My Generation is played in 4/4 time at fast 189 bps (beats per second). Below is the guitar parts and John Entwistle’s bass parts to the intro, verse and chorus.
Intro
A slight dissonance is created in the 2nd and 4th measures of the intro as the guitar holds the G notes and the bass moves down to F. In the actual recording the intro is played through only once then leads into the first verse.
Here’s the guitar part:
Here is the bass part:
Verse
For the guitar part you can use your thumb (like Pete Townshend) to fret all the notes on the low E string. The 4 measure verse part is played 4 times:
While Townshend’s guitar part is simplistic in its approach, Entwistles’ bass part uses busy hammer-ons and staccato like eighth notes to add rhythmic interest during the guitar break:
Chorus
While the song continues in it’s G, F chord progression, the guitar part is changed up a bit during the chorus:
Playing The Vocal Melodies on Guitar
Here is arraignment for the guitar of the lead vocals and back-up vocals from the verses. Feel free to elaborate on it. You can even add your own stuttering!
Bass/Guitar Solo Section
Rhythm Guitar Part for the Solo
The rhythm part below is played throughout the bass/guitar solo.
Bass Solo
Bass solos have never been the norm, but My Generation was all about breaking the rules. The bass solo begins after the second set of the verse and chorus.
Guitar Fills
Below are the guitar fills head in between the bass runs. To practice along with the loops for each fill, you’ll want to rest an additional measure at the end before starting back at the beginning. Just listen to it a couple of times before you starting playing along and you’ll get what I mean.
