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Bob Seger - Old Time Rock and Roll - Guitar Lesson

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Bob Seger - Old Time Rock and Roll guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Stranger In Town album cover
Stranger In Town
1978 3:14
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Bob Seger Classic Rock 1978 E major
Capo Advisor 0 E major · Original key

About Old Time Rock and Roll

Few songs in Classic Rock lock in as hard on a single riff as this one does. The opening piano lick gets all the glory, but the guitar's job here is arguably more important: holding down a tight, punchy rhythm in E major that drives the whole track forward at 120 BPM. In E Standard tuning, that means sitting comfortably in open-position territory, where a firm grip on barre chords and clean chord transitions will make or break your feel. The real challenge is not the notes themselves but the groove, keeping every strum locked behind the beat with a slightly lazy, swaggering confidence rather than rushing. Bob Seger's band leans hard into that feel, so if your rhythm sounds stiff, use the Practice Toolbar to loop a four-bar section slowed down until the pocket clicks naturally. Once the rhythm feel is solid, pay attention to the dynamic lift between the verse and chorus, where the strumming intensity needs to swell without the tempo creeping up.

  • The song sits in E major in E Standard tuning, making open-position chord shapes and barre chords in the first few positions the core of the guitar part.
  • At 120 BPM the groove feels deceptively easy, but nailing the slightly behind-the-beat swagger is the real technique challenge for rhythm guitarists.
  • Use the Practice Toolbar to loop and slow down the verse-to-chorus transition, where controlling strumming intensity without rushing the tempo is the main skill to build.

How to Play Old Time Rock and Roll

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E major · Tempo: 120 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 120 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Drew Abbott's primary weapon for the Silver Bullet Band, its thick humbucker tone and natural sustain defined hits like 'Hollywood Nights' and 'Rock and Roll Never Forgets.' The Les Paul's ability to clean up beautifully when rolling back volume was essential to Seger's dynamic, effects-free approach.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

While not explicitly documented in Seger's main sessions, the Custom's premium construction and hotter pickups could deliver the same warm, full-bodied tone as the Standard when paired with the Marshall and Fender amps used throughout the Silver Bullet era.

Gibson ES-335
Guitar

Gibson ES-335

Pete Carr's choice at Muscle Shoals for 'Night Moves' and 'Mainstreet,' the semi-hollow body's airier resonance and slightly softer attack provided a more open, sophisticated alternative to the Les Paul's thickness on studio ballads.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The Silver Bullet Band's live powerhouse, pushing natural tube breakup at moderate to high volume to deliver the energetic, overdriven rock tones that made Seger's arena performances legendary without relying on distortion pedals.

Fender Twin Reverb
Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

This amp's generous clean headroom and lush spring reverb shaped the spacious, warm character of studio ballads like 'Against the Wind,' giving Seger's guitar parts their signature atmospheric depth and breathing room.

Fender Deluxe Reverb
Amp

Fender Deluxe Reverb

A studio staple for cleaner tones, the Deluxe's built-in spring reverb and touch-responsive tube amp character provided the perfect vehicle for subtle chorus and delay effects on introspective passages throughout Seger's classic albums.

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