Adele - Rolling in the Deep - Guitar Cover

21

2011 3:48

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About Rolling in the Deep

Few Pop tracks from 2011 hit as hard on guitar as this one does. The driving acoustic rhythm part is the backbone of the whole arrangement, built on a relentless eighth-note strumming pattern in C minor that needs to stay tight and percussive throughout. At 104 BPM it sits at a tempo where sloppiness is easy to hear, so locking your strumming hand into a steady groove before worrying about chord changes is the right approach. The chord shapes themselves are not advanced, but keeping the energy consistent across the full song length will tire out a beginner faster than expected. The electric guitar fills that sit underneath Adele in the chorus are worth learning too, as they ask for controlled, clean single-note lines against that heavy rhythm texture. Use the Practice Toolbar to isolate those fill moments and slow them down until the timing feels natural before bringing them up to full speed.

• The song is in C minor in E Standard tuning, so no retuning is needed before you start.
• The core guitar part is a driving, percussive eighth-note acoustic strum pattern that must stay consistent for the full track.
• Electric guitar fill lines in the chorus require clean, controlled single-note picking against a heavy rhythmic backdrop, making them a useful technique exercise.