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Slash - Anastasia - Acoustic Intro - Guitar Lesson

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Slash - Anastasia - Acoustic Intro guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

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Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Apocalyptic Love (Deluxe) [feat. Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators] album cover
Apocalyptic Love (Deluxe) [feat. Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators]
2012 6:07
Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Music
Slash Hard Rock 2012

About Anastasia - Acoustic Intro

The acoustic intro to "Anastasia" is one of the more deceptively challenging fingerpicking passages in modern hard rock. Slash opens the full-band track with a delicate fingerpicked figure that demands clean string separation and a light, controlled touch, qualities that can feel foreign if your hands are trained mostly on power chords and picked riffs. The passage sits in E Standard tuning, so there are no capo or alternate tuning adjustments to worry about, but the fingering patterns still require careful attention to which fingers are fretting and which are picking at any given moment. The tempo is measured and patient, yet keeping the notes even and letting each one ring clearly is harder than it looks at first read-through. Work through the intro phrase by phrase rather than trying to run the whole thing from bar one. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the trickiest bar slowed down until your fretting hand stops anticipating the next position change and just plays the one in front of it. This kind of controlled acoustic work pays off well when you move into the electric sections of the full song.

  • The intro uses fingerpicking rather than a plectrum, so practising with your thumb and index or middle fingers assigned to specific strings is essential for clean note separation.
  • E Standard tuning means you can move directly into the electric sections of the full song without retuning, making it practical to learn the whole track end to end.
  • The passage rewards slow, deliberate practice: looping it slowed down through the Practice Toolbar helps you build the muscle memory needed before bringing it up to performance tempo.

How to Play Anastasia - Acoustic Intro

Tuning: E Standard

Use the section loop to isolate a passage and drop the speed to build each section up to tempo.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Slash's signature weapon, the Les Paul Standard delivers the thick, singing sustain and midrange punch essential to his tone. Its mahogany body and maple top, combined with a chunky neck, create the weight and resonance that powers his iconic lead voice.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Custom's thicker body and binding offer slightly enhanced sustain and midrange focus compared to the Standard. While less iconic than his '59 replica, it maintains the tonal character Slash needs for consistent crunch and singing solos.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

Though Slash favors the JCM25/50 Jubilee, the JCM800 shares similar tonal DNA with a brighter, tighter clipping circuit. It produces the compressed overdrive character fundamental to his thick roar, though slightly less warm than his primary setup.

Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro
Pickup

Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro

These signature humbuckers preserve Slash's touch sensitivity by avoiding hot output, letting his aggressive picking snarl and soft passages clean up naturally. The alnico II magnets deliver warmth and smooth attack that complements the Marshall's saturation without adding harshness.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Slash's signature wah pedal adds expressive funk and soaring lead accents to his pedalboard without coloring his core tone. It's an essential tool for his rhythmic funky passages and dramatic solo bends, deployed as seasoning over his cranked Marshall foundation.

Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Pedal

Boss DD-3 Digital Delay

This subtle slapback delay enhances Slash's solos with spatial depth and dimension without drowning his tone. Its conservative settings maintain his core Marshall character while adding the slight doubling effect that thickens his signature lead passages.

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