Rainbow - Since You Been Gone - Guitar Lesson

Down To Earth

1979 3:17

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About Since You Been Gone

Few Hard Rock songs pack as much into a single guitar part as this one. The driving force behind "Since You Been Gone" is Ritchie Blackmore's choppy, rhythmic chord work, which locks tightly with the bass and drums at 120 BPM to create that instantly recognisable forward momentum. Playing it in A minor in E Standard tuning means you are mostly working with open-position and barre chords up the neck, but the challenge is in the right hand: keeping the strumming tight and percussive without losing energy over a full song length. The pre-chorus lift and the punchy transitions between sections are where most players lose their footing, so use the Practice Toolbar to loop those bars slowed down until the timing feels automatic. Rainbow recorded this as a deliberate commercial step, and Blackmore's restraint here is actually what makes it instructive: clean rhythm playing, well-phrased, beats shredding every time.

• The rhythm guitar relies on tight, percussive barre and open chord work in A minor, demanding consistent right-hand control across the whole track.
• At 120 BPM in E Standard tuning, the tempo is comfortable but the choppy strumming pattern must stay locked to the groove without rushing.
• The song's signature drive comes from chord transitions in the pre-chorus, a short section worth isolating with the Practice Toolbar until it feels clean.