Roy Orbison - Oh, Pretty Woman - Guitar Lesson

About Oh, Pretty Woman

Few riffs from 1964 are as immediately recognisable as the one that opens this Pop Rock classic. That repeated two-bar figure sits right in E major, and in E Standard tuning you can dig into it with satisfying open-string resonance. The riff is deceptively simple on paper, but getting the articulation crisp, every note even and the rhythm locked to the 118 BPM pulse, is where most players slip up. The groove needs to feel unhurried even at that tempo, so resist the urge to rush the eighth notes. The chord work in the verse and the quick chord stabs that punctuate Roy Orbison's vocal lines also deserve careful attention, because sloppy transitions will stick out against such a clean, sparse arrangement. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the opening riff slowed down until every note speaks clearly before bringing it back up to full speed.

• The signature opening riff sits in E major and uses E Standard tuning, making open low-E string resonance a key part of its distinctive sound.
• Keeping each note of the main riff even and rhythmically tight at 118 BPM is the central technical challenge, so slow practice is essential.
• The rhythm guitar part relies on clean chord stabs between vocal phrases, demanding precise left-hand muting to keep the arrangement sounding neat.