AC/DC - Thunderstruck - Guitar Cover

The Razors Edge

1990 4:52

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About Thunderstruck

Few rock songs ask so much of a guitarist right from bar one. The opening of "Thunderstruck" is built on a single-note, two-finger tapping sequence that runs almost continuously before the full band enters, and getting it clean at full speed is the real challenge here. The pattern sits in B major and demands precise left-hand hammer-ons and pull-offs coordinated with a right-hand tap, so even players who have done some tapping will find the stamina side of it demanding at performance tempo. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop that intro passage slowed right down, focusing on even volume across every note before you push the speed back up. Once the band kicks in, the rhythm guitar work from AC/DC is classic tight, palm-muted chugging that rewards a firm pick grip and a locked, consistent strumming motion from the elbow. Getting the two sides of the song, the tapping intro and the driving rhythm, to feel equally controlled is what actually takes time here.

• The signature intro relies on a tapping technique using hammer-ons and pull-offs, essentially a two-finger tap pattern sustained for a long opening stretch.
• Rhythmic palm-muted chugging in B major drives the main riff, so right-hand consistency and pick attack control are key things to lock in.
• Looping the intro slowed down is the most effective way to build the stamina and accuracy the tapping sequence demands before attempting full speed.