How Can I Play Pierce The Veil Bulletproof Love On Guitar?

I still get stupidly hyped when that intro hits, so my short, practical way to learn 'Bulletproof Love' is: tune, simplify, and then embellish. Start in standard or try Drop D (tune low E to D) to see which makes the riffs feel natural. Learn a basic chord skeleton first — Em, C, G, D — and use palm-muted power chords for the verses to capture that tight, punchy sound. Once you can move between those shapes cleanly, add the chorus voicings with fuller strums and let the chords ring.

For the lead lines, don’t overcomplicate: little pentatonic bends, slides, and quick double stops will cover most of the melodic flavor. Use a moderate overdrive, a touch of delay, and practice sections on loop slowly. If you want direct tablature, look up community tabs or a YouTube lesson and play along at reduced speed; it’ll glue together faster than you expect.

I've spent more nights than I’d like to admit hunched over my amp trying to get the tone and feel of 'Bulletproof Love' right, so here’s how I’d walk you through it — from a relaxed learning vibe to the nitty-gritty technique. First thing: listen to the song a bunch and pick one part to focus on (intro riff, verse rhythm, or the chorus). If you're just starting, learn a simplified rhythm-accompaniment first so you can sing or play along, then layer on the lead fills and accents. For a playable stripped-down version, try basic open chords and a muted strum: Em — C — G — D works great for getting the harmonic feel under your hands even if the original has more intricate voicings. Use a steady palm-muted eighth-note pulse for verses, then open up the strumming on the chorus with an energetic down-up pattern (down, down-up, up-down-up) and let the chords ring.

If you want to get closer to the recorded sound, experiment with tuning and power-chord shapes. Many bands in this scene use a dropped tuning (Drop D or Drop C) to get heavier, chuggy power chords; try Drop D first (low E string down to D) and see if the riff sits easier under your fingers. Use power chords (root and fifth) and palm-mute the low strings for the verses, then release the mute for big, sustained chords in the chorus. For lead touches, focus on simple pentatonic licks, double-stop bends, and short melodic fills — Vic’s style often uses tasteful bends and vibrato rather than flashy shredding. A bit of slapback delay, moderate gain, and a touch of reverb will push your single-coil or humbucker tone toward the track without becoming a wash.

Practical practice plan: break the song into 8-bar chunks, loop slowly using YouTube’s 0.75x or 0.5x or a slowdowner app, learn the chord shapes at tempo, then add palm-muting and accents. Tab resources like community transcriptions can point you in the right direction, and watching a couple of covers on YouTube helps you see fingerings and right-hand technique. Finally, make the parts yours: if a fill is too hard, play a simpler slide or arpeggio — it still sounds good live. I still mess up the timing sometimes when I rush the fills, but slowing down and singing along keeps the groove honest and fun.