Creator Area
Sign in Creator Area

Rush - Red Barchetta - Guitar Lesson

Practice Studio

Rush - Red Barchetta - Guitar Lesson

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

Not in tune?

Select a Loop

Start of your loop
End of your loop

Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key E minor
Rush - Red Barchetta guitar lesson video
Guitar 365
Guitar 365 Top Contributor
YouTube: 1.6Msubs 97Kviews
Creator Page →
·
–50¢ 0 +50¢
· Tap to start

Your browser will ask for microphone permission.

Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Moving Pictures (2011 Remaster) album cover
Moving Pictures (2011 Remaster)
1981 6:10
Listen on Spotify
Rush Progressive Rock 1981 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

Red Barchetta

"Red Barchetta" is a track by Canadian rock band Rush, featured on their acclaimed 1981 studio album Moving Pictures. The song is a narrative piece set in a dystopian future, driven by Alex Lifeson's layered guitar work blending clean arpeggios with heavier chord passages. For electric guitarists, it offers a rewarding mix of dynamic picking patterns, atmospheric clean tones, and powerful rock riffing that showcases versatile technique across a single song.

  • The song features a notable contrast between delicate clean guitar arpeggios and full, distorted rock chord sections, great practice for dynamic control.
  • Alex Lifeson uses a mix of picking and fingerstyle approaches throughout the track, making it a useful study in right-hand technique.
  • "Red Barchetta" appears on Moving Pictures, one of Rush's most celebrated albums, released in 1981.
Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Lifeson used the Stratocaster during the 'Moving Pictures' era for cleaner, thinner tones that contrasted with his Les Paul warmth, allowing him to access brighter textures within complex Rush arrangements.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

The Les Paul's PAF-style humbuckers and thick sustain were Lifeson's primary tool through the '70s and early '80s, delivering the warm, fat tone essential for Rush's heavy riffs and soaring lead lines.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

This premium Les Paul variant provided Lifeson with enhanced sustain and tonal depth during classic-era Rush, reinforcing the thick humbucker character that defined tracks on 'Hemispheres' and '2112'.

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)
Amp

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)

The Marshall 100-watt Super Lead cranked to breakup was Lifeson's workhorse amp in the '70s, delivering the crunchy overdrive and punchy aggression that cuts through Rush's dense instrumentation.

Orange Rockerverb
Amp

Orange Rockerverb

Used in later tours, the Orange Rockerverb's warm tube tones and built-in spring reverb gave Lifeson a more refined, spacious sound while maintaining the punch needed to compete with Geddy's keyboards.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Lifeson deployed the Cry Baby wah for expressive solo passages throughout Rush's catalog, adding dynamic vocal-like qualities to his lead work that enhanced emotional impact within progressive arrangements.

Recommended for You