The siblings keep things simple by eschewing effects and plugging straight into their Marshall stacks. Malcolm has played the same Gretsch semi-hollowbody since day one; Angus favors Gibson SGs. Examples 1 and 2 provide a glimpse into Mal’s m.o.: Big, robust power chords (often played “open” in nut position) and catchy, syncopated rhythms that include plenty of (here it comes again) space created by actual rests. (Listen to those drums pop through!) Even busy sixteenth-note riffs like the one built on broken power chords in Ex. 3 are infused with staccato “holes.”

And nobody does pentatonics like Angus. Ex. 4 begins with a gradual bend that peaks with two beats of Angus’ hellaciously exaggerated vibrato (which he attributes to “nerves”) followed by a speedy descending B pentatonic minor run rife with pull-offs. The repetitive riff in Ex. 5 is laden with double-stops and reflects Angus’ Chuck Berry roots, while the descending B Mixolydian-based scale sequence in Ex. 6 alternates with pulled-off open-B pedal tones. Adjust the last few notes, and voilá! You’ve got one of Canada’s top ten ring tones. Seriously.