Break On Through (To The Other Side) Guitar Lesson – The Doors

In this Break on Through (To The Other Side) guitar lesson video, I will show you note-for-note how to play all of Robby Krieger's infectious guitar riffs found in this classic debut single by The Doors.

There are some really fun guitar riffs in this one, so be sure to follow along to the end of the video lesson.

The first riff, which makes up the verse, is the one you will be playing the most. It is very important to lock into the groove and really focus of keeping a tight, muted feel to the riff.

This riff is definitely my favorite one of the song. Once you lock into that groove, it can be kind of a hypnotic feeling. This feeling is interrupted with those big D major chord stabs that act as the pre-chorus.

We then launch into the legato heavy chorus riffs. You will be doing ascending legato licks across multiple strings. This technique is what gives the chorus it's loose feel. It also keeps everything very interesting since the riff is very busy with lot of notes flying around. However, don't be intimidated at all. Everything in the chorus fits under the fingers quite nicely and is pretty easy to play, especially since they continually repeat.

Later in the song there are some slight variations in the chorus riffs and I will show you how to play those as well.

The last verse consists of one huge yet dissonant chord being played in a slightly different rhythm before launching back into the pre-chorus. This chord in very unorthodox but I have done my research on this one in order to see exactly how Robby Kreiger played it back in the day.

The very end of the song incorporates some erratic unison bends. The effect is accomplished by constantly bending the B string in and out of tune while also hitting the open high E string. This part is supposed to sound very chaotic which makes it a lot of fun to play as well.

I hope you guys enjoy this classic from The Doors! Good Luck!

Carl...

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Break On Through (To The Other Side) Guitar Lesson - The Doors