Black Dog

Learn the riff of "Black Dog" by Led Zeppelin on Guitar!

Let's check out the lead guitar for Black Dog by Led Zeppelin. This is such an awesome riff - Jimmy Page is the master. :)

The main riff shouldn't be too difficult, but it gets tricky when the drums and guitar start playing in an odd time signature. To tell the truth, I still haven't properly figured this part out, but it seems the drums stay in 4:4 while the riffs move around. Pay attention to your picking direction and you should find it loads easier!
 

💬 I'd love to see a video of you playing Black Dog! Make a video, tag me on social, and I'll do my best to check it out and give you feedback. :)

We break this riff into three chunks to make it easier to learn. Let's go!

 
 

Black Dog by Led Zeppelin - Lead Guitar Techniques

There are a few crucial lead skills you need to play this Led Zeppelin tune - finger rolling, vibrato, blues curls, legato playing, AND you have to pick it! I use alternate picking, meaning I pick down on beats and up on off-beats. Some of the riffs start on an "and", so we start with an up-pick, which feels strange. See the video for a slow demo. :)

For the second riff, it's crucial you know where the beat is. This will help you pick correctly and replicate the feel. Practicing with a metronome or with the original really helps you stay in time.

 

Learning Tips

Once you nail the riff, be sure to play along with the track at half speed so you get the feel right. I use a program called Transcribe! for this, but there are others available too. Playing along slowly and gradually speeding up is the best way to get awkward riffs down! They didn't always play with click tracks back then, so the count isn't mathematically perfect, and you'll need to listen and feel the groove.

One last thing - you might find it tricky to start in time with the band. But there's a trick: on the original, you can hear a slight drum click before the song starts. This is your cue!

 

🎶 Learn more Led Zeppelin classics in my dedicated artist section.