Skid Row – Monkey Business

Few hard rock tracks capture the raw energy and swagger of early ’90s heavy music quite like Monkey Business by Skid Row. Driven by crushing riffs, groove-heavy rhythms, aggressive lead guitar work, and attitude-packed performances, this song is an outstanding study piece for guitarists wanting to improve their rhythm precision, articulation, phrasing, and expressive rock guitar techniques.

In this Licklibrary.com guitar lesson, Sam Bell breaks down every major section of the song in detail, helping players understand not only how to perform the riffs and solos accurately, but also how to capture the feel and aggression that made Skid Row one of the defining hard rock bands of the era. From tight palm-muted rhythms and syncopated grooves through to screaming bends and melodic lead lines, this lesson is packed with valuable concepts for intermediate and advanced guitar players alike.

Main Rhythm Guitar Riffs

The opening riffs of Monkey Business immediately establish the song’s gritty groove and unmistakable attitude. The rhythm guitar parts rely heavily on tight muting, punchy accents, and aggressive timing. Learning these riffs helps develop precision and consistency in your picking hand while improving your ability to lock into a powerful groove.

The lesson carefully explains how the riffs are structured, showing how the subtle rhythmic accents and muting techniques create the track’s signature feel. Players will also learn how to control gain and articulation to maintain clarity while performing high-energy rock riffs.

Palm Muting

Palm muting is one of the key techniques used throughout Monkey Business. By lightly resting the side of the picking hand near the bridge, guitarists can create tight, chunky rhythm tones that add power and control to riffs.

Developing strong palm muting technique improves rhythmic accuracy, picking control, and dynamic expression. It also helps players tighten up their overall rhythm guitar performance, especially when playing hard rock and metal styles where articulation and groove are essential.

Power Chords

The song makes extensive use of aggressive power chord shapes that drive the main riffs forward with energy and authority. These chords form the backbone of countless rock and metal tracks, making them essential for every guitarist to master.

Learning power chord movement and transitions improves fretboard confidence, timing, and left-hand coordination. This lesson also demonstrates how Skid Row use rhythmic variation and muting to make simple chord shapes sound huge and exciting.

Syncopated Rhythms

One of the standout features of Monkey Business is its syncopated rhythmic feel. Many of the riffs push against the beat, creating tension and groove that give the song its unique swagger.

Working on syncopated rhythms is incredibly valuable for improving timing and musical feel. It helps players become more rhythmically aware while strengthening their ability to perform tighter, more dynamic guitar parts across all styles of music.

Lead Guitar Phrasing

The lead guitar work throughout the song combines aggressive rock attitude with blues-inspired phrasing and melodic hooks. The solo sections feature expressive bends, slides, vibrato, and fast runs that perfectly complement the song’s heavy groove.

This lesson focuses on phrasing accuracy and expression, helping players understand how to make solos sound musical rather than mechanical. Studying these lead sections also improves confidence when improvising and creating original rock solos.

String Bending

String bending is a major component of the lead guitar style found in Monkey Business. Controlled bends are used to add intensity, emotion, and vocal-like phrasing throughout the solo passages.

Practising string bending develops finger strength, pitch accuracy, and expressive control. This lesson demonstrates how precise bends can dramatically improve the quality and professionalism of your lead guitar playing.

Vibrato

The song’s lead guitar parts also feature strong, confident vibrato that helps notes sustain and sing with character. Vibrato is one of the most important expressive tools for any guitarist and plays a huge role in creating professional-sounding solos.

Developing vibrato technique improves note control, sustain, and musical personality. The lesson explains how different vibrato speeds and widths can completely change the feel of a phrase.

Slides

Slides are used throughout the riffs and solos to connect phrases smoothly while adding movement and aggression to the guitar parts. They help transitions feel more fluid and natural while maintaining the energy of the performance.

Learning slides improves fretboard navigation and phrasing while helping players achieve smoother lead and rhythm guitar transitions.

Pinched Harmonics

Aggressive pinched harmonics add extra attitude and bite to several guitar phrases in Monkey Business. These screaming harmonic accents are a staple of hard rock and metal guitar playing.

Mastering pinched harmonics helps players develop better picking-hand precision and tonal control. They also add excitement and personality to riffs and solos, making performances sound more authentic and expressive.

The Guitarists and Their Influence

The guitar work on Monkey Business comes from Dave Sabo and Scotti Hill, whose combination of aggressive rhythm playing and melodic lead work became a defining part of Skid Row’s sound. Their style blended elements of classic hard rock, blues, heavy metal, and modern groove-oriented riffing, helping the band stand apart from many of their contemporaries.

Their influence can still be heard in countless modern hard rock and metal bands today. By studying their guitar work, players gain valuable insight into creating memorable riffs, tight rhythm performances, and expressive rock lead guitar phrasing.

Why Learn Monkey Business?

Monkey Business is an excellent song for guitarists looking to improve both rhythm and lead playing in a real-world musical context. The lesson develops essential rock guitar skills including groove, timing, articulation, phrasing, muting, and expressive soloing.

Whether you are looking to tighten your rhythm playing, expand your lead vocabulary, or simply learn one of Skid Row’s heaviest and most iconic tracks, this lesson provides an exciting and rewarding challenge for rock guitar enthusiasts.

Guitar Techniques Used

• Vibrato
• Palm Muting
• Power Chords
• Syncopated Rhythms
• String Bending
• Slides
• Pinched Harmonics
• Alternate Picking
• Pull-Offs
• Hammer-Ons
• Sustain
• Chromaticism