How to play Lostprophets' "Last Train Home" on the guitar

Lostprophets, The Last Train Home, from their ground-breaking album, "Start Something" was the band's first huge single and started a huge wave which the band have yet to descend from. This article will discuss on how to play Lostprophets lyrics, Last Train Home on the guitar.

Setting up your guitar

For this song, first, you need to tune to dropped D tuning, which is D,A,D,G,B,e, or the exact same as standard tuning, but with the low E string tuned down two semitones to D.
Due to this tuning, you can play power chords by barring the lowest three strings on your guitar. The band use Stratocaster guitars, but the sound can be easily replicated with any guitar. For the clean sections, you should have your clean channel with a slightly higher top range. The distorted sections should be of a fairly
mid-range setting.

Introduction

In many ways, it is far easier to learn from tablature in a song as complex as this, so this article will focus mainly on perfecting the technique. For tabs, search a reputable tab site, such as Ultimate-guitar.com, or 911tabs.com. For the introduction, you are picking through chords in the higher register of the guitar. Getting the hang of this rhythm can be difficult, but the easiest way is to practice each chord separately. Especially when it comes to the string skipping, which, if done incorrectly can sound dreadful.
Once you get your rhythm right, it's only a matter of memorising the chords which shouldn't be too difficult. The switch to distortion can be difficult to master at first, particularly if you're operating your own pedal. However, don't forget that the first chord you play is a typical power chord shape, and as such, you can move it from the third fret A string to the 11th Fret D string, if it makes the jump easier for you.

Verse

In the verse, you are strumming the chords from the introduction, again with your clean channel. The useful thing about this is, that despite the avoidance of the A string in the introduction, the chords sound fine with it played while strummed. So, there's no need to focus too heavily on the strumming motion.

Prechorus

Depending on whether you are playing Rhythm or Lead, the pre-chorus either consists of drop-tuned power chords, which are simply barres. They can also contain octaves, which are power-chords without your middle note, both of which are easy to play.

Summary

In reality, there is very little else to this song, it's a great party song and can easily be adapted to play acoustic. With this guide, you can join the legions of fans playing this song worldwide.