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Gary Moore - Still Got The Blues Pt.1 - Intro & Main Solo - Guitar Lesson

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Gary Moore - Still Got The Blues Pt.1 - Intro & Main Solo guitar lesson video
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Gary Moore Blues Rock A minor
Capo Advisor 0 A minor · Original key

About Still Got The Blues Pt.1 - Intro & Main Solo

Few solos in Blues Rock are as immediately recognisable as the one that opens "Still Got The Blues." Gary Moore plays the intro and main solo in A minor at a measured 96 BPM, which feels unhurried until you realise how much emotional weight every single note has to carry. The signature intro arpeggio figure demands clean fingerpicking or hybrid picking precision, and the slightest sloppiness in your fretting hand will show. When you reach the main solo, the challenge shifts to sustain and vibrato control: Moore's wide, vocal vibrato is the whole point, and getting it to sing rather than wobble takes focused, slow repetition. Use the Practice Toolbar to isolate the bend-heavy phrases and loop them slowed down until the pitch of each bend lands exactly where it should. E Standard tuning means nothing exotic to set up, but the real work is tone and touch, not technical acrobatics.

  • The intro features a fingerpicked or hybrid-picked arpeggio phrase in A minor that requires a very controlled, even touch across the strings.
  • Moore's main solo is built on slow, wide vibrato and precise string bends, making intonation and finger strength the core things to practise.
  • At 96 BPM in E Standard tuning, the tempo is approachable, but matching Moore's sustain and vocal phrasing is the real difficulty.

How to Play Still Got The Blues Pt.1 - Intro & Main Solo

Tuning: E Standard · Key: A minor · Tempo: 96 BPM

The intro arpeggio pattern in A minor is deceptively tricky to keep clean at 90 bpm because the chord shapes shift while the picking hand needs to stay consistent and even. The main solo is where most learners struggle: Moore's wide, slow vibrato and full-step bends must land exactly in pitch or the emotional impact falls apart, so isolate each bend and confirm its target pitch before adding vibrato. A common mistake is rushing the vibrato onset, where players snap the string immediately rather than letting the bent note sing for a beat first. Loop the solo's opening phrases at reduced speed to internalize Moore's unhurried, deliberate phrasing.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 96 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Gary Moore wielded Fender Stratocasters for his cleaner blues tones, using their glassy single-coil bite to contrast with his Les Paul's fat sustain. The thin, articulate voice let him deliver expressive rhythm work and cutting lead lines without the compressed warmth of humbuckers.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Moore's iconic 'Greeny' Gibson Les Paul Standard with its reversed neck pickup magnet became his signature, delivering dynamic PAF humbucker tone that bloomed into singing sustain when pushed through cranked Marshalls. This guitar defined his ability to achieve violin-like feedback and endless note decay.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Gibson Les Paul Custom gave Moore additional options beyond 'Greeny', with standard PAF-style humbuckers in the 7.5–8.5k ohm range providing enough output to drive his Marshalls into natural power-tube saturation without ceramic pickup compression. This guitar delivered the fat, singing tone central to his hard rock era.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The Marshall JCM800 became Moore's modern workhorse, cranked loud enough to achieve that singing, violin-like sustain where controlled feedback allowed notes to bloom endlessly. The amp's natural power-tube saturation created rich harmonic overtones essential to his fluid, sustaining lead style.

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)
Amp

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)

Gary Moore's early Marshall 1959 Super Lead Plexis were run at volume to generate natural harmonic saturation and responsive, singing sustain that defined his blues-rock foundation. The amp's sensitivity to picking dynamics let his fingers shape tone as much as the guitar itself.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Moore deployed the Dunlop Cry Baby Wah for expressive, soulful lead passages that added vocal-like character to his soaring solos. Though a key tool in his arsenal, it served as seasoning to his core tone rather than the foundation of his sound.

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