Steppenwolf - Born to Be Wild - Guitar Lesson

Steppenwolf

1968 3:31

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About Born to Be Wild

Few riffs from 1968 have stayed as deeply embedded in the guitar vocabulary as the opening figure of "Born to Be Wild." Steppenwolf built the track around a hard-driving E minor groove at 120 BPM, which sits in a comfortable tempo range but demands tight rhythm playing to keep the energy locked in. The main riff lives in the low register of the neck and leans on power chords and a punchy, percussive attack, so right-hand muting and consistent picking dynamics matter a lot here. The song stays in E Standard tuning throughout, which means nothing exotic to set up, though getting the tone dirty enough to match the original recording is its own challenge. If the riff feels sloppy at full speed, pull it up in the Practice Toolbar and loop it slowed down until the muting and timing are solid before pushing the tempo back up. As an early landmark in Hard Rock, the song is also a good study in how a single repeated riff can carry an entire track when the rhythm feel is right.

• The main riff is built on low-register power chords in E minor, making right-hand palm muting a key technique to nail the punchy, driving feel.
• E Standard tuning means no retuning is needed, so you can focus entirely on matching the aggressive picking attack the riff requires.
• At 120 BPM the tempo is moderate, but keeping the rhythm tight and even across repeated riff cycles is where most players need the most practice.