Are you ready to transcribe these faster, trickier riffs on the guitar?

But hey - this lesson is already the third one about transcribing riffs in our Grade 3! Before you get started with these riffs, make sure you've tried lessons 1 and 2! If not, these songs will be tricky for you. The riffs here will be faster and more complex, and you'll need to move around the neck.

💡 Slowing down the music can help, and it's not cheating. Learn my 4 easy steps to transcribe songs by ear!

Slowing down helps you get an accurate transcription and hear the nuances. I've met some fantastic guitarists who do this when they transcribe; I'm not fantastic, but I definitely do that too. :)

Ready? Now let's get started.

5 Famous Riffs to Transcribe

Your homework for this lesson is to figure out how to play these amazing riffs! Grab your guitar and get started. :)

Riff 1: Beat It by Michael Jackson

One of the greatest guitar riffs in history!

Riff 2: Crazy Train by Ossy Osbourne

Another classic tune. This riff is relatively easy and is very clear in the recording. A lot of fun to work out.

Riff 3: Day Tripper by The Beatles

Yet another riff that everyone should know how to play! You can expand on this one and use it for improvising. :)

💡My Journey – I learned to play guitar mostly by transcribing the music I loved! Read more.

Riff 4: Do I Wanna Know by The Arctic Monkeys

This entire album has great riffs, and the one at the beginning of Do I Wanna Know is a lot of fun to transcribe.

Riff 5: Heartbreaker by Led Zeppelin

Another awesome riff to work out!

Writing Out In Tab

You should write out your transcriptions in TAB! It helps you keep track of the music. Writing down the notes and seeing them on paper make them easier to remember.

When I used to use TAB or any sheet music, it took me ages to learn riffs compared to when I transcribed them. When you work out songs, you have to listen several times and find the notes yourself, meaning you learn the riff too!

Why Work Out Riffs?

Three-quarters of guitarists don't transcribe. Why should we bother to figure out riffs when we can look them up online? You feel ultra satisfied when you work out your favorite riffs alone. It gives you confidence in your playing and inspires you.

You grow your ear and improve the relationship between your hand and musical imagination. And you leave way more than just the songs! If you learned by transcribing alone, having no idea what chords, scales, or notes you were using, you'd become an excellent musician.

💡 Transcription Tales: When teaching at The Guitar Institute, I could immediately tell whether a student had transcribed music or not. It was super obvious!

Transcribing is a habit. The more songs you work out, the more you enjoy them. The sky is the limit! Even the most difficult songs are usually fairly easy to transcribe. They might be hard to play, but you can easily find the chords and notes. Okay, there are exceptions, but this is often true.

Where To Take This?

Now it's time for the songs that you want to learn! Choose songs from your favorite band and try to work out the chords and riffs. You can even try the bassline!

Let me repeat – you'll learn so much from transcribing that you can't learn in books. The players we all love are the ones that have played by ear!

Even when you get it wrong, you're learning. And when you get it right, you get a feeling of satisfaction that songbooks and tabs can't give you. :) Go and have lots of fun playing your favorite songs by ear and see the power of transcribing for yourself.

🎸 Transcribe the Blues! Learn with my Transcribing Blues Solos Course.