Practice Studio

Audioslave - I Am the Highway - Guitar Lesson

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

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Select a Loop

Start of your loop
End of your loop

Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key Em minor
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.

Capo Advisor 0 Em minor · Original key

About I Am the Highway


Few closing tracks demand as much patience from a guitarist as this one. Audioslave built "I Am the Highway" around a hypnotic, fingerpicked arpeggiated figure that repeats and breathes across a slow 95 BPM pulse, so your right-hand consistency is tested from the very first bar. The song sits in E minor with the whole guitar dropped down to Eb Standard tuning, which gives the open strings a slightly darker, looser resonance that is central to the mood. Tom Morello keeps things restrained here compared to his more aggressive work, making clean tone control and dynamics the real challenge rather than any flashy technique. The verse pattern looks simple on paper, but keeping it even and relaxed at that tempo without rushing or dragging takes real discipline. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the arpeggio figure slowed down until your pick hand settles into a natural groove before you bring it back up to speed. This is a song that rewards slow, focused repetition above all else.

  • The song uses Eb Standard tuning, dropping every string a half step and giving open-position Em voicings a noticeably darker, slacker feel.
  • The main guitar figure is a repeating arpeggio pattern played at a relaxed 95 BPM, making consistent right-hand timing the core technical demand.
  • Morello relies on clean tone and restrained dynamics throughout, so this is a strong piece for practising even picking with minimal distortion or effects.

How to Play I Am the Highway

Tuning: Eb Standard · Key: Em minor · Tempo: 95 BPM

It is played in Eb standard, a half step down, so tune down before you start or every position and bend will sit a half step sharp against the recording.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 95 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Fender Telecaster
Guitar

Fender Telecaster

Morello uses this 1982 Telecaster on Audioslave's cleaner tracks like 'I Am the Highway' and 'Like a Stone,' where its single humbucker delivers warmer, more open tones than his high-gain primary guitar. The Telecaster's natural twang lets his effects and subtle playing dynamics shine without heavy saturation.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

This stock 50-watt head is Audioslave's foundation, with its gain channel providing moderate saturation that Morello pushes via pedal boost for heavy riffs like 'Cochise.' The clean channel remains uncolored, allowing his effects and guitar tone to dominate the mix without amp-based distortion.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Morello's wah sits first in his chain, shaping the expressive, vocal-like character of Audioslave's lead work and adding dynamic sweep to both rhythm and solo passages. It's essential for his signature technique of blending nu-metal aggression with funk-influenced texture.

Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Pedal

Boss DD-3 Digital Delay

Running in the effects loop after the amp, this digital delay creates the rhythmic echo effects that add space and dimension to Audioslave's atmospheric moments. It lets Morello layer repeating patterns without muddying his core tone or high-gain riffs.

DigiTech Whammy
Pedal

DigiTech Whammy

This pitch-shifting pedal is where Morello creates Audioslave's most extreme and experimental sounds, enabling artificial harmonics and dramatic pitch drops that define songs like 'Cochise.' The Whammy's creative manipulation combined with his killswitch technique generates the band's signature metallic textures.

Play with Backing Track

Play with Backing Track

Solo (Backing Track)

Solo (Backing Track)