Van Halen - Right Now - Famous Riffs - Guitar Lesson

About Right Now - Famous Riffs

The opening piano figure of "Right Now" is one of the most recognisable moments in Van Halen's catalogue, but the guitar work underneath it rewards close attention. Eddie Van Halen layers a clean, chordal part that sits in F major and locks tightly to the 120 BPM pulse, so your sense of rhythm and your chord voicings both get a real workout here. The feel is broad and open rather than riff-driven, which means small timing slips or thin chord tone become very obvious in the mix. In E Standard tuning, getting those full, resonant chords to ring cleanly without buzzing is the main physical challenge, especially through the chorus where the dynamic builds. The lead lines that punctuate the arrangement demand precise pick attack and clean position shifts. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop any passage that feels uneven and drop the tempo until each note speaks clearly before bringing it back up. Hard Rock playing is often more about control and tone than sheer speed, and this track makes that point well.

• The guitar part sits in F major in E Standard tuning, requiring full, resonant chord voicings that expose any buzzing or muted strings immediately.
• At 120 BPM the groove is mid-tempo and wide, so rhythmic precision and consistent pick attack matter more here than technical speed.
• Practise the chordal sections with the Practice Toolbar slowed down to focus on clean fretting and smooth transitions between voicings.