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Kiss - Detroit Rock City - Guitar Tab

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Key A minor
Kiss - Detroit Rock City guitar tab video
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Smashes Thrashes & Hits album cover
Smashes Thrashes & Hits
1988 3:49
Listen on Spotify
Kiss Hard Rock 1988 A minor
Capo Advisor 0 A minor · Original key

About Detroit Rock City

Few hard rock tracks make a guitarist work through as many distinct sections as "Detroit Rock City" by Kiss. The song opens with a driving, palm-muted gallop riff in A minor that sets the aggressive tone straight away, and getting that chug tight and even at 120 BPM is the first real challenge. Right-hand muting precision matters enormously here: too loose and the riff loses its punch, too tight and it deadens the attack. The verse and chorus sections shift feel enough that you need to be comfortable switching between rhythm textures quickly, which rewards slow, deliberate practice before you bring it up to speed. Use the Practice Toolbar to isolate the gallop riff or any transition that keeps slipping, and loop it slowed down until your pick hand is doing it without thought. As a genre, Hard Rock relies on riffs that are physically demanding to keep tight, and this song is a solid example of that demand in action. Standard E tuning means you can pick it up immediately without retuning.

  • The main riff is built on a palm-muted gallop pattern in A minor, so right-hand muting consistency is the core technical challenge.
  • At 120 BPM in standard E tuning, the song is accessible enough to learn at full speed once you have the muting technique under control.
  • Practice the riff-to-riff transitions slowly first, as the song moves through several distinct rhythm feels that can trip up intermediate players.

How to Play Detroit Rock City

The song moves through: Intro, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Solo.

Tuning: E Standard · Key: A minor · Tempo: 120 BPM · Difficulty: Medium

Once the main sections feel solid, isolate the solo, which is usually the steepest jump.

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.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Ace Frehley's 1959 Les Paul Standard with stock PAF humbuckers delivers the warm, singing sustain that defines Kiss's lead tone when cranked through Marshall amplifiers. The moderate output and responsiveness of PAFs let his solos cut through without compression, creating that vocal-quality sustain signature to the classic era.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

The Les Paul Custom's thick mahogany body and humbucker configuration provide the foundational warmth and sustain essential to Kiss's rhythm and lead work throughout their career. Its slightly hotter output compared to standard models contributes to the band's characteristically thick, aggressive tone.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

Ace Frehley switched to the JCM800 in his later Kiss years, using its tighter, more defined gain structure to achieve singing leads and aggressive rhythm tones. The 100-watt model's preamp-driven breakup, pushed hard with master volume around 6-7, anchors Kiss's powerful, sustain-heavy sound.

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)
Amp

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)

The Marshall 1959 Super Lead Plexi was Ace Frehley's primary amplifier during Kiss's classic era, delivering natural tube breakup and responsive dynamics when cranked loud. This head's warm, organic gain is fundamental to the singing quality and sustain heard on iconic Kiss solos and rhythm work.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Ace Frehley uses the Cry Baby wah expressively throughout Kiss solos, most famously parked in a half-open position on 'Detroit Rock City' for a vocal-like tonal boost. The pedal's dynamic responsiveness pairs perfectly with his PAF-equipped Les Paul and cranked Marshall for expressive, singing lead work.

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