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Lenny Kravitz - Always on the Run - Guitar Tab

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Key E minor
Lenny Kravitz - Always on the Run 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.
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Lenny Kravitz Funk Rock E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Always on the Run

Few riffs from the early 1990s hit as hard as the one that opens this track. Built around a gnarly, repetitive E minor figure, the main riff is deceptively simple on paper but demands a locked-in, aggressive right hand to get that thick, stomping feel right. You are playing in E Standard at 104 BPM, which is a comfortable mid-tempo, but the groove is unforgiving: any looseness in your picking attack or timing will stick out immediately. The key is to stay behind the beat just slightly and let the low E string do the heavy work. Lenny Kravitz layers the riff with a raw, slightly overdriven tone that sits right at the intersection of Funk Rock and hard rock, so dial in some grit without going fully distorted. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the main riff slowed down until the picking rhythm feels automatic before bringing it back up to speed.

  • The central riff revolves around an open E minor position, making palm muting and controlled picking attack the two most critical techniques to nail.
  • At 104 BPM in E Standard tuning, the tempo is approachable, but matching the tight, punchy groove requires careful attention to your picking dynamics.
  • Aim for a lightly overdriven tone with plenty of low-mid presence to capture the raw, slightly dirty guitar sound that defines the track.

How to Play Always on the Run

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

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 104 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 104 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Kravitz uses vintage Stratocasters with their glassy single-coil tone for funkier rhythm work and cleaner passages, as heard on tracks like 'Fly Away.' Their responsiveness to picking dynamics complements his minimalist effects philosophy.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

A frequent choice alongside his Flying V, Kravitz's 1959 Les Paul Standard delivers warm, woody tones from original PAF humbuckers that respond dynamically to his attack and volume knob adjustments.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

While less documented than his Standard, the Custom variant offers Kravitz similar tonal warmth and versatility through its PAF-style humbuckers, fitting his preference for vintage instruments with rich harmonic character.

Gibson Flying V
Guitar

Gibson Flying V

Kravitz's signature instrument for heavy, riff-driven tracks, his 1967 Flying V with stock PAF humbuckers feeds into cranked Marshall Plexis to create the thick, harmonically saturated overdrive that defines his sound.

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)
Amp

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)

His 1968 Marshall Super Lead 100-watt Plexi cranked to natural breakup is the backbone of Kravitz's tone, providing the thick, tube-driven overdrive that comes from volume rather than pedal-based gain.

Fender Twin Reverb
Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

Kravitz uses the Twin Reverb's clean, articulate platform for softer passages and layered studio recordings, complementing the Marshall's aggression while maintaining his preference for warm, vintage tube tone.

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