Dulcimer Guitar "Seven Nation Army" w/ Justin Blanner

Justin dipped into the modern rock archive this week and pulled out a big one: “Seven Nation Army.”

And honestly… it’s kind of the perfect teaching song.

Back when Justin was teaching guitar lessons regularly, he said this was one of the first tunes just about everybody wanted to learn. And for good reason — that iconic riff? You can play the whole thing on a single string. No wild chord shapes. No gymnastics. Just solid timing and that unmistakable groove.

It’s simple.
It’s powerful.
And it’s instantly recognizable from the very first note.

That’s the magic of a great riff — it doesn’t need a wall of sound behind it. It just needs feel.

What I love about Justin’s take here is how he breaks it down in a way that makes you realize, “Oh… I can actually do this.” Whether you’re brand new or just want something fun to add to your back pocket, this one’s a confidence builder.

I was intrigued enough watching him put this together that we’ve already decided — we’re going to tackle a duet version soon… and yes, there’ll be a lesson to go with it.

Take a look at what he’s done here and let us know what you think.

More riffing coming your way.

— Ryan