Garage punk: a practice guide

What it is

Garage punk is the rawest end of garage rock. The term covers two things. One is the toughest, most aggressive records made by 1960s garage bands, which later listeners heard as an early form of punk. The other is the underground scenes, from the 1980s onwards, that went back to that sound on purpose and played it louder, faster and rougher. Records were often made cheaply and quickly, and a lo-fi sound is part of the appeal rather than a flaw.

It differs from much later punk in where it looks for inspiration. Garage punk keeps the rhythm and blues and rock and roll roots of the 1960s bands: the shuffles, the call-and-response vocals, the simple riffs. Speed and volume are added on top.

How it sounds

• Distortion everywhere. Fuzzed or overdriven guitar, often a distorted bass, and vocals that break up on the loud notes.
• Simple, fast riffs. Three-chord progressions and riff-based songs drawn from rock and roll and rhythm and blues.
• Drums that push. Busy, loud drumming with a lot of crash cymbal, often slightly ahead of the beat.
• Short songs. Many are under two and a half minutes. Ending hard on the last chord is normal.
• Lo-fi production. Room sound, tape hiss and overload are often kept on purpose.

Tempo and feel

Most garage punk is fast, usually 160 to 200 BPM, with the odd shuffle or mid-tempo stomper. The feel is urgent. The challenge for a band is to sound wild while staying together: the arrangement is too bare to hide timing problems.

How to practise it

Build speed in steps. Learn each song at about 80% of its target tempo with the metronome, then raise it five BPM at a time. Once it holds at the target, try a few BPM above it so the real tempo feels comfortable.

Downstroke endurance. At two clicks per beat, play steady eighth-note downstrokes on one chord for a minute, rest, and repeat. Relax your forearm; stiffness costs speed.

Rehearse the endings. Hard stops on the last chord only work if everyone hits them together. Count the ending out loud against the click until it’s automatic.

Keep it short. If a song drags, cut a verse or halve the solo. In this style, a two-minute song played with full commitment beats a four-minute one played politely.