The Beatles - Day Tripper - Guitar Lesson

About Day Tripper

That opening riff is the whole reason to learn this song. Played in E major on a standard-tuned guitar, it runs up the low E and A strings in a blues-inflected pattern that sits right at the heart of what The Beatles were doing in their mid-1960s Pop Rock period. At 128 BPM the riff is not blindingly fast, but every note needs to land cleanly and in the pocket, so sloppy fretting will show up immediately. The challenge is keeping the repeated riff tight across the whole track without letting your pick attack drift or your left-hand muting get lazy. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop just the opening figure slowed down until each note rings out evenly before you bring it up to tempo. Once the riff is solid, pay attention to the rhythm guitar feel on the verses, which pushes the beat slightly and gives the song its swagger.

• The signature riff is built on the low E and A strings in E major, making it an excellent exercise in cross-string picking and left-hand muting.
• At 128 BPM, the riff repeats throughout the song, so consistency of pick attack and fretting-hand control matters more than raw speed.
• Keeping your fretting-hand muting clean between notes is the main technical hurdle, and looping it slowed down in the Practice Toolbar exposes any gaps quickly.