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Gerry Rafferty

2 guitar songs · Tabs, Lessons & Tone Guide Rock

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Artist Overview

Gerry Rafferty was a Scottish singer-songwriter who emerged from the 1970s folk-rock and soft rock scene, first gaining recognition with Stealers Wheel before launching a hugely successful solo career. His 1978 album "City to City" produced the iconic hit "Baker Street," a song that remains one of the most recognizable tracks of the era. While Rafferty himself was primarily a vocalist and acoustic rhythm guitarist, his recordings featured world-class session players who delivered some of the smoothest, most tasteful electric guitar work of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The guitar arrangements across Rafferty's catalog blend clean Stratocaster tones, warm jazz-influenced chord voicings, and melodic lead lines that reward careful study. For guitarists, Rafferty's music is a masterclass in restrained, melodic playing. The guitar parts serve the song without showboating, making them ideal for intermediate players looking to develop musicality, dynamics, and phrasing rather than sheer speed. Hugh Burns and Raphael Ravenscroft (famous for the saxophone hook on "Baker Street") were key contributors, but it was Burns who handled most of the iconic electric guitar work. Burns' playing on "Baker Street" in particular is a study in smooth, clean-toned phrasing with just enough grit to cut through the mix. His lead lines weave around the vocal melody with a jazz-rock fluidity that guitarists should absolutely dissect. The overall difficulty of Rafferty's guitar parts sits in the low-to-intermediate range for rhythm work (mostly open and barre chords with clean strumming or light fingerpicking) but climbs to intermediate-advanced territory for the lead lines, which require confident bending, smooth vibrato, and a good sense of dynamics. If you can nail the feel of these parts, you are developing skills that translate directly into blues, jazz, and Classic Rock contexts. Rafferty's music teaches you that tone, timing, and taste matter far more than technical fireworks.

What Makes Gerry Rafferty Essential for Guitar Players

  • Hugh Burns' lead guitar on "Baker Street" is a landmark in melodic electric guitar phrasing. The solo sections use smooth legato runs, tasteful bends, and a warm, slightly overdriven tone that sits perfectly in the mix. Learning this solo trains your ear for note choice and dynamics.
  • The rhythm guitar parts across Rafferty's catalog rely heavily on clean arpeggiated chord shapes and open-string voicings. Practicing these parts develops your right-hand control and your ability to let chords breathe without overplaying.
  • Vibrato is essential to capturing the feel of the guitar work on Rafferty's recordings. Burns used a controlled, medium-speed vibrato that gives sustained notes a vocal quality. Work on keeping your vibrato consistent and musical rather than frantic.
  • Many of Rafferty's songs use a mix of acoustic and electric guitar layering. Understanding how a clean Stratocaster part sits on top of an acoustic rhythm foundation is a valuable arrangement skill for any guitarist who writes or records.
  • The chord progressions in Rafferty's music often incorporate jazzy extensions (major 7ths, added 9ths, suspended chords) within a pop framework. This makes his songs excellent vehicles for expanding your chord vocabulary beyond standard open and barre shapes.

Did You Know?

The legendary guitar solo on "Baker Street" was performed by Hugh Burns, a top London session guitarist who also worked with artists like George Michael, Kate Bush, and Elton John. Burns' solo almost didn't make the final mix, as the saxophone hook initially dominated the arrangement.

Raphael Ravenscroft's iconic saxophone riff on "Baker Street" was reportedly inspired by a guitar riff Rafferty had originally played on acoustic. The melodic DNA of the song started on six strings before moving to brass.

Hugh Burns typically used a Fender Stratocaster for his work on Rafferty's recordings, favoring the neck pickup position for its warm, round tone. This is a big part of why the lead lines sound so smooth and un-aggressive.

"Baker Street" went through multiple arrangement stages during recording at Chipping Norton Studios. The guitar parts were layered carefully, with acoustic 12-string providing shimmer underneath the electric leads.

Gerry Rafferty was a capable acoustic guitarist who favored standard tuning and a fingerpicking approach influenced by folk and Celtic traditions. His rhythm playing was deceptively simple but always perfectly in the pocket.

The production on "City to City" was handled by Hugh Murphy and Rafferty himself. The guitar tones on the album are notably warm and present, likely achieved through a combination of desk EQ, minimal effects, and close-miking techniques common in late 1970s British studios.

Despite "Baker Street" being one of the biggest hits of 1978, Rafferty was famously reclusive and rarely performed live, meaning the studio recordings are the definitive versions for guitarists to study.

Essential Albums for Guitarists

City to City album cover
City to City 1978

This is the essential Rafferty album for guitarists. "Baker Street" alone is worth the price of admission for its iconic lead guitar solo and layered acoustic/electric arrangement. Tracks like "Right Down the Line" and "Stealin' Time" offer further examples of clean, melodic guitar work with jazzy chord extensions that will expand your harmonic vocabulary.

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Night Owl album cover
Night Owl 1979

The follow-up to "City to City" features more polished guitar work from Hugh Burns and other session players. The title track "Night Owl" has a funky, rhythmic guitar part that develops your sense of groove, while "Get It Right Next Time" showcases warm, expressive lead playing over lush chord changes.

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Snakes and Ladders album cover
Snakes and Ladders 1980

A slightly rockier album that gives the electric guitar more room to breathe. "The Royal Mile" features driving rhythm guitar work, while the overall production still emphasizes the clean, dynamic tones that make Rafferty's catalog so rewarding to learn. Great for intermediate players looking to work on their strumming dynamics and chord transitions.

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Tone & Gear

Guitar

Hugh Burns, the primary electric guitarist on Rafferty's biggest recordings, was known for using a Fender Stratocaster, typically favoring the neck and middle pickup positions for their warm, bell-like clarity. Rafferty himself played acoustic guitars, often a quality steel-string dreadnought for rhythm parts, alongside occasional 12-string acoustic for added shimmer on tracks like "Baker Street."

Amp

The studio recordings from this era typically utilized clean-to-slightly-overdriven Fender amps or similar clean British combos. Think Fender Twin Reverb territory: lots of headroom, a warm low end, and sparkling highs. The guitar tones on "City to City" are never heavily distorted; they rely on amp warmth and natural tube compression at moderate volumes to achieve their smooth character.

Pickups

Standard Fender single-coil pickups are the foundation of the electric tones on Rafferty's recordings. The neck pickup on a Stratocaster, with its rounded, slightly woody character, is essential for replicating Hugh Burns' lead tone. The lower output of vintage-spec single-coils (around 5.5k to 6.5k ohms) keeps the dynamics responsive and ensures the notes sing without compression.

Effects & Chain

The effects palette on Rafferty's recordings is minimal and tasteful. You will hear studio reverb (likely plate or spring) and occasional chorus or subtle delay on the electric guitar parts, but most of the tone comes from the guitar and amp interaction. To replicate the sound, keep your signal chain simple: guitar straight into a clean amp with a touch of reverb and maybe a gentle analog delay for the lead sections. Overdrive, if used at all, should be very mild, just enough to add warmth and sustain without breaking up aggressively.

Recommended Gear

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Hugh Burns wielded a Strat's neck pickup to craft the warm, bell-like lead tones on Rafferty's biggest hits. The single-coil's responsive dynamics and slightly woody character are essential for capturing that smooth, singing quality heard throughout 'City to City.'

Fender Twin Reverb
Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

The Twin Reverb's clean headroom and natural tube warmth anchor Rafferty's recordings, providing the sparkling highs and rich low end without heavy distortion. Its onboard reverb and moderate volume compression create that signature smooth, effortless tone that defines his studio sound.

MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay
Pedal

MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay

This analog delay adds subtle space to Rafferty's lead guitar sections while maintaining the tasteful, minimal effects approach that defines his style. A gentle touch of repeats complements the Strat and Twin Reverb without clouding the warm, organic tone.

How to Practice Gerry Rafferty on GuitarZone

Every Gerry Rafferty song page on GuitarZone includes a built-in Practice Toolbar. No app to download, no account needed. Open any song, then use the toolbar to slow the video to 0.5× speed, set an A/B loop around the exact riff you're working on, and jump between song sections instantly.

The toolbar appears automatically on every guitar tab, lesson, and cover page. Pick a song below, hit play, and start practicing at your own pace.

Practice Baker Street - Guitar LessonPractice Baker Street - Guitar Cover