Rockschool Electric Debut
Ain't No Sunshine
Originally by Bill Withers
About the song
Bill Withers recorded this in 1971 while still working a day job making toilet seats for aeroplanes. The famous 'I know' section was meant to be a placeholder lyric — the band told him to leave it in, and it became the most memorable part of the song.
Amp and tone settings
- Amp channel
- Clean
- Gain
- 2/10
- Bass / Mid / Treble
- 5 / 6 / 5
- Reverb
- 3/10 — a little room
- Pickup
- Neck, tone rolled back slightly
Every amp is different — use these as a starting point and trust your ears.
How to practise it
- Keep the strumming light — this is a groove, not a rock track.
- Count carefully through the 'I know' section; it's easy to lose the bar count.
- Let the rests breathe. Silence is part of the arrangement.