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Damn Yankees - High Enough - Guitar Lesson

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Key D major
Damn Yankees - High Enough guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

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Damn Yankees album cover
Damn Yankees
1990 4:47
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Damn Yankees Hard Rock 1990 D major
Capo Advisor 0 D major · Original key

About High Enough

Few power ballads from 1990 ask the guitarist to do so much quiet work so precisely. "High Enough" by Damn Yankees lives in D major at a relaxed 120 BPM, and that moderate tempo is deceptive: every clean arpeggio and chord voicing sits exposed in the mix, so sloppy fretting shows immediately. The signature guitar parts lean on open-position and mid-neck chord shapes played with a light, controlled picking hand. Getting the gentle dynamic swells right matters more here than speed. Where the song opens up into its bigger, driven sections, the shift in pick attack and gain needs to feel natural rather than abrupt. This is a great song to study pick-hand dynamics and touch. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the verse arpeggios slowed down until each note rings cleanly, then bring the tempo back up gradually. This kind of hard rock ballad rewards patience over flash.

  • Played in E Standard tuning in the key of D major, the song sits in a range that suits both open chord voicings and comfortable barre chord transitions.
  • The verse sections rely on clean, picked arpeggios where right-hand touch and consistent dynamics matter far more than technical speed.
  • Practise the transition between the soft picked verses and the fuller, driven chorus sections to nail the pick-attack shift without losing the groove.

How to Play High Enough

Tuning: E Standard · Key: D 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.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Tommy Shaw's weapon of choice, the Stratocaster's single-coil pickups deliver the bright, articulate tone that cuts through Damn Yankees' dense arrangements. Its dynamic response rewards his precise picking technique, making rhythm work snap with definition while lead passages soar with clarity.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Ted Nugent's signature guitar, the Les Paul's humbuckers produce thick, warm sustain perfect for his aggressive blues-based lead style. Paired with his hard-driven Marshall, it generates singing bends and legato passages that define the band's heavy rock foundation.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

While not Nugent's primary choice, the Les Paul Custom shares the same humbucker character and sustain-friendly body mass that powers his lead tone. Its premium construction offers the thick harmonic content essential for Damn Yankees' guitar-driven arrangements.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

Ted Nugent's amplifier of choice, the JCM800 delivers organic tube saturation when driven hard, creating his signature thick distortion without digital processing. Natural power-tube compression produces the singing sustain and harmonic richness that defines his lead work.

Fender Twin Reverb
Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

Tommy Shaw's clean, headroom-rich platform allows his Stratocaster's brightness to shine while maintaining clarity in busy band arrangements. Its moderate-volume breakup capability supports both crisp rhythm textures and articulate lead passages without muddying the mix.

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