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Whitesnake - Still Of The Night - Outro Section - Guitar Lesson

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Key C minor
Whitesnake - Still Of The Night - Outro Section guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

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Whitesnake Hard Rock C minor
Capo Advisor 0 C minor · Original key

About Still Of The Night - Outro Section

The outro section of "Still Of The Night" is where the song sheds its slow-burning verse groove and opens up into something far more aggressive. In C minor and E Standard tuning at 120 BPM, the section demands tight palm muting, heavy power chord shifts, and the kind of stop-start rhythmic precision that can easily fall apart at speed. The riff work here is rooted in the bluesy, hard-driving style that made Whitesnake a defining force in Hard Rock. The real challenge is keeping your picking hand locked in while navigating the dynamic shifts between muted chugging and open chord stabs. If the transitions are tripping you up, use the Practice Toolbar to isolate just those moments and loop them slowed down until the muscle memory is solid. Getting the rhythmic feel right matters more here than raw speed, so work the dynamics before pushing the tempo back up to 120 BPM.

  • The outro sits in C minor in E Standard tuning, so no retuning is needed, but the key rewards players comfortable with minor pentatonic and power chord positions.
  • Palm muting control is central to this section: the contrast between muted chugging and open chord hits is what gives the riff its punch.
  • At 120 BPM the rhythmic stop-start figures are the main technical hurdle, making slow looped repetition the most effective way to build accuracy.

How to Play Still Of The Night - Outro Section

Tuning: E Standard · Key: C 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 John Sykes favored the Les Paul Custom, the Standard delivers the same thick humbucker warmth essential to Whitesnake's classic rock tone. Its slightly lighter weight and traditional specs make it an accessible alternative for achieving that powerful, sustained lead sound through cranked tube amps.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

John Sykes' black 1978 Les Paul Custom with gold hardware is the definitive Whitesnake guitar, its stock Gibson humbuckers producing the warm midrange growl and controlled compression needed for 'Still of the Night' solos. This guitar's thick, harmonically rich character became inseparable from the band's signature hard rock voice.

Ibanez JEM
Guitar

Ibanez JEM

Steve Vai brought the Ibanez JEM 777 and its Floyd Rose tremolo to Whitesnake, enabling expressive solo techniques and pitch-bending flexibility that complemented the band's shredding era. The JEM's bright, articulate character contrasted with traditional Les Paul tones while maintaining cutting power through Marshall stacks.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The Marshall JCM800 is the sonic foundation of Whitesnake, delivering the thick, tube-driven natural saturation and harmonically rich distortion that defines songs like 'Still of the Night.' Sykes pushed these heads hard in the preamp, maintaining high presence and treble to retain clarity and pick attack in solos.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

John Sykes used the Dunlop Cry Baby Wah sparingly but effectively for solo accents and expressive passages, adding dynamic color without cluttering Whitesnake's amp-driven aesthetic. This pedal's responsive sweep complemented his Les Paul's warm tone while enhancing the emotional impact of key lead moments.

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