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Billy Idol - Dancing with Myself - Guitar Lesson

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Key E major
Billy Idol - Dancing with Myself guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
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Billy Idol Punk Rock E major
Capo Advisor 0 E major · Original key

About Dancing with Myself

At 115 BPM in E major, "Dancing with Myself" sits in a sweet spot where the tempo feels urgent but never out of control, which makes it a great early test for keeping your right hand tight on a driving eighth-note chop. The core of the song is a relentless, punchy rhythm part built on a handful of power chords, so the real challenge is not the chord shapes themselves but sustaining that locked, mechanical feel across the whole track without your picking hand going loose. If your attack starts to blur, use the Practice Toolbar to loop the main verse section slowed down and zero in on the pick angle and muting. Billy Idol and guitarist Steve Stevens brought a post-punk sharpness to the track that sits somewhere between raw Punk Rock aggression and polished pop structure, so clean articulation matters more here than sheer volume. Getting the right amount of palm muting against open-string ring is what separates a flat run-through from one that actually sounds like the record.

  • The song is built on driving power chords in E major, so nailing consistent palm muting versus open ring is the key technique to focus on.
  • At 115 BPM in E Standard tuning, the tempo is moderate enough to practise cleanly but demands a very locked, mechanical right-hand strumming feel.
  • Guitarist Steve Stevens used a heavily processed electric tone, so a bright, slightly compressed clean-to-crunch setting will get you closest to the original sound.

How to Play Dancing with Myself

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E major · Tempo: 115 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 115 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Steve Stevens used a 1959 Les Paul Junior on Billy Idol recordings for its bright, punchy single-coil character that cut through dense production. The offset tonal profile complemented his thick Marshall-driven crunch while maintaining clarity for his signature fast runs.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Les Paul Custom's thicker body and dual-humbucker setup would deliver the warm, saturated tones Stevens achieved with his Hamer and Jackson guitars. Its robust construction supports the aggressive tremolo abuse and hard playing style essential to Idol's punk-metal aesthetic.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

Stevens pushed these heads hot for natural tube saturation, creating the raw, punchy midrange crunch that defines Billy Idol's guitar sound. The JCM800's responsive gain structure made his Seymour Duncan JB pickup sing with clarity even at extreme distortion levels.

Seymour Duncan JB
Pickup

Seymour Duncan JB

This overwound pickup delivers 13-16k ohms output to naturally push the Marshall into saturation while preserving note definition for Stevens' fast pinch harmonics. The JB's aggression perfectly matches the intensity and clarity required for Idol's anthemic rock sound.

Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Pedal

Boss DD-3 Digital Delay

Stevens used digital delay for slapback and rhythmic repeats adding space to solos and clean passages. The DD-3 provided the tonal shimmer complementing his Boss CE-1 chorus on tracks like 'Eyes Without a Face.'

Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive
Pedal

Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive

Stevens deployed this pedal as a solo boost to add extra push and sustain to his already-saturated Marshall tone. The SD-1's transparent overdrive stacked perfectly with his natural tube distortion without muddying the midrange definition.

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