Dave Matthews Band - Ants Marching - Guitar Lesson

Under the Table and Dreaming (Expanded Edition)

1994 4:31

Listen on Spotify

About Ants Marching

Few songs from 1994 ask a guitarist to think like a horn player, but "Ants Marching" does exactly that. The main riff is a melodic, single-note figure in D major that locks in at 120 BPM with a rhythmic precision that can catch you off guard if you treat it casually. Because the groove sits right on top of the beat, any rushing or dragging stands out immediately, so clean articulation matters more than flash. Dave Matthews Band built the track around an interplay between guitar, violin, and saxophone, meaning the guitar part has to stay tight in the pocket rather than fill all available space. For players new to this style of Alternative Rock, the real challenge is consistency across repeated cycles of the riff. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the opening figure slowed down and build the muscle memory before bringing it up to full tempo. Getting the dynamics right, keeping the soft parts soft, is what separates a convincing run-through from a mechanical one.

• The signature riff is a single-note melodic line in D major that requires precise right-hand articulation to lock in with the rhythm section.
• At 120 BPM in E Standard tuning, the main guitar figure is approachable in terms of speed but demands consistent pick attack and clean fretting throughout.
• Because the guitar shares melodic duties with violin and saxophone, restraint and staying in the pocket are more important here than lead-style embellishment.