The Who - Behind Blue Eyes Pt.1 - Guitar Lesson

About Behind Blue Eyes Pt.1

The quiet, fingerpicked opening of this Classic Rock ballad is where most guitarists want to spend their time, and rightly so. In E minor on a standard-tuned guitar, Pete Townshend builds the intro and verse around arpeggiated open chords that demand clean, even fingerpicking. The trick is keeping each note ringing clearly while your fretting hand moves between shapes, which sounds simple at 80 BPM until you try it. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the chord transitions slowed down and really listen for any notes that cut off early. The chorus lifts into a fuller strummed feel, so you will need to shift your right-hand approach mid-song without losing the momentum. Pay particular attention to the Bm to A to E chord movement in the verse, as the voice leading there rewards a guitarist who takes it slowly before building back up to tempo. The Who recorded this with a tenderness that suits acoustic guitar practice beautifully.

• The intro and verse rely on fingerpicked open and barre chords in E minor, making clean sustain and smooth chord transitions the main technical challenge.
• At 80 BPM the tempo is moderate, but the fingerpicking pattern requires steady, even alternation between bass notes and treble strings.
• The song shifts from a delicate fingerpicked verse to a strummed chorus, so practising both right-hand techniques and the switch between them is essential.