Linkin Park quickly rose to the top of the rock / hip-hop genre made popular by Korn and Limp Bizkit. The band mixes DJ skills with buzz-heavy guitars that has set itself apart from its predecessors. Xero, Linkin Park’s predecessor formed in 1996, was met with little interest. In 1998, the band briefly changed its name to Hybrid Theory, before finally settling on Linkin Park. Linkin Park signed with Warner Brothers in 1999 and has released five studio albums. They have achieved international fame and multi-platinum success with their debut album, Hybrid Theory. Linkin Park’s second release, Meteora, topped the 2003 Billboard Top 200 chart and continued their nu / rap metal successes.
Lead vocalist and co-writer Chester Bennington joined Linkin Park in 1999. Originally from Arizona, his post-grunge, aggressive vocals elevated Linkin Park above its nu grunge contemporaries.
Brad Delson, the lead guitarist for Linkin Park, graduated from UCLA, where he met bassist David Farrell. Delson has played over 60 guitars in his time, but his signature instrument is the PRS Custom 24. He has also playedthe Ibanez RG7620 (a seven string guitar) and a customized black Ibanez AX120.
Mike Shinoda, performs vocals and plays keyboard and rhythm guitar, originally studied classical piano, before transitioning into hip-hop. He’s best known for his eclectic mix of talents, which include guitar and rap-style vocals. He played mainly Ibanez RG guitars, before switching to PRS guitars in 2004. He’s also known to play the Takamine acoustic guitar.
David “Phoenix” Farrell is the band’s bass player and back-up vocalist. On stage he plays a mix of bass guitars, including the Ernie Ball, Music Man, Sting Ray, and Fender Precision basses. His beginnings were in the genres of Christian punk and ska.
Joe “Mr. Hahn” Hahn, a second-generation Korean American, mans the turntables for Linkin Park, joining theband after meeting Shinoda at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Drummer Robert (Rob) Bourdon is the youngest member of Linkin Park.
A beginner can emulate the band’s relatively easy riffs. Many of the chords repeat and are roughly harmonic.Because many of the songs are similarly structured in terms of repeating intros, chorus, and fills, a beginner -especially on an acoustic guitar – can expect learn a few chords to get through an entire song. The easy riffs and repetitive chords will ensure any beginner will be playing this nu-grunge, modern rock music in no time.
Keep Rockin’!!!
