Learn "Holiday" by Green Day on Electric Guitar

In this easy lesson, we'll learn how to play Holiday by Green Day on electric guitar - including its solo! This is such a cool song, and there are many wicked guitar parts to learn.

I love Green Day, and it's been ages since I taught one of their songs. Everything about their songs is awesome - the arrangements are great, the lyrics are on-point, and they have an angry, punk attitude while remaining intricate and interesting.

⚡️ Warning: this song is packed full of Power Chords! Need a refresher? Head to The Ultimate Power Chords Guide for Beginners.

This one is perfect for two guitars, so we'll check out the rhythm guitar for all the sections, along with that amazing solo, learning tips, and the arrangement. Let's dive in.

Holiday by Green Day: Rhythm Guitar Parts

Intro

The intro to Holiday is so cool! You need four mini chord shapes for this - they use the interval of a 10th, but it's best to see them as little chunks of the parent A Shape Chords.

These grips are like little Major and mini chords - each containing a bass note and the 3rd or minor 3rd tone. On electric guitar, sometimes playing the full grip is a bit much. We get the same flavor by playing just two notes while avoiding the fluff.

💡 These mini grips come from the A Shape Major and A Shape Minor Barre Chords. Understand them fully with my A Shape CAGED lesson.

The chords are Fm, D♭, A♭, and E♭, all rooted on string 5. We even throw in a sus4 embellishment over the E♭. ;) If you have another guitarist, one can play these mini shapes for 16 bars while the other joins in with the power-chord equivalents after eight bars. Check out the video lesson or JustinGuitarTabs for verified tabs, chords, and lyrics!

Verse

The chord progression changes slightly in the verse, and you get a great workout for your power chords. It lasts 16 bars, with the chords F, D♭, A♭, E♭, F, D♭, A♭, C. These are all power chords. :) Play this twice, switching directly to C after D♭ the second time around.

Chorus

The chorus also starts on an F power chord, but we play it in a lower octave to help vary the sections. This adds a lot of weight to the chorus and signals to the listener that it's approaching.

The progression is the same as the first eight bars of the verse, except we add a stop at the end. This makes it a nine-bar sequence, which is pretty unusual!

Middle Eight

This part is loads of fun! This section has many fast chord changes, making it a great workout for your power chords. You have four different power chords in four consecutive down strums!

The chords are F, A♭, D♭, B♭, E♭, C, then F, A♭, E♭, C, F. The count is a little tricky, so check out the tutorial for the exact rhythm and chord grips. :)

🧐 Nuances: On the recording, I can hear a G power chord strummed between the F and A♭, though Billy Joel doesn’t tend to play it on live versions. If you dig it, add it in. :)

Solo Chords & Bass Riff

We've already learned all the chords you'll need for the solo section in Holiday, but they're in a different order here.

After the solo, we go to the vocal-bass section, starting with "the representative of California has the floor." If you've learned the middle-eight progression, play the bass notes of those chords, and you've got the bass riff. :)

Holiday by Green Day: Lead Guitar Solo

I love artists that do melodic solos, like Slash, though he tends to be complex. Green Day solos are usually melodic and simple and work so well! You can even sing them over the chords - that's a good sign.

Green Day usually uses chord tones for their solos, making them melodic. I'm not sure what position the solo is in, but it's no big deal - as long as you play the right notes. You could even improvise your own solo around this idea. ;)

💡 Harmonic Analysis: we dive deep into Harmonic Analysis and the CAGED system in my Practical Music Theory course. This will help you understand all the solos you play inside out. :)

I advise you to transcribe this solo before watching the Holiday tutorial. Go work it out - then come back. Working out solos by ear is a skill that will serve you for your entire guitar journey.

It's also great to see how the solo fits around the rhythm guitar part. It's almost like a lesson on how to construct a solo that follows the chords. :)

Arrangement & Learning Tips

The arrangement is pretty complex, so I suggest you make a little chart. Or you can subscribe to JustinGuitarTabs and get a full transcription.

The advantage of making your own tabs is that you remember the music better. :) I've been doing it my entire life because the arrangement and chord sequences seem to stick better in my mind!

Have tons of fun with Holiday by Green Day, and don't forget to watch the video tutorial for all the crucial details. Happy trails!

💙 Dig Green Day? Check out all my Green Day song lessons!