Blue Oyster Cult - Don't Fear the Reaper - Guitar Lesson

About Don't Fear the Reaper

Few rock songs are as immediately recognizable from their opening bars as this one. The signature intro riff, written and performed by Blue Oyster Cult's Buck Dharma, is built on a repeating circular figure in A minor that uses hammer-ons and a steady sixteenth-note pulse to create that hypnotic, almost floating feel. Getting it right means keeping your picking hand relaxed and consistent at 112 BPM, because any tension causes the riff to lose its effortless, rolling quality. The chord movement underneath relies on a simple but effective diatonic progression, so once you have the shapes under your fingers, focus shifts entirely to feel and timing. The tricky part for most players is sustaining that relaxed groove across the full song without letting the tempo creep. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the intro riff slowed down until the hammer-ons speak cleanly, then gradually bring it back up to tempo. Playing in E Standard keeps everything comfortable, and the Hard Rock context means tone should be present but not overly distorted.

• The entire song is played in E Standard tuning in A minor, making it approachable for intermediate players who know basic open and barre chord shapes.
• The famous intro riff relies on smooth hammer-ons and a steady sixteenth-note feel, so right-hand consistency at 112 BPM is the main technical hurdle.
• Buck Dharma wrote and played the guitar parts, and his lead tone is relatively clean with moderate sustain, so a heavy distortion pedal will work against the song.