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Ratt - Round and Round - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
Ratt - Round and Round guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

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Mid7
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Presence5
Master7
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Ratt Hard Rock E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Round and Round

Few tracks from the 1984 Hard Rock wave nail the swagger of "Round and Round" by Ratt. The song is built around a chunky, syncopated main riff in E minor that sits right in the pocket at 120 BPM, giving it a groove-heavy feel that is deceptively easy to rush. Staying locked into that tempo and keeping your picking hand relaxed is the real discipline here. The verse rhythm parts demand tight palm muting with clean releases, so any sloppiness in the right hand gets exposed quickly. Lead playing in this track leans on pentatonic runs with well-placed bends and a slick hammer-on pull-off vocabulary, all in E standard tuning, which keeps things accessible without any retuning. If the lead passages are tripping you up, use the Practice Toolbar to loop them slowed down until the phrase shapes feel natural under your fingers. Once the mechanics click, focus on injecting the loose, confident attitude that makes the song feel alive.

  • The main riff sits in E minor and uses syncopated palm-muted chugs that reward a relaxed, controlled picking hand rather than raw speed.
  • At 120 BPM in E standard tuning, the song is approachable for intermediate players but demands consistent right-hand discipline throughout.
  • The lead guitar work relies heavily on E minor pentatonic phrasing with string bends and hammer-on pull-off combinations worth isolating in practice.

How to Play Round and Round

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 120 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 120 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

While Robbin Crosby favored the Custom model, the Les Paul Standard's warm mahogany tone provided the thick midrange foundation Ratt needed for rhythm guitar parts. Its stock PAF-style humbuckers delivered the harmonic weight that sat perfectly behind DeMartini's brighter lead tone.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Robbin Crosby's primary rhythm instrument, the Les Paul Custom's thick mahogany body and warm PAF humbuckers gave his chunky riffs the midrange punch and harmonic richness that contrasted with Warren DeMartini's bright, cutting lead sound.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The Marshall JCM800 2203/2205 was the sonic foundation of Ratt's tone, delivering the natural power-tube saturation and cutting edge that made both DeMartini's leads and Crosby's rhythms slice through the mix without losing clarity.

Seymour Duncan JB
Pickup

Seymour Duncan JB

Warren DeMartini loaded his Charvels with the aggressive JB humbucker to achieve fast, articulate lead lines with enough output and clarity to stand out over rhythm guitar without turning muddy or losing definition on rapid legato passages.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

DeMartini occasionally deployed the Cry Baby wah for expressive lead flourishes on solos, adding dynamic vocal-like quality to his fast playing while keeping the amp-driven tone as the core of Ratt's signature sound.

Ibanez Tube Screamer TS9
Pedal

Ibanez Tube Screamer TS9

The Tube Screamer served as DeMartini's lead boost, pushing the Marshall's front end to cut through Crosby's rhythm parts while maintaining the natural tube saturation that defined Ratt's raw, powerful '80s hard rock tone.

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