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Thin Lizzy - Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend - Guitar Solo Tab

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Key E minor
Thin Lizzy - Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend 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.
Thin Lizzy Folk Rock 1991 E Standard Tune up 123 BPM E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend

The title track from Thin Lizzy's 1979 album is one of the most ambitious guitar pieces in hard rock, weaving Irish traditional melodies into a multi-section electric guitar showcase that demands both technical precision and real musical feel. The song is built in E minor, which suits the modal, Celtic character of the theme and gives the twin-guitar parts a natural darkness. Much of the difficulty lies in those interlocking lead lines between Scott Gorham and Gary Moore: the parts are tightly arranged and the phrasing needs to breathe, not rush. If you are working through the traditional melody sections or the faster lead passages, use the Practice Toolbar to loop them slowed down so the note choices and rhythmic placement become clear before you bring the tempo back up. Thin Lizzy pulled from Folk Rock tradition here, but the electric execution is where the real challenge sits. Tone matters too: a warm, singing lead sound will bring out the melody far better than anything too bright or fizzy.

  • The song weaves Irish traditional tunes into its lead guitar sections, so familiarity with modal phrasing in E minor is a real advantage before attempting the solos.
  • Gary Moore and Scott Gorham trade and harmonise lead lines throughout, making this a strong piece for studying twin-guitar arrangement and how two parts share register.
  • The traditional melody passages shift feel and tempo across sections, so practising each section in isolation with the Practice Toolbar is more effective than running the whole song repeatedly.

How to Play Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend

The song moves through: Intro, Full speed, 60% speed, Bars 64-65, Bars 72-79, Bars 88-91.

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E minor

The arrangement runs through 6 distinct sections, so it helps to learn it in blocks rather than front to back.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage and drop the speed to build each section up to tempo.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Brian Robertson's Stratocaster provided the bright, cutting single-coil tone that balanced Scott Gorham's warmer Les Paul in Thin Lizzy's signature twin harmonies. The Strat's natural clarity prevented muddiness when pushed through Marshall amps at high gain, making the harmony parts pop with dimensional width.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Gary Moore's legendary 1959 'Greeny' Les Paul with its reversed-magnet neck pickup created Thin Lizzy's most distinctive out-of-phase quack tone on clean settings. The original PAF humbuckers delivered singing sustain and aggressive overdrive when driven hard through Marshall Plexis, defining Moore's expressive lead sound.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Scott Gorham's late '70s Gibson Les Paul Custom was the backbone of Thin Lizzy's thick, sustained midrange tone essential for harmony leads. Stock T-Top humbuckers provided responsive dynamics without compression, allowing Gorham to articulate clean-to-dirty transitions through cranked Marshall heads.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The JCM800 delivered the moderate-to-high gain Marshall tone Gorham, Robertson, and Moore relied on for natural tube saturation with strong mids. This amp never scooped the midrange, ensuring the twin harmonies cut through with clarity and sustain.

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)
Amp

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)

Gary Moore's Marshall 1959 Super Lead Plexi pushed hard for his singing sustain and aggressive overdrive, responding to every nuance of his Les Paul's dynamics. The Plexi's raw power and natural breakup were critical to Moore's expressive, blistering lead work throughout Thin Lizzy's catalog.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Scott Gorham used the Cry Baby wah sparingly for solo accents, treating it as seasoning rather than a main ingredient in Thin Lizzy's effects-minimal approach. The wah added expressive color to lead breaks while the band maintained their philosophy of tone from fingers and amp.

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