AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long - All Riffs - Guitar Lesson

Bonfire

1980 3:30

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About You Shook Me All Night Long - All Riffs

Few rock songs have a guitar hook as immediately recognisable as the opening riff to "You Shook Me All Night Long." Angus and Malcolm Young built it from a deceptively simple G major groove, but getting it to sit right is harder than it looks. The rhythmic feel is the real challenge: Malcolm's chunky rhythm work stays tight and percussive while Angus layers lead fills on top, so you need to keep your pick attack consistent and your muting clean throughout. If you are working through all the riffs on this page, use the Practice Toolbar to loop each section at a reduced speed until the sync between your fretting hand and pick hand is locked in. The main riff leans on open-position power chords and a driving straight-eighth feel, so any looseness in your right hand will show immediately. AC/DC recorded the track in 1980, and its enduring appeal for guitar players is that every riff on the song is genuinely worth learning, from the intro to the solo fills.

• The signature riff is built around open G-position power chords, making right-hand muting and consistent pick attack the two things to focus on first.
• Malcolm Young's rhythm part and Angus Young's lead fills run simultaneously, so practising each guitar layer separately before combining them is highly recommended.
• Looping the turnaround and solo entry slowed down in the Practice Toolbar will help you nail the precise timing that makes the riff feel locked in.