Michael Schenker Group - Into the Arena - Guitar Tab

Live In Tokyo: 30th Anniversary Japan Tour

2010 4:22

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About Into the Arena

Few instrumental tracks in Hard Rock put a lead guitarist more squarely in the spotlight than "Into the Arena." The piece is essentially a showcase for melodic lead playing across the full neck, demanding clean phrasing, controlled vibrato, and the ability to sustain long singing lines without rhythm guitar to hide behind. Running at 120 BPM in E minor and standard tuning, the tempo is comfortable enough that tone and expressiveness become the real test, not raw speed. What will catch you out is the phrasing: Michael Schenker Group built this song on lines that breathe and land on strong beats, so any rushing or clipping of note length becomes immediately obvious. Work through the solo sections phrase by phrase, using the Practice Toolbar to loop each one slowed down until the pick attack and vibrato feel natural, then gradually bring it back up to tempo. Getting the bends in tune and in time is where most of the real work lives.

• Playing in E minor on standard tuning, the song lets you focus entirely on left-hand expression, since there are no tricky open-tuning or capo adjustments to manage.
• The signature challenge is sustaining melodic lead lines with consistent vibrato and clean bends, rather than navigating fast technical runs.
• Practising each solo phrase looped at reduced speed is strongly recommended, as the wide string bends require precise intonation to sound correct.