Dokken - Unchain The Night - Guitar Lesson

Under Lock and Key

1985 5:20

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About Unchain The Night

George Lynch's guitar work on "Unchain The Night" is a strong reason to spend time with this track. The song sits in E minor at 120 BPM in standard tuning, which keeps everything accessible in terms of fretting positions, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's simple. Lynch drives the song with a hard-hitting riff built around open low-E power chords and quick chromatic moves that need to feel locked in and percussive, not sloppy. The lead playing demands both pick precision and controlled vibrato, and the phrasing has a behind-the-beat quality that takes real patience to absorb. If the transitions between the rhythm sections and Lynch's melodic fills are giving you trouble, use the Practice Toolbar to loop those bars slowed down until the timing clicks. Dokken were one of the tighter bands in 1985 hard rock, and this track reflects that discipline, so match it when you play.

• The song is in E minor in standard tuning, so no retuning is needed, but the chromatic riff movements require clean left-hand muting to avoid unwanted string noise.
• At 120 BPM the rhythm part has a driving, metronomic feel, making it a good exercise for picking consistency and right-hand palm muting control.
• George Lynch's lead phrasing relies heavily on controlled vibrato and string bends, so isolate the solo sections with the Practice Toolbar to get each bend in tune.