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Aerosmith - Walk This Way Pt.1 - Rhythm Guitar Parts - Guitar Lesson

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Key C major
Aerosmith - Walk This Way Pt.1 - Rhythm Guitar Parts guitar lesson video
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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.
Toys In the Attic album cover
Toys In the Attic
1975 3:40
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Aerosmith Hard Rock 1975 C major
Capo Advisor 0 C major · Original key

About Walk This Way Pt.1 - Rhythm Guitar Parts

Few rhythm guitar parts in Hard Rock are as deceptively tricky as the ones Joe Perry laid down on "Walk This Way." The song sits at 104 BPM in E Standard tuning, and the main riff is built around a tight, funky 16th-note groove in C that demands precise right-hand control. Getting the rhythmic feel right is the real challenge here: Perry plays behind the beat with a loose, almost lazy swagger that feels natural but takes real work to nail. If you play it too stiff or too on-the-grid, it loses the whole feel of the track. The riff involves quick hammer-ons and a syncopated choked strum pattern, so isolate those two or three bars in the Practice Toolbar and loop them slowed down until the groove starts to sit in your hand naturally. Aerosmith built their 1970s sound on exactly this kind of bluesy, rhythmically loose playing, and this song is one of the best lessons in it.

  • The main riff uses hammer-ons and a syncopated 16th-note feel in E Standard tuning, demanding tight right-hand control and a loose, funky rhythmic approach.
  • Playing the riff with a slightly behind-the-beat swagger is essential to the feel, so use looping it slowed down to internalise the groove before bringing it up to 104 BPM.
  • The rhythm part stays in C major but draws heavily on blues-rock phrasing, making it a strong exercise in mixing chord stabs with single-note riff work.

How to Play Walk This Way Pt.1 - Rhythm Guitar Parts

Tuning: E Standard · Key: C major · Tempo: 104 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 104 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Joe Perry uses a late-1950s Strat for cleaner, snappier tones on tracks like 'Walk This Way', providing brighter single-coil bite that contrasts with his heavier Les Paul work. The Strat's tonal versatility lets him achieve crisp rhythm parts and articulate lead passages without the thick humbucker warmth.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Perry's 1959 Les Paul Standard, his 'Holy Grail' guitar, delivers the thick, singing sustain and natural harmonic bloom central to Aerosmith's classic rock sound. Its PAF humbuckers respond beautifully to his expressive bending and vibrato technique, especially through cranked Marshalls.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Perry's Custom Shop Les Paul reissues replicate his vintage instrument's tone with modern reliability, maintaining the smooth, responsive humbucker character that lets his playing dynamics shine through. These guitars are essential for capturing his signature fat lead tone on stage and in the studio.

Gibson ES-335
Guitar

Gibson ES-335

Brad Whitford's semi-hollow ES-335 provides warm, compressed breakup with enhanced midrange that cuts through Aerosmith's thick dual-guitar arrangements. The semi-hollow body's natural resonance adds depth to his rhythm playing when paired with his Marshall and Mesa/Boogie stack.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

Joe Perry's modified JCM800 has been his core amp for decades, delivering natural tube saturation at high volume with a presence-peaked treble that defines Aerosmith's aggressive, sustaining lead tone. The amp's responsiveness to his volume knob control and pickup selection is crucial to his expressive playing approach.

Fender Twin Reverb
Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

Perry uses the Fender Twin Reverb for cleaner studio tones and textures, providing headroom and natural reverb that balances the JCM800's darker aggression. The Twin's clarity preserves his picking precision and note articulation for rhythm parts and cleaner passages.

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