Guitar & Bass Tabs
Winger
About Winger
Winger burst onto the scene in the late 1980s as one of the era's most guitar-forward melodic hard rock bands. Formed in 1987 by Kip Winger and guitarist Reb Beach, the group fused radio-friendly hooks with showpiece guitar work, becoming a staple of MTV and arena stages. The project quickly established a reputation for dual guitar dynamics, soaring leads, and compact, punchy songs that could fill both radios and stadiums.
The self-titled debut Winger (1988) became a multi-platinum seller and launched Seventeen and Headed for a Heartbreak into mainstream rotation. Their follow-up, In the Heart of the Young (1990), continued the dual-guitar storytelling and big choruses before the grunge wave reshaped rock in the mid-1990s. Over the years, the band has persisted with new releases and touring, earning a lasting place in classic-rock history.
Today, Winger's legacy lives on in their influence on melodic hard rock guitar tone, two-guitar dynamics, and the lasting appeal of songs that pair soaring leads with tight, groove-driven rhythm. The band's perseverance and craft continue to inspire new players to study phrasing, tone, and arrangement within a song-centered rock framework.
🎸 Want to know what gear Winger used, their playing style, and fun facts? Scroll below the lessons!
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Easy Come Easy Go
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Can't Get Enough
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Headed For A Heartbreak
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Hangin On
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Poison Angel
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Madalaine
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Seventeen
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Hungry
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Without The Night
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Purple Haze
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State Of Emergency
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Time To Surrender
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View Tab →Playing Style
Winger is defined by a twin-guitar attack that blends melodic leads with punchy rhythm parts. The style features tight riffing, prominent harmonized leads, and expressive soloing that sits atop a solid groove from bass and drums. Expect a healthy mix of power chords, palm muting, quick pentatonic runs, and tasteful arpeggios, often with brisk alternate picking and occasional neoclassical flourishes that give their solos a bright, theatrical edge.
🎸 Gear & Equipment
The Winger sound is closely tied to classic late-80s rock gear: solid-body electrics (think Les Paul- and Strat-style guitars) paired with tube-amp tones and roomy reverbs. Two-guitar rigs, along with chorus and delay effects, helped create the shimmer and sustain that define their leads, while a tight rhythm section locked in the groove that drives their memorable choruses.
Why Learn Winger Songs?
Learning Winger songs develops solid rhythm foundations, precise lead phrasing, and strong song structures that bridge pop immediacy with rock virtuosity. The 11 lessons cover riffs, chord progressions, palm-muted sections, and melodic solos across tempos and keys, from mid-tempo anthems to fast-driven rock. These tunes are accessible for intermediate players yet challenging enough to grow technique, dynamics, and timing—a perfect way to build a confident, stadium-ready rock vocabulary.
Did You Know?
- 1The band name Winger comes from frontman Kip Winger, who founded the group with Reb Beach in 1987.
- 2Winger's 1988 debut helped define the MTV-friendly melodic hard rock sound of the era, with Seventeen becoming their signature hit.
- 3Guitarist Reb Beach would later join Whitesnake and Dokken, among other projects.
- 4Two guitarists in the band created live harmonized leads that became a hallmark of their sound.
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