Surrender - Cheap Trick

Conquer 'Surrender - Cheap Trick' in Guitar Hero II! Get tips for Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert difficulties, from chord transitions to tricky fills.

Alright, let's talk about "Surrender" by Cheap Trick. This is a pretty solid track in Guitar Hero II, and honestly, it’s not too bad across the board if you’ve been practicing. We’ll break it down by difficulty so you know what to expect.

Easy

This one’s a bit longer than some of the other Easy songs, but don’t let that scare you. It’s totally doable for beginners. Just keep an eye out for the tempo slowing down towards the very end – it’s a little surprise!

Medium

On Medium, you’ll see a lot more notes flying at you, but it’s still pretty manageable. This is actually a fantastic song to really nail down your note transitions and get comfortable with chords. You’ll be seeing a lot of YB chords mixed in with others you’ve already learned. That slowdown from Easy? It’s still here, but with more notes to keep you on your toes. A pro tip here: listen to the band in the background. When they start to slow down, match their pace with your strumming – it’s the best way to nail that ritardando.

Hard

Hard difficulty really ramps up the chord work. In the first verse, you’ll run into a G-G-GY pattern, followed by an R-R-RB pattern. Pay close attention after that first pattern because you’ll need to shift your hand position for the third part, which is O-O-YO. The chorus is a mix of chords, so start it in the shifted position and make sure to shift back whenever the chorus repeats. The guitar fills are pretty straightforward, and the outro has a line of B notes that lasts for about 5-10 seconds. Keep those fingers ready!

Expert

Expert mode is where the real challenge lies, especially with shifting. You’ll need to shift pretty much every time you see an R during the verses and the chorus. There’s a particularly tricky shift near the end of the verse where you’re playing G’s and GY’s, and then suddenly you’re on Y’s and YO’s. A few of the fills are a bit unusual and might throw you off for a second, but they’re not so bad that you can’t pass or even 5-star the song. Remember that slowdown after the long line of B’s in the outro? It’s still there. With some dedicated practice on those guitar fills, this is actually one of the easier songs on Expert to hit 100% of the notes. Just keep at it!