Lit - My Own Worst Enemy - Guitar Lesson

A Place In The Sun

1999 2:49

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About My Own Worst Enemy

The opening guitar riff of "My Own Worst Enemy" is one of the most recognisable hooks in late-1990s Pop Rock, and it is built around a clean, punchy E major figure that sits right in the pocket at 92 BPM. The riff is deceptively simple, but getting the rhythm tight and the note articulation clean is where most players slip up. Lit keeps the arrangement lean, so any sloppiness in your picking hand is immediately exposed. The verse and chorus power chords are beginner-friendly, but the transitions between the clean riff and the driven chord sections deserve focused attention. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop that opening figure slowed down until your pick attack is consistent on every note. E Standard tuning means no retuning required, and the key of E major puts everything in comfortable open-position and first-position territory, making this a great song for a player moving from basic chords toward structured riff work.

• The signature intro riff sits in E major and is played in E Standard tuning, so no retuning is needed before you pick it up.
• At 92 BPM the song is moderate in tempo, but clean articulation on the main riff is harder than it looks and rewards slow practice.
• The song blends a clean-toned intro riff with fuller power-chord sections, so practicing the dynamic shift between the two is key.