Synth Rock Jam Track

This jam track pulls together the things you've learned so far in the level without piling on anything new — that's the next lesson's job. The style here is The Killers meets solo-era Johnny Marr, with a touch of Andy Summers: a clean channel with the gain cranked just enough, still jangly, with a little chorus on top. The main progression is E minor, D major and C major seven, and your barre chord muscle is going to get a proper workout. Follow the on-screen tab, and treat this as the checkpoint for everything in the first half of Level 6.

What you will learn:

• The tone: cranked clean, jangle and chorus — The Killers, Johnny Marr and Andy Summers

• The main progression: E minor, D major and C major seven

• The other chords: B7, the Andalusian run and the A7 finish

• The riff: jagged, muted strumming — playing staggered rhythms over a straight groove

• Short stabs for the chorus, and how to know you're ready to move on

The Tone

This style lives on a clean channel with the gain pushed — still clean, still jangly, but with some grit available when you dig in. Add a little chorus and you're in Andy Summers territory; keep it drier and it's more Killers. Solo-era Johnny Marr, particularly around the Playland era, is the other reference point — his own material is full of exactly this kind of driving, clean-but-urgent rhythm playing. Getting this tone right is half of getting the feel right.

The Main Progression

E minor, D major and C major seven are the core three chords, played as barre shapes — which is exactly why this track is such a good barre chord workout. That C major seven is your chance to use the moveable shapes from the major seventh lesson in a real musical setting, and to hear how the dreamy chord colour works inside a driving rock groove rather than a ballad.

The Other Chords

The track also uses a B7 — a dominant seventh — and there's an alternative barre voicing available if you want to chase the full Johnny Marr sound; it's the kind of shape you need for Smiths material like Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others. The progression also runs down through the Andalusian cadence we've covered many times before, but finishes it off with an A7 — essentially Seven Nation Army jazzed up a bit. Small chord choices, big change in flavour.

The Riff and the Rhythm

The riff section is jagged, muted strumming — and the real skill being tested is playing a staggered, syncopated rhythm over a straight groove. At this level, that ability starts to become crucial for rhythm playing: the drums stay square, and your part pushes and pulls against them. If your muting is solid and your barre shapes form quickly, this is where it shows; if either is shaky, this riff will tell you exactly what to practise.

The Chorus Stabs and Moving On

The chorus section drops to short stabs — major seven, dominant seven — with room to vary the rhythm the way The Killers would. If you can play the riff, the progression and the stabs along with the on-screen tab, you're ready for the next lesson: the Hendrix jam track, which takes these same foundations and adds the full rhythm-lead vocabulary on top. This one is here to solidify; that one is here to stretch you.