Dire Straits - Local Hero Going HOME - Guitar Solo Tab

Live 1978–1992

2024 5:06

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About Local Hero Going HOME

The centrepiece of "Local Hero / Going Home" is Mark Knopfler's famously fingerpicked clean guitar work, where he coaxes a hymn-like melodic theme from what sounds effortlessly simple but asks for real control. Playing in F major in E Standard tuning, you need to keep your picking hand relaxed and let the notes breathe, since any tension will kill the smooth, vocal quality the melody demands. At 120 BPM the tempo itself is forgiving, but that actually raises the stakes: every slightly rushed note or muted string is clearly audible with nowhere to hide. The extended build across the piece means you will want to loop specific phrases in the Practice Toolbar slowed down, particularly the melodic runs where Knopfler shifts positions along the neck, until each one feels natural at full speed. Dire Straits built much of their sound on this kind of Classic Rock balladry, where restraint and tone do more work than complexity.

• Knopfler plays fingerstyle throughout, using his bare fingers rather than a pick, which gives the tone its warm, rounded character and is essential to nail the feel.
• The key of F major puts the main melodic theme in a comfortable mid-neck range, but clean position shifts between phrases are where most players will need focused practice.
• Using the Practice Toolbar to loop the melodic lead passages at reduced speed will help you lock in the phrasing and dynamics before attempting it at the full 120 BPM.