We’ve got a YouTube legend on deck for this week’s edition of Gear Factor. Justin Whang, from his Whang! YouTube channel and the metal band Jynx, joined us to play some of his favorite all-time riffs.
Like many ‘90s kids, Whang got inspired to play guitar thanks to melodic punk bands such as the Offspring. Whang credits the Offspring’s “Come Out and Play” riff as an old favorite, thanks in part to ECW wrestler Raven, who used the song as his entrance music. Whang even busts out some Pantera, who Rob Van Dam marched to the ring to.
As for techniques Whang struggled with at first, the guitarist explains how he took some odd detours while learning pinch harmonics. In the pre-YouTube era when many up-and-coming guitarists were forced to learn techniques by ear, Whang created his own pinch harmonic technique.
“What I would do is, I would kinda stick an extra finger out like I was trying to hit the g-spot or something,” Whang explains while pressing beyond the top of his fretboard. “It didn’t sound good anyway. It was not a good way to do a pinch harmonic, but it kinda got the job done. Then I eventually just got it by accident.”
As for his music with Jynx, some of Whang’s favorite riffs lie within the songs “Obsessive Convulsive,” “Revolver” and “Levitate.” He even talks about a new, yet to be released riff that fans will hear soon. “You’ll know it when you hear it,“ assures Whang.
Justin Whang Plays His Favorite Riffs
Watch Justin Whang play his favorite riffs in the video above. Click here to check out Jynx’s music and get your fill of tales from the Internet at Whang’s YouTube channel.
