Creator Area
Sign in Creator Area

Practice Studio

Aerosmith - Train Kept A-Rollin' - Guitar Tab

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

Not in tune?

SECTIONS

Select a Loop

Start of your loop
End of your loop

Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key E major
Aerosmith - Train Kept A-Rollin' guitar tab video
Mr. Tabs
Mr. Tabs Top Contributor
YouTube: 1.1Msubs 6.8Kviews
Creator Page →
PLAY WITH BACKING TRACK
·
–50¢ 0 +50¢
· Tap to start

Your browser will ask for microphone permission.

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.
Aerosmith Hard Rock E major
Capo Advisor 0 E major · Original key

About Train Kept A-Rollin'

Few riffs in Hard Rock are as immediately recognizable as the one that opens this track. Aerosmith recorded the song in 1974 in E Standard tuning, and the whole thing runs at a steady 120 BPM, which is brisk enough to make sloppy picking very obvious. The signature riff sits in E major and leans heavily on open-string power chords combined with a driving, repetitive picking attack. Getting that locked-in, locomotive feel is the real challenge: it is less about individual note difficulty and more about stamping out any inconsistency in your right hand. Keep your pick strokes tight and your muting controlled so the groove stays punchy rather than muddy. If the tempo is tripping you up at first, use the Practice Toolbar to slow the riff down and loop it until your picking hand finds the pocket. Once the riff is solid, pay attention to how the rhythm guitar holds the energy through the verses without overplaying.

  • The main riff is built around E major power chords in E Standard tuning, relying on open strings to give it a raw, resonant punch.
  • At 120 BPM the picking attack needs to be very consistent, so use the Practice Toolbar to loop the riff at reduced speed until it locks in.
  • The biggest technique challenge is right-hand muting: keeping the repeated power chords tight and percussive without letting open strings ring uncontrolled.

How to Play Train Kept A-Rollin'

The song moves through: Intro, Verse, Solo 1, Solo 2, Break, Solo 3, Bridge, Solo, Outro.

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E major · Tempo: 120 BPM

The arrangement runs through 9 distinct sections, and the solo is the steepest jump, so isolate it on its own.

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

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.

Recommended for You

Play with Backing Track

Play with Backing Track

Solo (Backing Track)

Solo (Backing Track)