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UFO - Rock Bottom - Guitar Solo Tab

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Key E minor
UFO - Rock Bottom guitar tab video
Steph Le Gratteux
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
UFO Hard Rock E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Rock Bottom

Few tracks from 1974 demand as much from a lead guitarist as "Rock Bottom" does. UFO built the song around Michael Schenker's extended solo section, which clocks in at several minutes and moves through multiple moods and tempos before resolving. In E minor and at 120 BPM, the rhythm feel is steady enough that your phrasing has nowhere to hide, so every note choice matters. The Hard Rock genre rarely gave soloists this much uninterrupted space, which is part of what makes the track worth studying carefully. In E Standard tuning, nothing is transposed away, so you can play directly along with the record without any retuning. The solo contains both lyrical, singing passages and faster runs, meaning you will need to shift between legato feel and picking attack cleanly. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop each section of the solo slowed down before you attempt to connect them at full speed.

  • The extended solo section is the centrepiece of the song, requiring you to sustain musical ideas and dynamics across several distinct passages.
  • E Standard tuning at 120 BPM means the track sits in a comfortable range, but clean intonation and phrasing control are fully exposed throughout.
  • Practise the transition points between the softer, melodic solo phrases and the harder-picked runs, as those shifts in attack are easy to rush.

How to Play Rock Bottom

The song moves through: Intro and full speed, Half speed, Bar 61, Bar 63-64.

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 120 BPM

It is built from a handful of distinct sections, so learn each one in blocks before stringing them together.

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.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Paul Chapman wielded this guitar after replacing Schenker, using its stock humbuckers to create a thicker, heavier tone that distinguished UFO's later era sound. The Les Paul's weight and sustain complemented Chapman's more aggressive approach compared to Schenker's finesse-based playing style.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

While less documented than Chapman's Standards, the Les Paul Custom offered similar thick humbucker tones and premium construction for UFO's heavier material, maintaining the dense, powerful sound Chapman brought to the band.

Gibson Flying V
Guitar

Gibson Flying V

Michael Schenker's iconic stripped natural-wood and later black-and-white split-finish Flying Vs became UFO's visual and sonic signature, with PAF-style humbuckers delivering the touch-sensitive, singing lead tones that defined his expressive playing style.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Schenker's primary effect for crafting UFO's soaring lead passages, the Cry Baby wah allowed expressive control over his Marshall's warm breakup, turning simple solos into dramatic vocal-like statements as heard in live classics like 'Rock Bottom.'

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