Snortin’ Whiskey – Pat Travers

At LickLibrary.com, our note-for-note guitar lesson on “Snortin’ Whiskey” by Pat Travers is a must for any guitarist serious about developing authentic blues-rock chops. Released in 1980, Snortin’ Whiskey is a hard-hitting, high-energy track packed with fiery guitar work, aggressive rhythm playing, and expressive soloing. This lesson breaks down every lick, riff, and solo so you can recreate the track with the same grit and swagger that made it a staple of Travers’ career.

Whether you're into classic rock, blues, or hard-edged shred, this lesson delivers a full-body workout for both your fretting and picking hands. Let’s explore the players behind the song, the guitar techniques it features, and the reasons why learning them will take your playing to the next level. Danny Gill breaks down this classic track in this exclusive Lick Library video tutorial.

About the Guitarists – Pat Travers and Pat Thrall

Snortin’ Whiskey showcases the formidable guitar pairing of Pat Travers and Pat Thrall, a duo that brought unmatched chemistry and intensity to the late 70s and early 80s rock scene.

Pat Travers is known for his searing tone, gritty vocals, and no-nonsense blues-rock style. His command of phrasing and dynamics helped shape the sound of hard rock guitar throughout the decade. Pat Thrall, equally respected, added a layer of technical proficiency and flash, seamlessly blending elements of rock, fusion, and shred into his playing. Together, they created harmonised leads, contrasting tones, and fiery interplay that made Snortin’ Whiskey a standout guitar track of its era.

Their influence is still felt in the playing of modern guitarists who aim to combine power with precision and raw feel.

Guitar Techniques Explored in Snortin’ Whiskey

Our lesson focuses on a range of techniques that appear throughout the song. Each one offers unique benefits and can help expand your technical ability and musical vocabulary.

String Bending

An essential technique for blues and rock soloing, string bending adds vocal-like expressiveness to your phrases. In Snortin’ Whiskey, bending is used for both subtle melodic inflections and aggressive screams. Practicing bends improves your control, intonation, and emotional phrasing.

Vibrato

Used extensively by both Travers and Thrall, vibrato gives life to sustained notes and helps you develop your personal style. Mastering this technique helps your solos stand out and creates a more vocal, human feel in your playing.

Alternate Picking

Many of the riffs and fast licks in the track demand precise alternate picking. This technique helps improve your speed, accuracy, and rhythmic timing—essentials for navigating the song’s relentless momentum.

Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs (Legato)

These fluid movements are key to creating smooth, connected lines throughout the solos. They reduce the reliance on picking every note and add speed and finesse to your playing.

Slides

Slides are used frequently in both riffs and lead work. They make transitions between notes seamless and can add a bluesy, expressive edge that’s difficult to achieve with standard picking.

Double Stops

Common in blues and rock, double stops add thickness and harmony to lead lines. In this track, they contribute to the raw, aggressive feel of the solos.

Pinched Harmonics

These squealing accents bring bite and character to individual notes. They're used in Snortin’ Whiskey to punch through the mix and inject attitude into lead phrases.

Power Chords

The backbone of the rhythm guitar work, power chords drive the energy of the song. Learning them builds your understanding of chord structure and tightens your timing and muting.

Palm Muting

Palm muting adds a tight, percussive edge to rhythm parts, especially in the driving main riff. This technique is great for adding control and dynamic contrast to your playing.

Rakes

A rake is a stylistic move where muted strings are swept into a target note, creating a sharp, percussive sound. Used in solo phrasing, it adds intensity and phrasing variation.

Why Learn Snortin’ Whiskey?

This song is a powerhouse of guitar vocabulary. Learning it will enhance:

• Your expressiveness, with techniques like vibrato, bends, and harmonics
• Your technical fluency, through fast alternate picking and legato runs
• Your rhythm precision, with tight power chords and palm muting
• Your phrasing, thanks to advanced ideas like rakes and pinched harmonics

Beyond the technical gains, you’ll also absorb a sense of feel—that intangible quality that separates good players from great ones. Travers and Thrall’s performance is packed with groove, grit, and personality, and our lesson ensures you won’t just copy the notes—you’ll internalise the attitude.

Techniques Used in Snortin’ Whiskey

• Vibrato
• Alternate Picking
• Legato
• Pull-Offs
• Hammer-Ons
• String Bending
• Slides
• Double Stops
• Pinched Harmonics
• Power Chords
• Palm Muting
• Rakes

Get inside the minds—and fingers—of Pat Travers and Pat Thrall with this explosive lesson on Snortin’ Whiskey, only at LickLibrary.com. Whether you're chasing tone, technique, or pure rock ’n’ roll attitude, this lesson delivers.