Steppenwolf - Born to Be Wild - Guitar Tab

About Born to Be Wild

Few riffs in Rock are as immediately recognisable as the opening power-chord figure of "Born to Be Wild." Steppenwolf built the whole song around a driving, palm-muted E-based groove that sits comfortably in E minor and moves at a brisk 146 BPM, so your right hand needs to stay tight and consistent throughout. The main riff relies on well-fretted power chords and a confident pick attack, but the real challenge is keeping the energy up without letting the rhythm get sloppy at tempo. New players should pay close attention to where the palm mute releases into an open, ringing chord hit, because that contrast is what gives the riff its punch. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop that transition slowed down until the two feels are clearly distinct under your pick hand. Once the riff is solid, focus on matching the aggressive, forward-driving tone that defines the recording.

• The main riff is built on E minor power chords with strategic palm muting, making right-hand control the core technique to develop.
• At 146 BPM in E Standard tuning, the riff sits at a tempo that is approachable but demands tight, even picking to sound convincing.
• The contrast between muted and open chord hits is the key detail to practise slowly before attempting the full riff at speed.