Appetite for Instruction

TG takes a look at the cat in the hat's greatest riffs with GN'R and more

- By Jamie Hunt

Slash will always be known best for his work with Guns N' Roses, however, he's one of a rare breed of guitarist who has found success outside of the act that first made him famous. Whether with GN'Ror his various other bands, Slash is the riff meister general.

We're looking at three GN'R riffs here, spanning from the LA rockers' beginnings with 1987's Welcome To The Jungle and 1991's Civil War right up to the latest release Hard Skool. All three tracks see Slash tuning down to E, standard, but we've presented our lessons in E to save you having to retune.

1. GUNS N' ROSES WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

Appears at: 0:00-0:28

Tempo: 98 bpm

Key/scale: B minor pentatonic

Here's where it all began! For many, these were the first notes we ever heard Slash play: the opening notes of the first track on GN'R's debut album, and a riff that'd soon be many guitarists' favorite delay line. And regarding that delay, you'll want yours set to a dotted eighth note-the telltale sign being the first repeated note which falls on the fourth 16th note of the bar. You'll be playing a descending run through the B minor pentatonic scale (the scale notes are: B D E F# AB) plus a repeating open second string. The first three-note phrase goes B, open second string, B; the next goes A, open second string, A; then F#, second string, F#; then E, second string, E, before the final four notes go D, second string, B, second string.