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Rage Against The Machine - Bulls On Parade - Guitar Lesson

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Key D minor
Rage Against The Machine - Bulls On Parade guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
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Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Evil Empire album cover
Evil Empire
1996 3:49
Listen on Spotify
Rage Against The Machine Funk Metal 1996 D minor
Capo Advisor 0 D minor · Original key

About Bulls On Parade

Few guitar parts in 1990s rock are as immediately recognisable as the two-bar whammy-pedal riff that opens "Bulls On Parade." Tom Morello plays it on a detuned guitar, using an Digitech Whammy pedal to create that rising, almost horn-like pitch shift that drives the entire groove. The riff sits in D minor and is built on a tight, percussive picking pattern, so your muting hand does as much work as your fretting hand. Getting the dead-string chug between the pitched notes to feel locked and aggressive is the real challenge here. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the main riff at a reduced speed and focus on keeping every ghost note clean before you bring the tempo back up. Morello also delivers a solo built entirely on pick scrapes and toggle-switch flicking rather than conventional lead playing, which means your technique goals here are genuinely different from most rock songs. Rage Against The Machine made this track the centrepiece of their 1996 album Evil Empire, and it rewards patient, detail-focused practice.

  • The signature riff relies on a Digitech Whammy pedal to produce its pitch-shifted, brass-like tone, so without one the sound changes substantially.
  • Tom Morello's solo contains no conventional lead guitar: it is built from pick scrapes and rapid pickup-selector toggle switching.
  • Tight palm muting and precise dead-note placement are the core technique demands, making slow, looped repetition the most effective way to build accuracy.

How to Play Bulls On Parade

Tuning: Drop D · Key: D minor · Tempo: 83 BPM

The drop D tuning lets you fret the low power chords with a single finger, which is central to the heavier riffing here. At 83 bpm the slow tempo leaves every note exposed, so timing, vibrato, and dynamics matter more than raw speed.

Loop each section and focus on clean, even timing rather than speed, with the metronome at 83 BPM.

Fender Telecaster
Guitar

Fender Telecaster

Tom Morello uses this 1982 Telecaster for RATM's funkier, cleaner rhythm parts, leveraging its bridge humbucker for articulate muting and percussive attack that cuts through dense arrangements.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The JCM800's punchy midrange and aggressive natural clipping deliver RATM's signature thick, cutting distortion tone while staying tight enough for Morello's dynamic muting and noise experiments.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Morello exploits this wah pedal extensively for funk riffs and half-cocked tonal shaping, creating RATM's signature expressive sweeps and rhythmic articulation that define their groove.

Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Pedal

Boss DD-3 Digital Delay

Morello uses the DD-3 for rhythmic repeats and spatial effects, adding depth and texture to RATM's complex arrangements without muddying the aggressive distortion tone.

MXR Phase 90
Pedal

MXR Phase 90

This phaser adds occasional swirling modulation to Morello's pedalboard, creating subtle psychedelic textures that enhance RATM's experimental moments without overwhelming their heavy rhythm focus.

DigiTech Whammy
Pedal

DigiTech Whammy

The Whammy pedal enables Morello's signature pitch-shifting, octave drops, and squealing harmonics that define RATM's innovative, experimental noise work and solo textures.

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