AC/DC - Back In Black Pt.1 - All Riffs - Guitar Lesson

About Back In Black Pt.1 - All Riffs

Few rock songs demand as much from a rhythm guitarist's right hand as "Back in Black." The whole track is built on Malcolm Young's chunky, palm-muted downstroke riffing, and getting that locked-in, punchy feel is harder than it looks. Every riff lives in E minor, which keeps the open low E string central to the sound, so the fret hand work is relatively approachable while the picking hand is where the real discipline lives. The challenge is keeping the palm mute consistent and the dynamics even across all the riff variations, especially as the song moves between the muted verses and the more open, ringing hits. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop each riff section slowed down until your right-hand pressure and timing are solid before bringing it back up to tempo. AC/DC built this track around repetition and groove, so locking in the feel matters far more than speed.

• The core riffs rely heavily on palm-muted downstrokes, so developing consistent right-hand pressure and rhythmic accuracy is the main challenge.
• All riffs sit in E minor, making the open low E string a frequent anchor and keeping most shapes in the lower positions of the neck.
• Working through each riff variation individually with the Practice Toolbar looped and slowed down will help you nail the subtle differences between sections.