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Gary Moore - The Loner - Guitar Tab

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BPM
Key E minor
Gary Moore - The Loner guitar tab video
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Classic Rock

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Master7
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Wild Frontier album cover
Wild Frontier
1987 5:54
Listen on Spotify
Gary Moore Blues Rock 1987 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About The Loner

Few guitarists wrote instrumentals that felt as emotionally direct as Gary Moore, and "The Loner" from the 1987 album Wild Frontier is a prime example. Built around a melodic lead theme in E minor, the song puts your phrasing and vibrato front and centre from the very first bar. There is nowhere to hide here: the tempo sits at a moderate 120 BPM in E Standard tuning, which is comfortable enough to expose every weakness in your sustain and note control. The challenge is not speed but expression, getting that vocal, singing quality into each bent note the way Moore did. Pay close attention to where he sits behind or right on the beat, because the feel is everything in blues-rock playing like this. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the main melody slowed down and focus on matching the vibrato width and speed before bringing it back up to tempo.

  • The song is an instrumental in E minor at 120 BPM in E Standard tuning, meaning tone and phrasing carry the entire performance.
  • Wide, controlled vibrato and expressive string bends are the core techniques: nailing those will get you closer to the feel than any speed exercise.
  • Looping the main melodic theme with the Practice Toolbar at a reduced speed helps you build the slow, vocal-style sustain the lead line demands.

How to Play The Loner

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

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

Gary Moore wielded Fender Stratocasters for his cleaner blues tones, using their glassy single-coil bite to contrast with his Les Paul's fat sustain. The thin, articulate voice let him deliver expressive rhythm work and cutting lead lines without the compressed warmth of humbuckers.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Moore's iconic 'Greeny' Gibson Les Paul Standard with its reversed neck pickup magnet became his signature, delivering dynamic PAF humbucker tone that bloomed into singing sustain when pushed through cranked Marshalls. This guitar defined his ability to achieve violin-like feedback and endless note decay.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Gibson Les Paul Custom gave Moore additional options beyond 'Greeny', with standard PAF-style humbuckers in the 7.5–8.5k ohm range providing enough output to drive his Marshalls into natural power-tube saturation without ceramic pickup compression. This guitar delivered the fat, singing tone central to his hard rock era.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The Marshall JCM800 became Moore's modern workhorse, cranked loud enough to achieve that singing, violin-like sustain where controlled feedback allowed notes to bloom endlessly. The amp's natural power-tube saturation created rich harmonic overtones essential to his fluid, sustaining lead style.

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)
Amp

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)

Gary Moore's early Marshall 1959 Super Lead Plexis were run at volume to generate natural harmonic saturation and responsive, singing sustain that defined his blues-rock foundation. The amp's sensitivity to picking dynamics let his fingers shape tone as much as the guitar itself.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Moore deployed the Dunlop Cry Baby Wah for expressive, soulful lead passages that added vocal-like character to his soaring solos. Though a key tool in his arsenal, it served as seasoning to his core tone rather than the foundation of his sound.

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