its fool proof evidence that there is NO picking involved. If you want further proof, just download it :rolleyes:

Double-pick the whole thing. Try up-picking the first note (0) then down-picking the 4 as it's on the beat. Then up on 0 then down on 7 and so on. So what you're effectively doing is down-picking all the notes when your fingers are on the strings, and up-picking all the open notes. Do this through all measures. Practice slowly at first. ALWAYS strive for accuracy...then speed.

The double-picking technique is what Dick Dale uses to play Miserlou, a 60's surfer song made popular in the movie Pulp Fiction. As an aside, Miserlou is an old, old traditional Greek folk song and a line-dance. I first started to play Miserlou when Dick Dale released it. (I guess I've been around a while. So has Dick.) By the way, Miserlou is about twice as fast. After you master Thunderstruck, try Miserlou, if for nothing else than a great double-picking exercise. And if you ever get a gig at a Greek wedding, at least you'll know one song.

Or, you can play it without picking. Use mild distortion or any other means to get some sustain for the notes. Again, pluck the open string, but only the first open string to start the piece, then it's non-stop hammer-on and pull-off. It's good exercise and will ultimately sound better than picking it. Good luck.

I've always played it the super-lazy way; tapping the high notes with my index finger and pulling off to my fretting hand index. The little run down from the 12th fret I also use my fretting hand middle finger for some of the notes that are closer together. However, the picking method sounds more authentic, and I'll be hitting the ol' woodshed to get that down. :mad: :)

ya i was at his concert and during thunder stuck he was waving his picking hand in the air and hammering the notes out ok
so with this i say i am assuming he didnt pick anything for thunderstruck
i can play it both ways but it really soounds better with hammer ons anyways
plus it got my speed up! :D

I didn't realize the depths of this mystery lol. It spawned a huge thread! :cool:

I swear I recall reading an article in guitar world mag. that said it was entirely picked and the other 5 strings were removed from the guitar, for the recording at least. I could see them doing somthing like that for the recording, just a little trick to help get that perfect take. Of course, in a live situation things can be quite different.

Originally Posted by: crazyguyI'm almost 100% it's all picked, although playing all legato is a good exercise, it's much harder to play it propperly. To back my statement, Angus plays with very low distortion and heavy picking, so it would sound too mellow if done legato.

FALSE!

Angus Young uses PLENTY of legato! The Solo to Dirty deeds done dirt cheap, for example, uses the same technique used in thunderstruck. There is ABSOLUTELY NO picking. I've seen a DVD of AC/DC playing this song, PLUS you can hear on the record that the notes are clearly not being picked. The only note you should use your pick to play is the first note as it's an open string. The rest of the intro is ENTIRELY legato.

Ya know, Ive been playing almost 9 years and I could never quite get this songs timing down consistantly, but the little suggestion of "start with an up stroke" made all the difference in the world. Whoever said that, you rule!

Sorry to re bump this thread, just wanted to say thanks!

Originally Posted by: iamthe_eggmanI've always played it the super-lazy way; tapping the high notes with my index finger and pulling off to my fretting hand index.

Hahaha, you lazy bastard.

yeah, in concert he raises his picking hand over his head during the entire song.... how badass