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Greta Van Fleet - Highway Tune - Guitar Lesson

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Key A minor
Greta Van Fleet - Highway Tune guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

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Greta Van Fleet Hard Rock A minor
Capo Advisor 0 A minor · Original key

About Highway Tune

Few debut singles announce a band's guitar identity as bluntly as "Highway Tune." The central riff is built around a raw, pentatonic A minor groove that sits right in the pocket at 120 BPM, meaning your pick attack and sense of swing matter as much as the notes themselves. In E Standard tuning the riff sits comfortably in open position and around the fifth fret, but getting it to feel loose and driving rather than stiff is the real work. The solo section is where Greta Van Fleet really challenges you: the phrasing leans heavily on bends and vibrato, and sloppy intonation on those bends will stand out immediately. If the solo transitions feel rushed, pull them into the Practice Toolbar, loop them slowed down, and focus on matching the vocal-like quality of each bend before bringing the tempo back up. Hard rock vocabulary is all over this track, so it rewards players who want to build expressive lead technique alongside tight rhythm work.

  • The main riff is a pentatonic A minor figure in E Standard tuning, playable around open position and the fifth fret, making it accessible but deceptively hard to groove convincingly.
  • The lead guitar relies heavily on string bends and sustained vibrato, so intonation control and a strong fretting-hand technique are the core skills this song demands.
  • At 120 BPM the rhythm part has a loping, behind-the-beat feel, and practicing with a metronome at reduced speed helps lock in that relaxed, driving quality.

How to Play Highway Tune

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

Jake Kiszka uses the Stratocaster's stock single-coils for crystalline, glassy tones in cleaner passages and arpeggiated sections, providing chimey contrast to his Les Paul's thicker voice. The single-coil bite cuts through the mix when he needs sparkling texture without the humbuckers' natural compression.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Jake's primary instrument, the Les Paul's PAF-style humbuckers and mahogany body deliver warm, dynamic tones that clean up beautifully when he rolls back the volume and break into rich harmonics when he digs in. Running through cranked Fender and Marshall tube amps, this setup defines Greta Van Fleet's signature vintage-rock sustain and power.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Les Paul Custom's thicker body and refined pickups extend Jake's warm, compressed-but-dynamic tone palette, offering subtle variations in harmonic response compared to his Standard model. This guitar maintains the same 50s-style wiring philosophy, ensuring smooth volume roll-off that preserves high-end clarity during lead work.

Gibson ES-335
Guitar

Gibson ES-335

Jake deploys the ES-335's warmer, jazzier voice for passages requiring mellower sustain and reduced bite, complementing the Les Paul's aggression in Greta Van Fleet's dynamic arrangements. Its semi-hollow body naturally adds resonance and subtlety, perfect for blues-influenced solos and atmospheric textures.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Jake's most prominent effect, the Cry Baby wah defines funky rhythm passages and expressive solos throughout Greta Van Fleet's catalog, adding vocal-like movement to his lead lines. Used sparingly but effectively, it's the primary seasoning in his otherwise tube-driven, minimal-effects signal chain.

MXR Phase 90
Pedal

MXR Phase 90

The Phase 90 provides psychedelic swirling textures on select Greta Van Fleet tracks, adding spacious, hypnotic motion without overwhelming the core tube-amp tone. This occasional effect reinforces Jake's vintage-rock palette, channeling 70s progressive influences while keeping the primary focus on warm, dynamic guitar fundamentals.

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