Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight - Guitar Lesson

R-Kive

2014 5:30

Listen on Spotify

About In The Air Tonight

Few songs in Pop Rock build tension the way this one does, and that slow, brooding atmosphere is exactly what you need to serve on guitar. The chord movement in D minor is sparse and deliberate, so every note you play carries weight. Resist the urge to fill space. The signature synth stabs and gated reverb drums that define the track mean the guitar sits in a supporting role here, locking in with the low-end pulse rather than leading the charge. Getting the dynamics right is the real challenge. Start quiet, stay restrained, and let the arrangement do the work through the long build. Phil Collins wrote the track around atmosphere, not complexity, so sloppy timing or an impatient touch will flatten the whole feel. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the verse sections slowed down until that patient, behind-the-beat placement becomes natural in your hands.

• The song sits in D minor at 117 BPM, so a steady, unhurried right hand and careful note choice matter far more than speed.
• Guitar plays a textural, supportive role here, making clean fretting and precise dynamic control the two main things to practise.
• Looping the verse riff slowed down on the Practice Toolbar will help you internalize the sparse, deliberate phrasing the song demands.