Creator Area
Sign in Creator Area

Practice Studio

Audioslave - Like A Stone - Guitar Lesson

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

Not in tune?

Select a Loop

Start of your loop
End of your loop

Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key G minor
Audioslave - Like A Stone guitar lesson video
Guitar 365
Guitar 365 Top Contributor
YouTube: 1.6Msubs 444Kviews
Creator Page →
PLAY WITH BACKING TRACK
·
–50¢ 0 +50¢
· Tap to start

Your browser will ask for microphone permission.

Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Listen on Spotify
Audioslave Alternative Rock G minor
Capo Advisor 0 G minor · Original key

About Like A Stone

Drop D tuning sits at the heart of "Like A Stone," and it pays to get comfortable with that low open D before you try anything else. The droning, fingerpicked intro is the first real challenge: Tom Morello moves between fretted notes and open strings in a way that demands clean left-hand muting so the unwanted strings stay quiet. At 90 BPM the tempo is moderate, but the fingerpicking pattern trips up a lot of players who are more used to picking with a flat pick, so give yourself time to build the muscle memory. The chorus shifts into fuller chord work rooted in G minor, where Drop D lets you hit those low power chords with a single finger. If the intro pattern is giving you trouble, use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down until the right-hand movement feels automatic. Audioslave built much of their sound on Morello's unconventional guitar choices, and this song is a good entry point into his cleaner, more restrained side. Fans of Alternative Rock guitar will find the blend of delicate picking and heavier chord passages genuinely instructive.

  • The Drop D tuning lowers the sixth string by a whole step, making the low power chords in the chorus playable with a single-finger barre.
  • The fingerpicked intro is the trickiest section, requiring clean muting of adjacent open strings to keep the melodic line clear.
  • At 90 BPM the song sits at a comfortable mid-tempo, but the picking-hand coordination in the intro demands slow, deliberate practice before playing it up to speed.

How to Play Like A Stone

Tuning: Drop D · Key: G minor · Tempo: 90 BPM

The drop D tuning lets you fret the low power chords with a single finger, which is central to the heavier riffing here.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 90 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Fender Telecaster
Guitar

Fender Telecaster

Morello uses this 1982 Telecaster on Audioslave's cleaner tracks like 'I Am the Highway' and 'Like a Stone,' where its single humbucker delivers warmer, more open tones than his high-gain primary guitar. The Telecaster's natural twang lets his effects and subtle playing dynamics shine without heavy saturation.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

This stock 50-watt head is Audioslave's foundation, with its gain channel providing moderate saturation that Morello pushes via pedal boost for heavy riffs like 'Cochise.' The clean channel remains uncolored, allowing his effects and guitar tone to dominate the mix without amp-based distortion.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Morello's wah sits first in his chain, shaping the expressive, vocal-like character of Audioslave's lead work and adding dynamic sweep to both rhythm and solo passages. It's essential for his signature technique of blending nu-metal aggression with funk-influenced texture.

Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Pedal

Boss DD-3 Digital Delay

Running in the effects loop after the amp, this digital delay creates the rhythmic echo effects that add space and dimension to Audioslave's atmospheric moments. It lets Morello layer repeating patterns without muddying his core tone or high-gain riffs.

DigiTech Whammy
Pedal

DigiTech Whammy

This pitch-shifting pedal is where Morello creates Audioslave's most extreme and experimental sounds, enabling artificial harmonics and dramatic pitch drops that define songs like 'Cochise.' The Whammy's creative manipulation combined with his killswitch technique generates the band's signature metallic textures.

Recommended for You

Play with Backing Track

Play with Backing Track

Solo (Backing Track)

Solo (Backing Track)