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Whitesnake - Is This Love - Guitar Lesson

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

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Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key G major
Whitesnake - Is This Love guitar lesson video
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
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Whitesnake Hard Rock G major
Capo Advisor 0 G major · Original key

About Is This Love

Few hard rock ballads sit as comfortably under the fingers as "Is This Love," yet getting it to feel right takes more care than it first appears. The song moves at a relaxed 95 BPM in G major, and that moderate pace can lull you into rushing the chord transitions, especially the smooth voice-leading between the verse chords. The clean, polished guitar tone is central to the feel here, so pay attention to your pick attack: too aggressive and the warmth disappears. Whitesnake built their reputation in Hard Rock partly on songs that blend punch with melody, and this track is a good example of that balance. The lead work asks for controlled bends and a singing vibrato rather than sheer speed, which makes it great ear-training for phrasing. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the solo sections slowed down until each bend lands exactly in pitch before you bring it back up to tempo.

  • The song is in G major at 95 BPM, giving it a mid-tempo feel that rewards relaxed, even strumming and clean chord transitions.
  • Getting the lead guitar tone right calls for a smooth, warm clean or lightly driven sound to match the ballad-style phrasing throughout.
  • The solo prioritises controlled string bends and sustained vibrato over speed, making accurate intonation the main technical challenge to practise.

How to Play Is This Love

Tuning: E Standard · Key: G major · Tempo: 95 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 95 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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