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How to Play Sweet Child O Mine on Electric Guitar

The 1987 single "Sweet Child O' Mine" helped propel Guns N' Roses to the top of the hard rock charts for several years. Originally penned as an ode to then girlfriend Erin Everly, Axl Rose's tender lyrics and Slash's iconic riff rates the song as one of the best of the hair metal decade. The following article covers only the intro and chord progressions, as transcribing the solo would be beyond its scope.

Things You'll Need

  • Recording of "Sweet Child O' Mine"
  • Metronome (optional)
  • Tuner (if needed)
  • Recording device (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Use the tuner to tune your guitar to standard (A440) tuning. If no tuner is available, tune directly from the song recording. Set your metronome to a 4/4 beat, or tap your foot if need be to get the pulse of the song. Listen to the chord structures in the song a few times to get a better understanding of chord placement.

    • 2

      Play first bar of the opening lick with the beginning note on the 12th fret of the D string, then play the 15th fret on the B. The next two notes are on the 14th and 12th frets of the G. Then play the 15th on the high E, 14th on the D, 14th high E, then 14th D. Repeat this measure. The next bar varies only by the opening note: play the first note of each measure on the 14th fret of the A. All other notes are the same. Listen to the recording to determine how many measures make up the intro lick.

    • 3

      Listen to the strummed chords during the verse, then play along using the D, C, G, D, D, C, G. You should hear each of these chords in the recording and how long each chord rings out. This chord progression is played for every verse. For the chorus, play A fifth, B fifth, C fifth, and D.

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