Journey - Separate Ways - Guitar Tab

About Separate Ways

Few songs open with as recognizable a keyboard figure as "Separate Ways," but on guitar the real work is holding down a tight, punchy rhythm in D minor at 116 BPM. In E Standard tuning, the rhythm parts sit comfortably across the fretboard, yet keeping the attack consistent and locked to the groove demands real discipline in your right hand. The chord stabs and chunky power-chord riffs that drive the verses need clean palm muting and precise pick control, so use the Practice Toolbar to loop those sections slowed down until the muting becomes automatic. Journey built their Hard Rock sound on the interplay between muscular guitar and soaring melody, and this song is a clear example of that balance. The lead work in the chorus sections calls for confident bends and vibrato in the D minor pentatonic position, so getting the pitch of those bends accurate before coming up to full speed is time well spent.

• The signature riff relies on palm-muted power chords in D minor, so clean right-hand muting technique is the first thing to lock in.
• At 116 BPM in E Standard tuning, the rhythm parts are physically accessible but demand consistent pick attack to sit well in the mix.
• The lead phrases centre on the D minor pentatonic scale, with expressive string bends that need accurate pitch before you bring them up to tempo.