Guitar & Bass Tabs
Montrose
Learn Montrose's Guitar & Bass Style
Discover how Montrose developed their signature guitar and bass sound, the techniques you'll encounter in their music, and the best lessons to begin your learning journey.
Montrose, the guitar-driven project led by guitarist Ronnie Montrose, burst onto the scene in 1973 with a ferocious blend of blues-based hard rock and high-octane riffs. Ronnie Montrose, who had cut his teeth with the Edgar Winter Group, formed the band with a lean, powerhouse lineup that would redefine American hard rock. Their self-titled debut delivered anthems like Rock Candy and Bad Motor Scooter, tracks celebrated for their savage riffs and melodic hooks, and established a blueprint for riff-driven rock that influenced a generation of players.
Montrose helped seed the American hard rock explosion and inspired a lineage of guitar heroes with its tight rhythms, bluesy phrasing, and fearless solos. The debut’s impact reached beyond the studio, and the band’s ferocious tone would echo through late-70s rock and into metal. Although the lineup shifted in subsequent years, Ronnie Montrose's fearless guitar voice—blending blues grit with metal swagger—left an enduring mark on rock guitar and on the way power-chord riffs and lean, memorable hooks are written and played. The three DadRock Tabs lessons—Rock The Nation, Bad Motor Scooter, and Rock Candy—offer a focused path to capturing that energy on guitar.
🎸 Want to know what gear Montrose used, their playing style, and fun facts? Scroll below the lessons!
Watch the Lesson
Rock Candy
Montrose
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Bad Motor Scooter
Montrose
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Rock The Nation
Montrose
View Tab →Playing Style
Ronnie Montrose's guitar voice was built on relentless riffs, blues-inflected phrasing, and fearless lead lines. His playing blends blues-based pentatonic ideas with tight, palm-muted power-chord grooves, rapid alternate-picking, and expressive bends that shape memorable solos. The result is a hard rock sound that is heavy, melodic, and deceptively nuanced—a blueprint for how to deliver punchy rhythms and soaring melodies in equal measure. If you want to understand how to lock in a riff-first approach while still letting the leads sing, Montrose's style is a perfect study in balance and intensity.
🎸 Gear & Equipment
Montrose's tone is closely tied to a guitar-driven, high-gain setup typical of 1970s hard rock: solid-body guitars with humbucker-equipped pickups for a fat, cutting edge, run through tube-based amps at loud, stage-ready levels (think Marshall-style stacks) to achieve that tight, aggressive rhythm. For leads and texture, players often add modest overdrive or fuzz and may use modulation like chorus or phaser to widen the guitar’s voice. The result is a timeless, beefy rock guitar sound that still cuts through a mix with clarity and bite.
Why Learn Montrose Songs?
Learning Montrose on guitar is a fast track to building core hard rock technique. You’ll develop chunky power chords, precise palm muting, tight rhythm playing, and clean, confident alternate picking, all while crafting memorable melodic lines. The three DadRock Tabs lessons—Rock The Nation, Bad Motor Scooter, and Rock Candy—offer a progressive path from chunky riffs to expressive leads, with slow practice tracks and practical technique tips to help you build speed and accuracy. Difficulty ranges from moderate to challenging, but every section reinforces essential rock foundations you’ll use across countless classic-rock songs.
Did You Know?
- 1Ronnie Montrose formed Montrose in 1973 after leaving the Edgar Winter Group.
- 2Sammy Hagar was the original vocalist before his Van Halen era.
- 3Rock Candy, from Montrose's debut, is considered a quintessential guitar showcase riff.
- 4Ronnie Montrose passed away in 2012, leaving a lasting legacy on hard rock guitar.
3 Montrose lesson(s) available — Start learning today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn to Play Montrose Guitar
Explore Montrose guitar and bass lessons with a focus on riffs, rhythm parts, classic rock techniques, and practice-friendly video lessons.
Start Here
Begin with the most recognizable riffs and rhythm parts before moving into harder songs.
Techniques
Practice power chords, timing, picking control, bends, vibrato, and classic rock phrasing.
Next Step
Use the lessons below to build a practice path from easier songs to more advanced parts.
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If you're learning Montrose on guitar or bass, these related artists use similar riffs, tunings, playing styles, and classic rock techniques.