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The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
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The Rolling Stones Blues Rock E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Paint It Black

Few songs in the Blues Rock catalogue have as distinctive an opening as "Paint It Black." The descending sitar-flavoured riff, played on guitar in Eb Standard tuning, sits at the heart of what makes this piece so immediately recognisable. Getting that riff to ring with the right tension means keeping your fretting hand relaxed while landing each note cleanly, since any muffling dulls the hypnotic pull the part depends on. At 132 BPM the song moves at a confident pace, but the minor-key feel and the even subdivision mean that rushing is a real danger, especially through the verse transitions. The Rolling Stones built the arrangement around that relentless, almost modal, E minor groove, so your job on guitar is to lock in and stay disciplined rather than embellish. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the opening riff at a reduced speed until your muscle memory is solid, then gradually bring it back up to tempo.

  • The signature riff is played in Eb Standard tuning, so drop your whole guitar a half-step before you start.
  • The E minor modal feel rewards a clean, even pick attack; sloppy articulation quickly breaks the hypnotic character of the riff.
  • Looping the descending riff slowed down is the most effective way to build the finger independence the line demands.

How to Play Paint It Black

Tuning: Eb Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 132 BPM

It is played in Eb standard, a half step down, so tune down before you start or every position and bend will sit a half step sharp against the recording.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 132 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Ronnie Wood relies on the Strat's versatile single-coil tone for bright, cutting leads that complement Keith's darker textures. The guitar's natural snap cuts through the Stones' dense arrangements without losing warmth.

Fender Telecaster
Guitar

Fender Telecaster

Keith Richards' modified butterscotch Telecaster, fitted with a Gibson PAF humbucker, delivers the fatter, warmer attack that defines his rhythm work while maintaining the instrument's natural twang and cutting presence.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

This guitar anchors iconic Stones tracks like 'Sympathy for the Devil' and 'Gimme Shelter,' providing the thick, sustained tone and natural breakup Keith needs for his open-tuning chord work.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

While not specifically mentioned in Keith's primary rig, the Custom's thicker body and hardware enhance sustain and warmth, making it an alternative for achieving the deeper, more compressed tones the Stones occasionally pursue.

Fender Twin Reverb
Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

Keith's preferred amp, the Twin Reverb's headroom and natural breakup create that sweet spot where tubes work hard without full distortion, perfectly complementing his open-tuning dynamics and pick attack sensitivity.

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier
Amp

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier

For live shows requiring more gain and punch, this amp provides the boosted output the Stones need while maintaining the moderate tube breakup that's central to Keith's tone philosophy.

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