Video summary

How to Write Your Own AC/DC Style RIFF & SOLO Like ANGUS!

Main summary

Key takeaways

Entertainment

Overview

This upbeat AndyGuitar study shows how to write an AC/DC-style riff and solo in the spirit of Angus Young — complete with an SG and, for fun, the Angus shorts. The lesson focuses on crafting a punchy rhythm riff and a full lead solo, then breaks the solo down lick-by-lick.

“The rests are vital to give the drums and groove room to breathe.” — Andy (on classic AC/DC phrasing)

Main plot / highlights

  • Andy builds an AC/DC-style riff around E5, D5 and A5 power chords, with a B5 and a single slightly bent G for color.
  • The riff is strummed in four (one-two-three-four) and uses well-placed silence between hits; the rests are presented as essential to the groove.
  • He describes the riff as a hybrid of Back in Black and Rock or Bust and points out a common rhythmic pattern that runs through many Angus riffs: “three one two three.”
  • The video’s main focus is the full lead solo. Andy plays it cleanly, then breaks it down into four parts (see below).
  • Practical note: the full tablature for the riff and solo is available to premium members at andyguitar.com.uk (Access All Areas membership).

Solo — four-part breakdown

  1. Part 1

    • Starts low: an E octave around the 7th fret (string 5).
    • Uses positions 3 and 4 of the minor pentatonic.
    • Employs an “anchor” technique: the 3rd finger alternates between strings 5 and 4.
    • Includes a slide up to the 9th fret.

  2. Part 2

    • Double-stops and slides that mirror the underlying chords, creating shifting flavors: E minor → D power-chord feel → A major.
    • Several specific fret moves are called out (for example, 9 → 7 transitions).

  3. Part 3

    • Unison bends at the 12th and 15th frets with strong vibrato.
    • A fast cycling lick on the top two strings: flatten the first finger at 12, pick string 1, hammer to string 2 at 15, then a flick-off (a pick/hop/hook pattern).
    • Climaxes with a bend from the 15th fret up toward 17, then resolves to 16.

  4. Part 4

    • Continues the bend into a blues-scale walk-down (minor pentatonic plus the added “blues” note).
    • Repeats the unison-bend / flick-off motif to finish the solo.

Andy also notes an alternative cycling lick that’s very Angus-esque and encourages practicing both variants.

Technique highlights

  • Minor pentatonic positions and moving between them
  • Blending blues-scale notes with major-note bends (major inflection over a minor frame)
  • Unison bends
  • Flick-offs and hammer-ons in fast cycling licks
  • Vibrato for sustain and feel
  • Double-stops and slides that echo the rhythm chords
  • Dynamics and use of space (rests) to create groove

Jokes / memorable bits

  • Andy deliberately wears shorts to get the “Angus Young vibes” — a playful visual gag at the start.
  • The repeated emphasis on silence/rests is presented almost like a punchline: simple but essential.

Standout moments

  • The clean full-solo demonstration, followed by slow, practical lick-by-lick breakdowns.
  • The cycling top-string lick with hammer-ons and flick-offs — a compact, repeatable Angus-style trick.
  • Clear linking of lead choices to the rhythm chord movement (double-stops that echo the power-chord progression).

Personalities appearing

  • Andy (AndyGuitar) — instructor and performer
  • Angus Young — referenced as the stylistic influence

Original video