The Who - Pinball Wizard - Guitar Lesson

About Pinball Wizard

Few acoustic-electric guitar parts in The Who catalogue demand as much from the right hand as "Pinball Wizard." Pete Townshend's famous intro is built on a sequence of suspended chords raked with sharp, percussive downstrokes, and nailing that choppy, almost violent attack is the real challenge before you even get to the verses. The song sits in B major at 120 BPM, which is a comfortable tempo on paper, but keeping those big open-string chords clean and rhythmically tight is harder than it sounds, especially through the key change passages. Fingering the sus2 and sus4 voicings accurately while keeping the strumming aggressive takes some time to coordinate. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the intro chord sequence slowed down until the shapes feel automatic under your fingers. Once the mechanics click, focus on bringing back the speed and that signature stiff-wristed strumming energy that gives the track its driving, classic rock feel.

• The intro features a descending sequence of suspended chord voicings strummed with forceful, percussive downstrokes, making right-hand attack the first thing to practise.
• The song is in B major, so several chord shapes sit in less common positions that may feel unfamiliar to players used to open-position keys.
• Townshend played the track on a 12-string acoustic in the studio, so on a 6-string you may need to add extra strumming intensity to fill out the sound.