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Scorpions - Big City Nights - Guitar Solo Tab

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Key E major
Scorpions - Big City Nights guitar tab video
Steph Le Gratteux
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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.
Love At First Sting album cover
Love At First Sting
1984 4:09
Listen on Spotify
Scorpions Hard Rock 1984 E major
Capo Advisor 0 E major · Original key

About Big City Nights

Few Hard Rock tracks from the mid-1980s nail a groove quite as confidently as "Big City Nights." The song runs at 120 BPM in E major on standard tuning, which puts everything in a comfortable range for most electric players, but comfortable does not mean easy. The main riff is deceptively simple-looking on paper: a driving, palm-muted low-E foundation that depends entirely on right-hand consistency and tight muting for its punch. If your muting slips even slightly, the riff loses the aggressive edge that defines the track. The chorus work opens up into full chord shapes and demands clean transitions at tempo, so isolate that verse-to-chorus shift and use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down until the change feels automatic. Scorpions layer the arrangement with melodic lead fills that sit right in E major pentatonic territory, making them a practical target once you have the rhythm foundation locked in.

  • The main riff is built on palm-muted low-E patterns in E Standard tuning, so consistent right-hand muting technique is the key skill to develop.
  • At 120 BPM the song sits at a moderate tempo, but the rhythm guitar demands strict picking accuracy to keep the groove tight throughout.
  • The lead fills draw heavily from E major pentatonic, making them a good study in melodic phrasing within a hard-rock rhythm context.

How to Play Big City Nights

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E major · 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

Matthias Jabs adopted Fender Stratocasters with humbuckers in later years, using their brighter character for cleaner ballad tones and more articulate lead work than his earlier Explorer guitars. The single-coil versatility lets him dial back aggression while maintaining the Scorpions' signature sustain.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

While less documented than their Custom models, the Les Paul Standard's thick body and stock humbuckers provide the warm, sustained tone the Scorpions need for layered lead harmonies and heavy power chord work in the studio.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Matthias Jabs relied heavily on Gibson Les Paul Customs in the studio for their superior sustain and thick tonal character on solos, using the guitar's humbuckers and weight to achieve the band's signature fat, compressed lead sound.

Gibson Flying V
Guitar

Gibson Flying V

Rudolf Schenker's iconic Gibson Flying V since the mid-70s delivers his aggressive, palm-muted rhythm tone through hot PAF-style humbuckers, becoming synonymous with the Scorpions' raw, pointed attack and distinctive visual identity.

Gibson Explorer
Guitar

Gibson Explorer

Matthias Jabs built his lead style around the Gibson Explorer's angular design and humbucker tone, using the guitar's focused midrange and sustain for expressive solos before transitioning to signature ESP and Fender models.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

Both Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs powered the Scorpions' classic 80s sound through Marshall JCM800 heads, with Schenker running moderate preamp gain for defined rhythm crunch and Jabs pushing higher gain for lead work and sustain.

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