
Strong Songs "No One Knows" by Queens of the Stone Age
Trust Your Ears For Guitar Tone
- Trust your ears when searching for guitar distortion and tone instead of overanalyzing gear.
- Test pedals and amp combinations until you find a sound you like and then use that as your guide.
Drums Take The Lead Role
- "No One Knows" is driven by a tight trio arrangement where drums often act like a lead instrument.
- Dave Grohl's drumming pulls the song forward and defines its character more than guitars or vocals.
Low C Tuning Shapes The Tone
- The recording is in C tuning, with the guitar tuned down a major third for a darker low C.
- That lower tuning gives the riff more weight while keeping familiar fingerings for players.
It's time for a journey of the mind, as Kirk picks apart one of the best hard rock tunes of the early 2000s.
Queens of the Stone Age's "Songs for the Deaf" includes enough bangers that it was tough to pick a single song to focus on, but in the end, "No One Knows" won the day with its combination of grit, groove, and focus. On this episode, Kirk dives deep into the tune's tightly wound, surprisingly swinging arrangement, with special focus on Dave Grohl's meticulous drumming.
Artist: Queens of the Stone Age
Album: Songs for the Deaf (2002)
Written by: Josh Homme and Mark Lanegan
Listen/Buy via Album.Link
ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
- "Prelude from Final Fantasy VII" by Nobuo Uematsu, 1997
- "My Sharona" by The Knack from Get The Knack, 1969
- "Big Dipper" by Thad Jones performed by the Thad Jones & Mel Lewis Orchestra on Central Park North, 1959
OUTRO SOLOIST: Dan Nervo
This episode's outro soloist is the fantastic Dan Nervo. Dan plays guitar in the San Francisco Bay Area in bands like Neon Velvet, and also teaches private guitar lessons. Hit him up if you want to get good at guitar: https://www.facebook.com/DanNervoGuitarLessons/
TRIPLE CLICK
On last week's episode of Kirk's video game podcast Triple Click, he did a Strong Songs-style breakdown of some of the music from the classic JRPG Final Fantasy VII. Triple Click is on all major podcast services, and you can find that episode here: https://maximumfun.org/episodes/triple-click/the-music-of-final-fantasy-vii/
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