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AC/DC - For Those About To Rock - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
AC/DC - For Those About To Rock guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) album cover
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
1981 5:44
Listen on Spotify
AC/DC Heavy Metal 1981 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About For Those About To Rock

Few rock tracks announce themselves the way this one does: a slow, stomping riff in Eb Standard tuning that feels almost ceremonial before the full band locks in at 114 BPM. The main riff sits in E minor and rewards a heavy picking hand, so focus on keeping your downstrokes consistent and authoritative rather than rushing into alternate picking. AC/DC built the track around that deliberate, marching feel, and if you race ahead of the beat the whole thing loses its weight. The lead work from Angus Young sits in a bluesy E minor pentatonic territory that is approachable for intermediate players, though nailing his particular sense of phrasing and vibrato takes real time. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the main riff and the transition into the chorus at a reduced speed until every downstroke lands cleanly. Heavy Metal rhythm playing lives and dies on tone and consistency, and this song is an excellent place to drill both.

  • The song is played in Eb Standard tuning, so drop your whole guitar a half-step before you start working through the tab.
  • The main riff depends on powerful, even downstrokes at 114 BPM, making right-hand consistency the core technical challenge.
  • Angus Young's lead lines draw from E minor pentatonic, giving intermediate players a practical framework for learning his soloing approach.

How to Play For Those About To Rock

Tuning: Eb Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 114 BPM

It is played in Eb standard, a half step down, so tune down before you start or every position and bend will sit a half step sharp against the recording.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 114 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Gibson SG Standard
Guitar

Gibson SG Standard

Angus Young's 1968 Gibson SG Standard is the foundation of AC/DC's signature tone, its lightweight mahogany body and full upper-fret access enabling his aggressive, fluid lead work. Stock Gibson humbuckers push Marshall Plexi amps into natural tube saturation, giving him the perfect balance of dynamics and crunch without relying on effects.

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)
Amp

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)

The Marshall 1959 Super Lead cranked to full volume is where Angus Young's power comes from, with no master volume control forcing the power tubes to compress and break up naturally. This thick, harmonically rich overdrive defines AC/DC's raw, unprocessed rock tone straight from guitar to amp.

Marshall JTM45
Amp

Marshall JTM45

Angus Young uses the Marshall JTM45 as his primary amp for achieving natural tube saturation at high volumes, where the amp's power tubes generate organic overdrive without any pedal assistance. This minimalist, direct approach captures AC/DC's core sound: pure, uncolored guitar and amp interaction.

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