Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart - Guitar Cover

The Very Best of Bonnie Tyler

2009 4:27

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About Total Eclipse of the Heart

Few pop songs demand as much from a guitarist as "Total Eclipse of the Heart." Running at 96 BPM in A minor on standard E tuning, the track has a broad dynamic range, moving from delicate arpeggiated chord work in the verses to thick, driven power chords in the choruses. Getting those two worlds to feel distinct is the real challenge: your picking hand needs to stay light and controlled in the quiet sections, then commit fully when the song opens up. The chord voicings in the verse reward careful fingering, so use the Practice Toolbar to loop those passages slowed down until the transitions feel natural. Bonnie Tyler's recording sits firmly in the Pop Rock world, which means the guitar tone should stay clean and present rather than heavily distorted, even in the bigger sections. Pay close attention to how rhythm and dynamics serve the arrangement here, because that push and pull is really what the guitar part is built around.

• The song is in A minor with standard E tuning, so no retuning is needed, but nailing the wide dynamic range between verse and chorus is the main technical challenge.
• Arpeggiated chord patterns in the verses require a light, controlled picking touch, making right-hand consistency a key thing to practise before tackling the full arrangement.
• Use the Practice Toolbar to loop and slow down the verse-to-chorus transitions, where the shift in feel and intensity can easily feel rushed at full tempo.