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REO Speedwagon - Take It On The Run - Guitar Lesson

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Key A major
REO Speedwagon - Take It On The Run guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

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Hi Infidelity (30th Anniversary Edition) album cover
Hi Infidelity (30th Anniversary Edition)
1980 4:00
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REO Speedwagon Pop Rock 1980 A major
Capo Advisor 0 A major · Original key

About Take It On The Run

At 120 BPM in A major and standard tuning, "Take It On The Run" is a great entry point into the clean, melodic side of REO Speedwagon's guitar work. The song opens with a fingerpicked acoustic figure that sets the harmonic foundation before the electric guitar layers in, so getting comfortable switching between those two textures is your first real challenge. The chord shapes themselves are not especially complex, but the strumming feel in the verses needs to sit lightly behind the vocal, and players often rush that part. The chorus opens up with a fuller strum pattern that rewards attention to dynamics. If the transition from the picked intro into the strummed sections is giving you trouble, use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down until the right-hand pattern feels automatic. This is a good song for working on pop-rock rhythm playing, specifically how to shift energy levels across a song's sections without losing the pocket.

  • The song opens with a fingerpicked acoustic guitar figure in A major, making clean left-hand fretting and consistent right-hand finger placement essential from the first bar.
  • Running at 120 BPM in standard E tuning, the tempo is comfortable enough to focus on dynamics and the contrast between picked and strummed sections.
  • The main challenge is controlling strumming intensity across sections, keeping the verse guitar light and restrained before opening up naturally into the fuller chorus feel.

How to Play Take It On The Run

Tuning: E Standard · Key: A major · Tempo: 120 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 120 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Gary Richrath occasionally switched to Fender Stratocasters for cleaner passages, using their brightness and articulation to contrast with his signature Les Paul heaviness. The Strat's single-coils provided clarity without sacrificing the midrange warmth that defined REO's rock ballads.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Richrath's primary instrument, the Les Paul Standard's stock PAF humbuckers and thick body delivered the warm, singing midrange tone that became REO Speedwagon's signature sound. Its dynamic response cleaned up beautifully with volume roll-offs, enabling both delicate passages and screaming leads.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Richrath favored late '60s and '70s Les Paul Customs for their slightly higher output and resonant character, pushing his cranked Marshalls into thick, natural tube saturation. The Custom's weight and sustain made it ideal for the power ballads that defined REO's catalog.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The JCM800's preamp compression and power tube saturation created REO's thick, singing midrange tone when driven hard, with enough headroom to capture both gritty leads and clean passages via volume knob manipulation. This amp remains the backbone of REO's live sound decades later.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Richrath used the Cry Baby sparingly but memorably, adding expressive lead accents on early tracks like 'Ridin' the Storm Out' without compromising his minimalist, amp-driven philosophy. The wah's dynamic sweep complemented his natural playing dynamics perfectly.

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