Hard Rock Guitar

347 songs · 69 artists

Hard rock is built on loud guitars, heavy riffs and big choruses. It took shape in the late 1960s and became one of the most popular guitar-driven genres in history. If you play electric guitar, this is probably where you started.

On GuitarZone you'll find tabs and lessons from the biggest hard rock bands: Guns N' Roses, Van Halen, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and Bon Jovi. Whether you're working on power chords, palm muting or your first solo, hard rock has songs at every level.

A
AC/DC 22
ACDC 1
Aerosmith 14
Alice Cooper 4
Alter Bridge 2
B
Billy Squier 2
Blue Oyster Cult 4
Blue Öyster Cult 5
Bon Jovi 18
Bruce Dickinson 2
C
Coffin Dance 1
D
Damn Yankees 1
Deep Purple 7
Def Leppard 13
Dire Slash 1
Dragon Ball GT Theme 1
E
Europe 13
Extreme 6
F
Film Soundtracks 1
G
Ghost 9
Girlschool 1
Great White 1
Greta Van Fleet 4
Guns N' Roses 48
  1. 1 14 Years TAB 1991
  2. 2 Anything Goes TAB 1987
  3. 3 Appetite For Destruction TAB 1987
  4. 4 Appetite For Destruction (Nightrain-style medley) TAB 1987
  5. 5 Back Off Bitch TAB 1991
  6. 6 Bad Apples TAB 1991
  7. 7 Breakdown TAB 1991
  8. 8 Civil War TAB 1991
  9. 9 Coma TAB 1991
  10. 10 Dead Horse TAB 1991
  11. 11 Don't Cry TAB 1991
  12. 12 Don’t Cry TAB 1991
  13. 13 Don't Cry - Rhythm Guitar Parts LESSON 1991
  14. 14 Double Talkin' Jive TAB 1991
  15. 15 Dust N' Bones TAB 1991
  16. 16 Estranged TAB 1991
  17. 17 Get in the Ring TAB 1991
  18. 18 Hard Skool TAB 2021
  19. 19 How to play Knockin' On Heaven's Door TAB 1991
  20. 20 How to play Knockin' On Heaven's Door - All the riffs LESSON
  21. 21 How to play Knockin' On Heaven's Door - The Solos LESSON 1991
  22. 22 Knockin' on Heaven's Door TAB 1991
  23. 23 Locomotive TAB 1991
  24. 24 Mr. Brownstone TAB 1987
  25. 25 My Michelle TAB 1987
  26. 26 Nightrain TAB 1987
  27. 27 Nightrain Guitar Solo Lesson - Outro Solo LESSON 1988
  28. 28 November Rain TAB 1991
  29. 29 November Rain Guitar Solo Lesson - 1st and 2nd Solos - Slash LESSON 1991
  30. 30 November Rain Outro TAB 1991
  31. 31 November Rain Outro Guitar Solo Lesson - Slash LESSON 1991
  32. 32 One in a Million TAB 1988
  33. 33 Ordinary Man TAB 1992
  34. 34 Out ta Get Me TAB 1987
  35. 35 Paradise City TAB 1987
  36. 36 Patience TAB 1988
  37. 37 Pretty Tied Up TAB 1991
  38. 38 Rocket Queen TAB 1987
  39. 39 Sweet Child o' Mine TAB 1987
  40. 40 Sweet Child O' Mine Instrumental LESSON 1987
  41. 41 The Garden TAB 1991
  42. 42 The General TAB 2023
  43. 43 Think About You TAB 1987
  44. 44 This I Love LESSON 2008
  45. 45 Welcome to the Jungle TAB 1987
  46. 46 Yesterdays TAB 1991
  47. 47 You Could Be Mine TAB 1991
  48. 48 You're Crazy TAB 1987
View all Guns N' Roses songs →
Guns N’ Roses 3
H
Halestorm 2
Heart 3
J
Joan Jett 1
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts 1
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts 1
K
Kiss 8
KISS 5
L
Led Zeppelin 17
M
Mary On A Cross 1
Michael Schenker Group 1
Mission Impossible Theme 1
Mountain 2
Mr. Big 1
N
Naruto Shippuden 1
Nickelback 1
Night Ranger 1
P
Power Rangers 1
Praying Mantis 1
Purple Rain 1
Q
Quiet Riot 3
R
Rainbow 1
RIP Dick Dale 1
S
Saigon Kick 1
Sails Of Charon 1
Scorpions 22
SKID ROW 1
Slam Dunk Op1 Theme 1
Slash 7
Still Loving You 1
Super Mario Theme 1
T
The Cult 3
The Darkness 1
The Phantom of the Opera 1
Top Gun Anthem 1
Twisted Sister 3
U
Ufo 2
UFO 2
V
Van Halen 49
Velvet Revolver 2
Vinnie Moore 1
W
Wasp 1
Whitesnake 4
Wolfmother 2
Y
You Really Got Me 1

What Defines Hard Rock Guitar?

Hard rock guitar revolves around distorted power chords, pentatonic-based solos and driving rhythms. Most hard rock sits in E Standard tuning, though many bands (especially from the 70s) tune down a half step to Eb Standard for a slightly heavier, looser feel. The typical signal chain is a humbucker-loaded guitar into a cranked Marshall or similar high-gain amp.

The genre spans decades. Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple laid the foundation in the early 70s. Van Halen reinvented lead guitar with tapping in the late 70s. Guns N' Roses and Def Leppard dominated the 80s. And bands like Foo Fighters kept the sound alive into the 2000s and beyond.

If you're looking to build a practice routine around hard rock, start with open power chord riffs like Back in Black, then move to faster rhythm work like Sweet Child O' Mine. When you're ready for lead, the Eruption solo is the ultimate benchmark.

Explore hard rock songs from the 70s, from the 80s, or browse by tuning to find songs that match your setup.