Pick of the Week: Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine
This week's pick comes straight to you from the 1987 album Appetite for Destruction and the hard-rock defining group Guns N' Roses. Guns N' Roses rose to worldwide fame (and infamy) after this song and several other Appetite hits brought them huge commercial success.
Sweet Child O' Mine is instantly recognizable from the start of guitarist Slash's first notes. Originally began as a string-skipping exercise, this track features some of Slash's most popular guitar work and is a great example of how he blends melody, blues, and rock concepts to create his iconic sound.
As in many Guns N' Roses songs, the guitars are tuned down a half-step. Here are a few additional tips to help you practice this intro:
- First, Practice only measure 1 when you start - use this time to memorize the left hand fingering and to work on right hand string skipping.
- Next, when you're ready, practice measures 3 and 5 separately. Use the exact same left-hand fingering as you did in the previous measures. The only change in the pattern is the first note of each pattern. Use the same fingerings each time, add in right-hand alternate picking or economy picking and you will fly through this quickly!
Pro Tip: People commonly mistake this song for being in the key of D (or D-flat) due to the main progression starting and ending on a D chord. However, the song is actually in the key of G Major and E Minor. Try playing E pentatonic over the song and see what you think.
