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The Who - Baba O'Riley - Guitar Lesson

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Key F major
The Who - Baba O'Riley guitar lesson video
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
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The Who Rock F major
Capo Advisor 0 F major · Original key

About Baba O'Riley

Few songs announce themselves quite like "Baba O'Riley," and the synthesizer intro can fool you into thinking guitar comes second here. It does not. When Pete Townshend enters, he locks into a driving, repetitive open-chord figure in F major that has to sit perfectly on top of that synth pulse at 120 BPM. The rhythmic feel is the real challenge: the strumming pattern needs to feel aggressive but controlled, never rushing the beat. In E Standard tuning the chord shapes themselves are not exotic, but sustaining that energy cleanly across the full length of the song takes real stamina and right-hand discipline. The outro violin line, famously doubled on guitar in live versions by The Who, is also worth learning if you want the complete picture. For the main rhythm figure, use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down until the pick attack and muting feel automatic before bringing it back up to tempo. This one rewards patience, and "Rock" fans can explore more in the Rock genre.

  • The driving rhythm part centres on repetitive open-position F major chord stabs that demand consistent right-hand stamina across the whole track.
  • At 120 BPM in E Standard tuning, the rhythm guitar sits tightly against a synth pulse, so timing precision matters more than technical complexity here.
  • The outro melody, played on violin in the studio recording, is often doubled on guitar in live performances and is a rewarding lead line to learn.

How to Play Baba O'Riley

Tuning: E Standard · Key: F major · 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.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Townshend switched to Fender Stratocasters from the mid-1970s onward, using their stock single-coil pickups for clarity and chimey top-end that cut through massive stadium volumes when paired with his Hiwatt amps. The Strat's responsiveness to his dynamic, windmill attack made it ideal for The Who's power chord precision.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

While Townshend primarily used Les Paul Deluxes with mini-humbuckers, the Standard's full humbuckers would deliver a tighter, more compressed midrange that contrasts with his preferred P-90 aggression. A Standard represents a warmer, less cutting variation of his classic mod-era tone.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Les Paul Custom shares the Deluxe's mini-humbucker character that Townshend favored for a focused midrange, though its premium construction would offer slightly more sustain than his typical gigging instruments. Townshend valued stock electronics and destructive live performance over luxury features.

Marshall JTM45
Amp

Marshall JTM45

Townshend famously pushed Marshall JTM45s to their limits in the late 1960s, driving them into aggressive overdrive that influenced Marshall's louder amp designs. His volume demands and hard-hit playing style directly contributed to Marshall developing more powerful heads to match his revolutionary stage presence.

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