U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday - Guitar Tab

About Sunday Bloody Sunday

Few rock songs announce themselves as sharply as this one does, with Larry Mullen Jr.'s snare pattern kicking in before a note is even played on guitar. When the guitar enters, it locks in with a martial, driving feel that suits the B minor key perfectly. The main riff centres on tightly picked chords and angular lines that demand clean fretting and controlled right-hand attack at 103 BPM. Sloppy muting will cost you the edge the song needs, so keep your palm close to the bridge when you need those choked, percussive hits. U2's edge keeps the tone cutting without overdriving it into mush, which means your gain setting matters as much as your fingering. This sits firmly in the broader Rock tradition of riff-driven guitar parts that serve the song's rhythm before anything else. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the opening figure slowed down until the pick-hand rhythm feels as locked as a drum part.

• The guitar part in E Standard tuning sits in B minor, giving the riff a tense, angular quality that rewards clean, precise fretting over any kind of wide vibrato or lead embellishment.
• At 103 BPM the driving chord figures are not fast, but the tight rhythmic discipline required means even small hesitations in your picking hand will throw off the martial feel.
• Keeping your gain moderate is key to the tone here, since a clean, cutting sound lets the chord stabs punch through the mix the way the recorded part does.