Dream Theater - Learning To Live _ - Guitar Solo Tab

Images and Words

1992 11:30

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About Learning To Live _

At over eleven minutes, "Learning to Live" closes Images and Words with some of the most demanding guitar work in Dream Theater's catalogue. The song moves through multiple distinct sections, and keeping up with the arrangement is the first real challenge: parts shift in feel, density, and rhythmic emphasis without much warning, so knowing exactly where you are in the structure matters. In A minor and E Standard tuning at 120 BPM, the tempo itself is manageable, but the music rarely sits in a simple groove for long. John Petrucci's lead lines demand clean two-hand synchronisation and a confident legato technique, while the rhythm parts require precise palm muting and the ability to switch quickly between picked chords and single-note runs. The extended instrumental passage in the middle of the track is the section most players struggle with. Use the Practice Toolbar to set an A/B loop around that passage and work it slowed down before attempting it at full tempo. Progressive Rock rewards that kind of patient, section-by-section approach more than almost any other style.

• The song is in E Standard tuning and A minor, so no retuning is needed, but the key demands comfort across the upper frets of the neck.
• Petrucci's lead work throughout relies heavily on legato phrasing, making smooth left-hand hammer-ons and pull-offs more important than picking speed alone.
• The song spans multiple tempo feels within a single 120 BPM framework, so practising each structural section separately before joining them up is the most efficient approach.