Seven Nation Army — One String Guitar Tab

The White Stripes

Medium5th String
Tablature
7
Now
7
Now
10
Now
7
Now
5
Now
3
Now
2
Now
7
Now
7
Now
10
Now
7
Now
5
Now
3
Now
5
Now
3
Now
2
Now

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Practice Tips

  • 1Start slow — use the 0.5x speed option
  • 2Focus on one note at a time
  • 3Keep your fretting hand relaxed

Similar Melodies

About This Melody

Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes is one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in rock history. Originally released in 2003, this riff became a stadium anthem heard at football matches and rallies around the world. The best part — it's played on a single string, making it one of the easiest famous riffs to learn on guitar. You only need frets 0 through 10 on the 5th (A) string.

How to Play

  1. This melody uses just the 5th string (A string) of your guitar. The fret sequence is: 7, 7, 10, 7, 5, 3, 2 — then it repeats with a slight variation.
  2. Start on fret 7. Pick the note twice with a short pause between.
  3. Slide or move to fret 10, then back to 7.
  4. Walk down: fret 5, then 3, then 2.
  5. Repeat the pattern. The second phrase ends on frets 3, 5, 3, 2 instead.
  6. Keep a steady, even rhythm. The original tempo is around 120 BPM, but start at half speed and gradually increase. Focus on clean transitions — lift your finger just before placing it on the next fret.

Common Mistakes

Rushing between frets 7 and 10 — take your time, the gap is three frets. Muting the string accidentally when moving from fret 3 to 2 — keep your finger pressure even. Playing on the wrong string — make sure you're on the 5th (A) string, not the 6th (low E).

Who Is This For

Absolute beginners picking up the guitar for the first time. This riff needs no chords, no strumming patterns, and no music theory — just one string and simple fret numbers. If you can count to 10, you can play Seven Nation Army.

Tablature

5th string (A)

7 — 7 — 10 — 7 — 5 — 3 — 2 — 7 — 7 — 10 — 7 — 5 — 3 — 5 — 3 — 2