Introduction

Fear of the Dark - Introduction

Fear of the Dark is one of Iron Maiden’s most famous songs, released in 1992 on the album of the same name. Written by bassist Steve Harris, it explores the fear of darkness and the unknown. The song starts slow and eerie, then explodes into fast, heavy riffs. It became a fan favorite, especially in live shows where the crowd sings along.

The lyrics describe the creeping fear of being alone in the dark, where every shadow feels threatening. Bruce Dickinson’s powerful vocals and the twin-guitar harmonies make it unforgettable. The song’s structure is dynamic; starting quiet, building tension, then bursting into full energy. It remains one of their most-streamed tracks today.

Fear of the Dark Guitar Lesson

Taught by Mike Walker, this lesson breaks down the song’s F major to D minor shifts. The intro uses clean arpeggios (F - C - Dm - Bb) before the heavy riff kicks in. The main riff is in D minor, played with palm muting for a tight sound. The tempo starts at 80 BPM but speeds up later.

The verse has a chugging rhythm (D5 - C5 - Bb5), while the chorus opens up with power chords (F5 - C5 - D5 - Bb5). The solos use the D harmonic minor scale (D-E-F-G-A-Bb-C#), giving them a dark, dramatic feel. The twin-guitar harmonies are a key feature—two guitars play different but matching melodies.

For the solos, Dave Murray and Adrian Smith use the D harmonic minor scale (D-E-F-G-A-Bb-C#). This scale gives the leads their dramatic, almost classical sound. The twin-guitar harmonies are a key feature—one guitar plays a melody while the other plays a matching part at a different pitch. These harmonies use intervals of thirds and sixths to create that classic Iron Maiden sound.

The bridge section before the final chorus has a rhythm part with quick chord changes. Here, you switch between D5 - F5 - C5 - Bb5 in rapid succession. The key is to keep your palm muting consistent while moving between chords. The song ends with a repeat of the intro arpeggios.

Beginners should start by learning the power chord shapes and the galloping rhythm pattern. Practice the palm muting to get that tight, punchy sound. Intermediate players can work on the twin-guitar harmonies—try recording one part and playing the other over it. Advanced players should focus on the vibrato and bends in the solos, which need to be precise to match the original recording.

FAQs

Q. What tuning does Iron Maiden use for this song?

Standard tuning (EADGBE), though they sometimes play it half-step down live.

Q. How do I play the rhythm correctly?

Use downstrokes on the main beats and upstrokes in between (down-down-up). Start slow with a metronome.

Q. Why does the solo sound so dramatic?

It uses the D harmonic minor scale, which has a raised 7th note (C# instead of C natural).

Q. Can I play this song on a single guitar?

Yes, but you’ll miss the harmonies. Try recording one guitar part and playing the other over.

Introduction:

Top Gun Anthem is one of the iconic instrumental rock compositions in Hollywood which was composed for the movie in 1986 by Harold Faltermeyer and Steve Stevens. This song has some strong, melodic guitar-driven tracks which every guitarist no matter if they are beginner, intermediate or expert must learn to play. 

Chords Used in Song Guitar Lesson

Arpeggios Verse & Chorus Chords: This song revolves around the lead guitar instrumental. But if you do want to learn about the arpeggios, then here’s how you should be playing them:

e|-----------0------------|  

B|------1------1---------|  

G|----0---0------0------|  

D|-------------2--------|  

A|--3------------------|  

E|----------------------| 

Strumming Pattern 

The strumming pattern of the song is as follows: D D U U D U. 

• D = Down strum
• U = Up strum

Song Structure 

Introduction: In this introduction your guitar instructor Mike Walker is going to teach you how to tune up a guitar for this song. 

Song Arrangement Part 1: This particular section will show you how to play the melody part of the song and how you should be counting the bells which are present in the song to keep up with tune.

Song Arrangement Part 2: Here, you will be learning the next part of the song. 

Song Demo: Here, Mike will show you how to play the entire song on guitar while keeping up with the backing track. 

Solo Part 1: In this part Mike will show you how to play the guitar solo which comes at 2:45 minutes on the track. He breaks down this guitar solo in 9 licks. 

Solo Part 2: This is the second part of the guitar solo, and it starts with lick number 6. 

Solo with Backing Track: Again, Mike plays the demo but this time specifically the solo part alongside the backtrack. 

Why Learn Top Gun Anthem Song?

The song has a beautiful, soaring lead guitar part which is easily recognisable when you play it. If you don’t know how to play the viberto, bends, and sustain control on your chord play then this song will teach you how to do it. 

Furthermore, it will help in improving your picking accuracy, sustain and phrasing and introduces you to dynamic control which is necessary if you want to master emotional guitar playing. 

FAQs – This Song Guitar Lesson

Q1. Who played the Top Gun Anthem?

Ans. Steve Stevens is the man who composed Top Gun Anthem, the song was written by Harold Faltermeyer. Steve played guitar and Faltermeyer played the keyboard during the recording of the song. 

Q2. Which song did Tom Cruise play when he was in the bar?

Ans. In 1986, Top Gun Tom Cruise played “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.” Tom played this song, and other members of the Navy pilots joined in the movie scene. 

Fun Fact: Top Gun Anthem won the 1987 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance

B.Y.O.B. – Introduction

Welcome to the guitar lesson on one of the greatest anti-establishment rebellion songs that brings together metal, punk, and Middle Eastern melodies into a politically charged anthem. – B.Y.O.B. by System of a Down. The song has been received with love across the world and has won a Grammy for the best hard rock performance in 2006. The song has amassed more than 500 million views on YouTube since its release in 2005.

The song name is an acronym for Bring Your Own Bombs, and was made as a form of protest against the american coalition led Iraq War (2003–2011), with lyrics calling out, “Why don't presidents fight the war? Why do they always send the poor?”. It is a song written in strong political commentary on the situation of wars and oppression around the world. The band has a reputation for speaking out for social justice and matters like drug abuse, politics, and suicide in the heavy metal genre.

B.Y.O.B. Guitar Lesson

The lesson on B.Y.O.B. is brought to you by our beloved instructor, Mike Walker, who demonstrates the song in its entirety and explains all parts of the song in great detail. Since this is a heavy metal song, there are a number of unconventional rhythmic patterns and fast melodic lines for the electric guitar, which is a signature sound for this genre of music.

The song is in the key of F major, but the tuning is half a step down; all the strings are tuned down a semitone. This, firstly, widens or brightens the tone, which makes it feel ‘heavy’ and secondly, loosens the strings, which makes it easier to play at a high tempo.

The lesson is easier to master as it only requires rhythmic proficiency to play in its entirety. The song is very drums and lyrics forward, as is with most heavy metal songs. The song is fun to play because of the distorted tone of the guitar. It’s a saturated machine-like sound that has low-frequency notes, which give it a slightly percussive vibe, usually called ‘djent’.

This is also a short lesson, taught easily by Mike, comfortably suited for beginners and advanced players alike.

FAQs

Q. Can I play BYOB in standard tuning?

Yes, you can play BYOB in standard tuning, but then you’ll have to play the song in E major instead of F major, and you’ll also lose the ‘crunch’ in the strumming.

Q. How to sound like Daron Malakian?

If you want to sound like Malakian, you need an Ibanez Iceman DMM1 guitar, going into a Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal distortion pedal, into a Marshall MF350 amp.

Q. Can I play this on an acoustic guitar?

Yes, you can, but it will not have the rage that is needed to lead a rebellion against the war profiteering world leaders.

Hotel California - Introduction

Welcome to the guitar lesson on the acoustic version of one of the greatest songs of all time, Hotel California by The Eagles. This specific arrangement replaces the original electric instruments with nylon-string guitars, creating a different interpretation of the song. The track keeps the same chord progression and structure as the studio version but uses fingerpicking patterns and multiple guitar harmonies.

Hotel California, as writer Henley put it, is more of a symbolic piece about America in general, and added, “Lyrically, the song deals with traditional or classical themes of conflict: darkness and light, good and evil, youth and age, the spiritual versus the secular. I guess you could say it's a song about the loss of innocence”.

The song follows a narrative about a traveller staying at a mysterious hotel, with lyrics that some interpret as commentary on American culture, for instance, the most iconic line of the song being “you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave”.

Hotel California Guitar Lesson

Hotel California guitar lesson is taught by our beloved expert, Mike Walker, who explains all the different sections of the song in a section-by-section manner, starting from the intro that talks about the chords and different voicings of those chords, through the acoustic overdubs and the guitar solo section.

The song features a number of minor 7ths, dominants, suspended and augmented chords. The intro alone covers all these variations of these chords. The tutor, nevertheless, goes into detail explaining how to play them using a fingerpicking pattern.

The song is written in B minor; the live acoustic version uses a capo on the 7th fret, making it an E minor. The intro follows a repeating progression of Em-B7-Dsus-A7-C-G-Am7-B7, which establishes the harmonic foundation.

Since this is an acoustic version of the song, played by multiple guitarists. There are a number of artistic motifs and embellishments using techniques like double stops, arpeggios, and most importantly, the individual guitarists harmonising with each other throughout the song.

The tutor explains all the solos of the song in great detail, the last of which features some of the notes from the harmonic minor scale, which carry a signature sound of the desert, or the Middle East. This lends itself literally to the theme of the narrative of the song.

FAQs

Q. Do I need a nylon-string guitar to play this version?

While the original recording uses nylon strings, you can play it on a steel-string acoustic. The tone will sound brighter, but the chords and techniques remain the same.

Q. Why is the capo on the 7th fret? Can I play it without one?

The capo transposes the chords to match the original key (B minor) and allows easier open-position shapes. Without a capo, you’ll need to play full barre chords in B minor.

Heaven By Bryan Adams

In this guitar lesson, instructed by Mike Walker, you will learn the clean electric guitar progression that comes in at the beginning of the song. The structure you have to follow is quite straightforward; it uses verse, bridges, chorus, and then again a bridge. 

But what sets this song and its lesson apart is the use of gravel-toned vocals, which carry a hint of vulnerability that was pretty rare back in the '80s rock anthems. On the other hand, if we look at the lyrics, they were quite earnest and at the same time universal. 

Why Learn Heaven Song On Guitar?

Heaven is a dream song to learn, especially if you are a beginner. Let us show you how it can be part of your musical journey and help you learn new techniques: 

Use of Basic Chords: It is the song that uses simple open chords such as C, G, Am, F and Dm. In addition to this, there’s also a capo version which allows you to use simpler fingerpicking. 

Slow Tempo: Heaven is played with a tempo of 65-70 BPM. This slow pace makes it a perfect song for learning clean transitions and rhythms. 

Emotional Expressions: It’s a great song for people who are trying to play songs that are heavy on feels. Besides this, it also teaches you how to move beyond mechanical strumming. 

Follows Familiar Structure: You have to follow a verse-chorus structure, which is beginner-friendly and, at the same time, makes you understand how popular songs are composed.