Mission Impossible - Theme - Guitar Cover

About Theme

Few themes are as immediately recognizable as this one, and pulling it off convincingly on guitar takes more care than it first appears. The signature driving riff lives in G minor and sits on a relentless 5/4 rhythmic groove, which is where most players first come unstuck. At 120 BPM that odd meter feels urgent rather than relaxed, so you need to internalize the five-beat cycle before you even think about adding any flair. Written by Lalo Schifrin for the 1966 spy series, the piece has been covered and arranged by Mission Impossible in the Hard Rock style, which means the riff tends to be delivered with palm-muted picking and a tight, punchy tone. The chromatic inner movement of the melody line is what catches fingers out, so use the Practice Toolbar to loop that section slowed down until the position shifts feel automatic. In E Standard tuning, the low strings give the riff real weight, and locking in with the bass line is a satisfying goal once the meter is solid.

• The riff is built around a 5/4 time signature, so counting carefully through each five-beat bar is the single most important practice step.
• In E Standard tuning, the low E and A strings anchor the palm-muted driving figures that give the hard-rock arrangement its punch.
• The chromatic melodic movement in the main theme requires clean left-hand fretting and precise string changes, making slow repetition essential.