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The 1960’s were a time for experimentation in popular music, and one of the most unique sounds representative of that era was surf guitar. I remember hearing songs by the Ventures and the Surfaris when I was a kid and equating them with the fun in the sun attitude that pervaded Californian music.
I was entranced by the quick playing, the interesting melodies and above all, the lack of lyrics. As a teenager, I again encountered surf music when it became a popular addition to movie soundtracks. Part of this music’s appeal to me as a beginning guitarist was the fact that since there was no vocalist, I could essentially play the complete song on my guitar without missing any of the parts.
I also really enjoyed the way that surf guitar incorporated minor keys and atmospheric chords in order to paint a soundscape, which was different from a lot of the other rock and roll I was listening to at the time.
There are a few things that you need to know about surf guitar in order to capture the specific sound of the genre. The first is that in terms of technique, surf guitar often employs a rapid picking technique known as double-picking. At first, double picking can sound very intimidating, due to the speed at which it is done.
However, the mechanics are quite simple: you use your pick to hit the string on the downstroke and the upstroke, instead of just on the downstroke. Try to limit your arm’s movement so that it is just your wrist doing the picking – this will help you avoid fatigue and give you more control.
Another important component of surf guitar is reverb. In the 60’s, surf guitarists preferred to use Fender guitar amps, such as the Fender Twin, which had something called spring reverb installed. Spring reverb was a form of mechanical reverb that could be cranked up to completely drench the guitar sound until it was almost distorted, and this allowed guitarists to create some interesting tracks involving the combination of rapid picking and palm muting.
If your amplifier doesn’t have spring reverb, you can easily find a number of pedals, effects processors or software packages which can recreate the same type of sound for you. Remember that with surf guitar, there is no such thing as too much reverb – play around with it and see what kind of tone you can get.
A vibrato bar can also help you to imitate some of the diving tones you will find in many surf tracks.
Some of the most iconic surf songs are also amongst the easiest to learn. ‘Pipeline’ by the Chantays and ‘Wipeout’ by the Surfaris involve simply melodies and picking patterns that sound impressive when played at a good tempo. ‘Surf Rider’ by the Lively Ones is another track which has a good rhythm part which breaks into a slow, reverb-soaked melody.
If you feel like a challenge, then check out some of the tracks recorded by surf legend Dick Dale, such as ‘Miserlou’ or ‘Hava Nagila’. He was a master at double picking, and his speed and technique are admired by professional guitarists around the world.
Check out these videos for some examples and lessons:
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