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Gary Moore - Parisienne Walkways - Guitar Lesson

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Key A minor
Gary Moore - Parisienne Walkways guitar lesson video
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Gary Moore Blues Rock 1978 A minor
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About Parisienne Walkways

Few guitar melodies are as immediately recognisable as the slow, singing lead line that opens "Parisienne Walkways." Gary Moore plays it in A minor at a relaxed 120 BPM in E Standard tuning, which gives you room to phrase every note with real intention. The challenge here is not speed. It is sustain, vibrato, and emotional weight: Moore lets notes hang and swell in a way that exposes any tension or sloppiness in your fretting hand instantly. Getting that vocal quality means slow, wide vibrato applied from the wrist, not the fingers alone, and bending into notes with complete control. The blues-rock feel lives in the space between notes as much as in the notes themselves, so resist the urge to fill every bar. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the main melody slowed down and focus on matching the sustain and vibrato depth before worrying about phrasing the whole solo. Work on one phrase at a time until each one breathes on its own.

  • The signature melody is built around slow, wide vibrato and long sustained bends, making expressive left-hand control the main technical demand.
  • Played in E Standard tuning in A minor at 120 BPM, the relaxed tempo leaves nowhere to hide any pitch or vibrato inconsistencies.
  • Looping the opening lead phrase slowed down with the Practice Toolbar is the most effective way to dial in Moore's vocal, unhurried phrasing.

How to Play Parisienne Walkways

Tuning: E Standard · Key: A minor · 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

Gary Moore wielded Fender Stratocasters for his cleaner blues tones, using their glassy single-coil bite to contrast with his Les Paul's fat sustain. The thin, articulate voice let him deliver expressive rhythm work and cutting lead lines without the compressed warmth of humbuckers.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Moore's iconic 'Greeny' Gibson Les Paul Standard with its reversed neck pickup magnet became his signature, delivering dynamic PAF humbucker tone that bloomed into singing sustain when pushed through cranked Marshalls. This guitar defined his ability to achieve violin-like feedback and endless note decay.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Gibson Les Paul Custom gave Moore additional options beyond 'Greeny', with standard PAF-style humbuckers in the 7.5–8.5k ohm range providing enough output to drive his Marshalls into natural power-tube saturation without ceramic pickup compression. This guitar delivered the fat, singing tone central to his hard rock era.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The Marshall JCM800 became Moore's modern workhorse, cranked loud enough to achieve that singing, violin-like sustain where controlled feedback allowed notes to bloom endlessly. The amp's natural power-tube saturation created rich harmonic overtones essential to his fluid, sustaining lead style.

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)
Amp

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)

Gary Moore's early Marshall 1959 Super Lead Plexis were run at volume to generate natural harmonic saturation and responsive, singing sustain that defined his blues-rock foundation. The amp's sensitivity to picking dynamics let his fingers shape tone as much as the guitar itself.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Moore deployed the Dunlop Cry Baby Wah for expressive, soulful lead passages that added vocal-like character to his soaring solos. Though a key tool in his arsenal, it served as seasoning to his core tone rather than the foundation of his sound.

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