Sweet Child O' Mine — One String Guitar Tab
Guns N' Roses
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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
Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns N' Roses features one of the most recognizable guitar intros in rock history. Released in 1987 from the album Appetite for Destruction, Slash's cascading riff has been a rite of passage for guitar players for nearly four decades. The original uses multiple strings, but this one-string adaptation on the 2nd (B) string captures the full sweeping feel of the intro. With 64 notes spanning frets 0 through 17, this is the longest and most challenging melody on the site — a true test of endurance and fretboard navigation. The riff is built on a repeating eight-note cell that shifts its starting note each cycle, creating the signature rolling wave that made this intro immortal.
How to Play
- This melody uses just the 2nd string (B string) of your guitar. The full sequence is 64 notes long, but it's built from one repeating eight-note cell: [start], 12, 7, 5, 17, 7, 16, 7. Only the first note changes each cycle.
- Learn the core cell first: fret 12, fret 7, fret 5, jump to fret 17, back to 7, fret 16, fret 7. This bouncing pattern anchors around fret 7, jumping up to 12, 16, and 17 between returns.
- The riff has eight cycles. Each cycle plays the same core cell but starts on a different fret: 0, 0, 2, 2, 5, 5, 0, 0. This shifting start note is what gives the melody its moving, wave-like feel.
- Cycles 1–2: start on the open string (0). Cycles 3–4: start on fret 2. Cycles 5–6: start on fret 5. Cycles 7–8: back to the open string (0).
- The biggest challenge is the jump from fret 5 to fret 17 inside each cell — that's a 12-fret leap. Practice this single jump in isolation until your hand can find fret 17 reliably.
- Fret 7 is your anchor point — you return to it four times in every eight-note cell. Think of it as home base that you always come back to.
- The original tempo is around 125 BPM, but start very slowly — even 50 BPM. Master one cycle at a time before chaining them together. Once you can play all eight cycles cleanly, gradually speed up. The riff should feel like a smooth, continuous cascade, not eight separate blocks.
Common Mistakes
Trying to learn all 64 notes at once — break it down into the eight-note cell first, then add the changing start notes one cycle at a time. Missing the jump from fret 5 to fret 17 — this is the widest leap on the entire site (12 frets). Slide your hand up in one decisive motion rather than hesitating mid-way. Losing the anchor on fret 7 — this note appears four times in every cell and serves as your reference point. If you lose your place, find fret 7 and reset. Confusing fret 16 and fret 17 — they appear in the same cell right after each other (17, 7, 16, 7). The difference is just one fret, so pay close attention to finger placement at the top of the neck. Running out of stamina — 64 notes is a marathon. If your hand tires, take a break. Build up gradually from two cycles to four to eight.