For any kid who picked up an electric guitar in the 1960s, it never took long before they’d take a stab at trying to play “Walk Don’t Run,” the genre-defining surf-rock hit from 1960 popularized by the Ventures, which used that reverb-soaked recording as a launch pad to become the most successful instrumental group in rock history.

A key part of the song’s success, and the group’s enduring appeal that allowed it to chart more than three dozen albums during the ’60s and ’70s, wasn’t in reeling off as many notes as possible, but in keeping things simple.