How to Play Seven Nation Army on Guitar & Bass

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A step-by-step lesson for the hit White Stripes song

Co-authored by Nicolas Adams and Aimee Payne, MFA

Last Updated: May 23, 2024 Fact Checked

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Learning the Key Riff (Verse)

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Nailing the Chorus

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Hitting the Solo

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Video

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Expert Q&A

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Tips

"Seven Nation Army" is a popular rock song by the band The White Stripes. After being covered by pop artist Martin Collins, nearly everyone knows a version of "Seven Nation Army." Playing this song to family and friends is always going to get a reaction and might even inspire a few people to sing along.

Playing “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes

Play the bass riff as the individual notes: E, G, D, A, B, C, G.
Practice the riff by sliding your finger on the guitar neck.
Play the chord progression for the verse: E, G, D, C, B.
Adjust the settings on your amp for a grittier sound.
Play the power chords G, then A as the bridge to the chorus.
Repeat power chords for the chorus: E, G, E, D, C, B.
Play the solo with the same rhythm as the initial riff.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Learning the Key Riff (Verse)

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1
Learn the bass note riff at the center of the song to guide your playing. This iconic set of notes begins the song and is played on the bass.^{[1]
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Research source} The exact same riff is repeated through the verse and chorus, though Jack White plays the notes as power chords on the guitar. If you can learn the basic riff, however, you can easily add the chords in later. Using guitar tablature, the bass riff looks like:
- G|-------------------------------------|
  D|----------5--------------------------|
  A|--7--7------7-5-3-2-----------|
  E|--0----------------------------------|
- In the song's original version, this is only a bass guitar riff. But you can crank up your amp’s distortion or use an octave pedal to mimic the sound on an electric guitar.
2
Slide your index finger around the neck to play the notes. Get used to moving your whole hand fluidly across the guitar to master the above riff. Use your index finger to fret (or hold down all 6 strings) as much as possible instead of switching fingers – you'll need your ring and pinkie free to make chords later on.
- Listen closely to the White Stripes’s recording to hear Jack White sliding his hand on the guitar neck to play the notes. It’s most pronounced right before he launches into the riff as he slides into the 7th fret note (or the 3rd note in the riff).^{[2]
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3
Learn the guitar chords for the verse. If you were to play the song with just an acoustic guitar, for example, you'd need to know the chord melodies (the chords that mimic the notes of the song’s melody). But these chords could also be used for any cover – look at Marcus Collins's version, which uses rhythm guitar in the verse where the original has none. To play chord melodies, simply play the following chords – each chord times up to the same note in the bass riff.
- E (7th fret, 5th string)
- G (5th fret, 4th string)
- D (5th fret, 5th string)
- C (3rd fret, 5th string
- B (2nd fret, 5th string
- Play these as straight chords or powerchords.^{[3]
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Adjust your amp settings to get a real "White Stripes" sound from your guitar. Don't worry, you're not opening anything up. Just change the settings a little. Turn the Gain knob up to 8. To even that out, turn your Treble knob all the way up to 7 or 8, too. Keep the Middle knob at 5 while the Bass should be pumped up to 8. If your amp has an effect called "Presence," turn that up to 8.

Troy Stetina, Guitar Riff Specialist

The main riff of 'Seven Nation Army' is built around the flatted 7th interval, with Jack hammering on and pulling off between the 7th fret on the A string and the 5th fret on the E string. This dark, tense movement is offset by thumping your low E string to create an ominous stomping groove.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Nailing the Chorus

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1
Review your power chords if you've never used them. Power chords are simple 2-finger chords used for big, brash, and quick songs.^{[4]
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Research source} If you've never played them before, don’t worry. They’re actually easy to build. Press your index finger on the top two strings of any fret – use the first note of the Seven Nation Army riff (7th fret, 5th string) to start. Now, simply place your ring finger one string over and two frets down on the 9th fret, 4th string. Only play these two strings to make your power chord
- Place your pinky on the string and fret below your ring finger (9th fret, 3rd string) for even bigger, better-sounding chords, so your final chord has three notes.
- The note your index finger is on determines the chord. Since the note in the example is an E, this is an E power chord.
2
Learn the 2-chord bridge into the chorus. In the first verse, this section begins with the words, "and the message coming from my eyes says leave it alone."^{[5]
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Research source} As he says this phrase play the following:
- Hit a G power chord (3rd fret, 6th string) for one full measure.
- Switch to an A power chord (5th fret, 6th string) or an open A (2nd fret, 2nd-4th strings) for one full measure or count of four beats.
3
Start the chorus with two strums of an E power chord. The “Seven Nation Army” chorus is unusual because it’s a musical chorus without any vocals. Start with one big strum, followed by a shorter one.^{[6]
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Research source} In case you've forgotten, an E power chord looks like this:
- e|--X--
- B|--X--
- G|--X--
- D|-(9)-
- A|--9--
- E|--7--
4
Slide your whole power chord down to the 10th fret to play a G. Practice keeping your hand and fingers in the same shape as you move across the neck of the guitar since power chords are all the same shape. After the second, quicker strum, jump quickly up to the 10th fret and strum it once. This chord takes the place of the 5th fret, 3rd string shown in the bass riff above.
- e|--XX--
- B|--XX--
- G|--XX--
- D|-(12)-
- A|--12--
- E|--10--
From here on out, you'll repeat the bass riff with power chords.^{[7]
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Research source} Hit the E one more time on your way back up the guitar.
6
Hit the 5th fret, D power chord as you slide back up the neck. Your next chord is another power chord, the 5th fret on the 5th string.
- e|--X--
- B|--X--
- G|--X--
- D|-(7)-
- A|--7--
- E|--5--
7
Keep moving to the 3rd fret power chord. Continue to follow the bass riff, keeping your hand in the same shape to play the chord. This is a C power cord, sometimes called a C5.
- e|--X--
- B|--X--
- G|--X--
- D|-(5)-
- A|--5--
- E|--3--
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Land the last power chord on the 2nd fret, then repeat the entire thing. The last chord is a B located on the 2nd fret of the 5th string. Once you've hit this, there’s a brief pause before you repeat the chords again for the chorus.
- e|--X--
- B|--X--
- G|--X--
- D|-(4)-
- A|--4--
- E|--2--
9
Listen to the song repeatedly to learn the rhythm and order of the song. "Seven Nation Army" is simple and doesn't have any vigorous strumming. After learning the power chords, put the three parts of the song together. There’s a verse, a chorus, and a bridge. Listen to the song to see how the music changes during these parts.^{[8]
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- The verse is only bass and drums.^{[9]
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  Research source} You can, however, play the chords of the song or the bass riff on the guitar.
- The bridge is a short piece of music that leads in and out of the chorus. At the end of the verse, right before jumping into the power chords, play the 2-chord bridge. You also play it after the chorus, right before going into the verse again.
- The chorus is your power chord riff. Play this exact same riff after the guitar solo.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Hitting the Solo

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1
Use the rhythm from the bass guitar riff in the solo. The guitar solo in "Seven Nation Army" isn't technically difficult. But rhythmically, it matches the iconic bass riff from the song's intro.^{[10]
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Research source} This plodding and deliberate rhythm is key to making the solo sound powerful.
- Review and learn the bass line before the solo. It is easy enough and will help immensely.
- All you're doing is taking the following sets of notes and playing them in the same rhythm as the bass solo.
- Start the first part of the solo on the 9th fret, 3rd string. The solo’s two sections follow the style of the bass riff.^{[11]
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  Research source} The first half starts on the 9th string, playing the 9th string repeatedly in place of the held root note in the bass riff. After leaving the 9th, keep playing the rest of the notes, like the bass guitar. Play this riff twice.
- |G|-----9~~--9-9-9-9/12b--11~---9~~-9-12-14-12--12-12/14-12-11-----
2
Move down to the 12th fret on the 1st string to kick the solo up a notch. The guitar really starts to squeal on this riff. Keep practicing by playing along with a recording of the song to get a feel for bending the notes. Note how much vibrato (when you "shake" a note, as indicated by the "~") is used to give the notes flavor and attitude.^{[12]
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- |e|-----12--12-15-12-12-15b--14~~----12--12-15-17-15--15-15/17-15-14~~-----
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Replay the last section, avoiding the high-pitched notes on the 17th fret. The last little section of the song sounds great if you also play the B-string occasionally, barring both strings on the same fret.^{[13]
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Research source} This adds body and power to your solo as you're playing, helping you capture some of the attitude of the original.
- |e|-----12--12-14-12-12-15b-15~~----12--12-14-12-12-14-12.
4
Use the bridge chords as your outro. Once you end the solo, quickly play the 13th and 12th frets on the B-string (2nd string).^{[14]
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Research source} Then jump into a quiet rendition of your bridge – the G and A power chords – to transition back into the verse.
- Palm mute these last two chords for the best effect.^{[15]
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How do I stop my fingers from hurting when I'm playing the guitar?

Nicolas Adams
Professional Guitarist
Nicolas Adams is a 5th generation musician of Serbian Gypsy descent and the lead guitarist of the band Gypsy Tribe. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Nicolas specializes in Rumba Flamenco and Gypsy jazz and playing the guitar, Bouzouki, Balalaika, and piano.

Nicolas Adams

Professional Guitarist

Expert Answer

The technique is a big part of that. Holding the strings almost flat instead of at certain angles is a big part. It just takes time. Your fingers have to develop that callus over time. I recommend a nylon guitar or classical because it's much easier on the hand, especially when you're starting out. Also, hold the guitar neck gently. There's not a lot of pressure that has to be applied.

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