One of AC DC's finest contributions to rock, and here we look at Malcom's Rhythm guitar. We'll look separately at Angus on Lead guitar.
Like all AC DC songs, this one can be broken down into a handful of Riffs. Just learn each one and you can power through the song in no time!
Intro Riff 1 - Malcom comes in with this riff a while into the intro build-up of the song. By this time Angus and the rest of the band are already playing their parts. We've taken out Angus's guitar part so you can see / hear Malcom's Rhythm parts easier. You can hear both guitars in the normal speed audio from just before Malcom enters the song.
Begin by holding the B5 chord. The whole riff involves just this one chord, the trick to getting it right is all in the picking hand. This is the hardest part Malcom plays (and it's not too tricky once you get the hang of the picking). After this main intro riff all the other song riffs are easy.
This riff is very repetitive and plays for a long time. It is only 10 pickstrokes long, in other words, play the first bar and repeat almost non-stop. You need to get it right at a slower pace before building speed. Make sure your timing is tight and consistent before building your speed. You can use some light palm muting if you prefer, that works well with this riff. This is the only tricky riff Malcom plays.
Intro Riff 2 - Occasionally during the main intro riff Malcom switches the rhythm picking a little bit. It's just a small variation of the first riff and only occurs a few times at different points during the intro. It only lasts for 1 bar, and the same B5 chord is held. No-one will notice if you just keep playing the first riff throughout, but it's here if you want to learn it.
Pre-Chorus - Just 3 powerchords here (B5 - A5 - E5). Then repeat them in this order:
A5 - B5 - A5 - E5
Chorus - After the huge build up in the song, this short chorus riff kicks in and rocks. It's based on the same 3 powerchords again (B5 - A5 - E5), but watch out for the 'hammer-on' chord here. You can pick it instead, but it works best as a hammer on.
If you find this chorus a bit tricky you can play it this way instead:
Chorus Variation - This is an even easier way to play the chorus. We've used it at the end of the song so you can see it played out. It still sounds good, but is simpler without that pesky hammer on.
Pre-Solo Riff - Nice and simple.
Solo Backing - Malcom plays this riff while Angus does the solo. It's a similar riff to the chorus - the same powerchords are used, just in a different order.
Interlude - Just 2 chords (B5 and A5) while singing 'Ahhh-ahhh-ahh-ahhh'.
Pre-Outro - This simple riff is played during the 'Hey it's alright, we're doing fine' lyrics.
All of the rest of the song parts are just repeats of the sections we've outlined here!
