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“Kryptonite” by 3 Doors Down

Difficulty: Easy

Composer – Arnold, Harrell, Roberts

Where to find this song – The Better Life track #1

Release Date – February 2000

The Band:

Matt Roberts – guitar

Todd Harrell – bass

Chris Henderson – guitar

Brad Arnold – vocals, drums ( on recording )

The Bio:

Hailing from the small town of Escatawpa, MS, near Biloxi, 3 Doors
Down forged their way to a major-label contract with popular live shows
and the reputation of a single song. Their hit, “Kryptonite,”
generated unprecedented buzz at local radio station WCPR in Biloxi

Main Riff

The main riff to this song is actually rather easy. All you need to
do for the first measure is place your 1st finger on the second fret
on the “A” string. Place your 3rd and 4th fingers on the “D”
string and the “G” string. Last, place your 2nd finger on
the third fret on the “B” string. All you need to do is pick
it out accordingly. For the next measure, simply lift your 1st and 2nd
fingers off the fret board and play according to the tablature.

In the third measure, you will be placing your 2nd finger on the third
fret on the “low E” string. Next, place your 1st finger on
the second fret on the “A” string. Play accordingly. You are
playing a G based chord. In the fourth measure, you will simply need
to place your 2nd and 3rd fingers on the “D” and “G”
strings. Pick out the measure and proceed.

For the fifth measure, notice that you are playing what you did in
the first measure. In the sixth measure, this time you will need to
leave only your 1st and 4th fingers on the fret board and pick out the
open notes according to the tablature. The seventh measure is just like
the third measure, but easier. Just use your 2nd finger on the third
fret on the “low E” string and pick the open notes out. The
last measure is self-explanatory.

Guitar Solo

Guitar 1

In the guitar solo, notice that you will start off with your 4th finger
on the seventh fret on the “low E” string. Then, use your
1st finger to play the fourth fret on the “A” string. Next,
use your 2nd finger to play the fifth fret on the same string. For the
next measure you will be alternating the last two fingers you used.
Next you will need to immediately use your 2nd finger to slide to the
seventh fret on the “A” string. A slide is when you go to
the desired point on the tablature, leaving the finger you are using
to slide with on the string being played, while going to the next note.
Then you just move the 2nd finger back to the fifth fret on the same
string. There you will need to perform a vibrato. That is when you shake
the string that you are playing rapidly to produce a vibrating effect,
hence the name “vibrato.” (vibrate ) You will then play accordingly
and use your 2nd finger to play the fifth fret on the “low E”
string to end that measure.

For the next two measures, your best bet is to play this one by ear.
You will need to use your 4th finger to play the seventh frets on the
“low E” string in between the fifth frets, which you would
use your 2nd finger to also play. The same goes with the last two measures,
as you will notice that you are playing the same notes with the same
fingers that you have already played. The only difference here is timing.

Guitar 2

This guitar part is the rhythm part of the song. The first, second,
fifth, and sixth measures are identical here. All you do for the first
measure is barre your 1st finger on the second frets on the “low
E” string and the “A” string. Then, just use your 3rd
and 4th fingers to play the fourth frets on the “D” string
and the “G” string. Remember the mutes at the end of the measures.

In the third measure, use your 1st and 3rd fingers to play the third
frets on the “low E” string and the “B” string.
Remember the open notes and the mutes. Next, use your 2nd and 3rd fingers
on the “D” string and the “G” string on the second
frets. Play the open note as well. This measure is also identical to
the seventh measure. For the last measure of this guitar part, place
your 1st finger on the “low E” string on the second fret,
your 3rd and 4th fingers on the fourth frets on the “A” string
and the “D” string, and your 2nd finger on the third fret
on the “G” string.

Riff Resources

Complete Transcription To “Kryptonite”
(PDF)

Complete Transcription To “Kryptonite”
(Power Tab)