Trying the Riff for the First Time
Okay so today I decided to learn that Linkin Park riff, ‘One Step Closer’. Saw the tab labeled easy and figured, how hard can it be? Right? Ha. Picked up my cheap acoustic, found a tab online showing the intro part. It looked simple: just some power chords moving down the low E string.
Tried playing the first chord shape shown – think it was like E5 or something. My fingers felt awkward and clumsy pressing down. Strummed it… sounded awful. Like dead strings buzzing. Kept trying, pressing harder, but it still sounded like mud.
Breaking It Down Slower
Got super frustrated. Thought maybe the tab was lying! Decided to tackle it note by note instead of the full chord straight away. Looked back at the tab carefully.
- Started with just the open low E string. Strummed that one note cleanly.
- Moved to the second fret on the A string. Focused on getting my finger right behind the fret.
- Then slid down to the open A string. Messed up the slide at first, went too far.
Played just those three notes over and over super slow. Like painfully slow. My strumming hand felt like a robot, totally stiff. But slowly, the notes started sounding clear, not buzzing anymore. Still sounded like separate notes, not the cool riff though.
Putting the Pieces Together
After like 15 minutes of drilling those slow single notes, I tried making the chord shape again. Instead of trying to smash all fingers down at once, I thought about placing my index finger first for the root note, then rolling the other fingers down. Felt less like my hand was seizing up.
Strummed that first power chord – E5. Hey! It actually rang out! Sounded like a real chord! Did a little victory grunt. Used the same slow, rolling finger placement for the next chord shape down the neck (think it moved to D5?). Focused hard on keeping my thumb low on the back of the neck, not creeping over the top.
Played E5 to D5 back and forth slowly. Started getting the change a tiny bit smoother each time. Added in the open A string hit after the D5. Took me a few tries to mute the other strings so only the A rang out clearly. Used the edge of my strumming hand to dampen the low E.
Adding Speed and Strumming
Once the basic shapes and changes felt kinda stable at my turtle speed, I tried speeding up just a tiny bit. Not much! Just enough to feel like actual music. The real challenge was the strumming pattern. The tab had these downstrokes but it felt like the riff needed more energy.
Started experimenting. Noticed that hitting the strings hard with just downstrokes on the chords felt closer to the original song’s drive. Added a quick down-down-down pattern on the chords instead of just one strum. Made it sound chunkier, heavier.
The Final Click Moment
After probably a solid hour of stopping and starting, focusing on single notes, then chords, then changes, then strumming… it finally clicked. Muscle memory started doing its thing. I wasn’t thinking about finger placement as much. I could feel the rhythm more.
Played the whole intro section – E5 slide to D5, hit the open A, back to E5 – with the harder downstrokes. Bang. Bang. Bang. It sounded raw, maybe a bit messy still, but undeniably the riff to ‘One Step Closer’. Felt amazing! Didn’t sound clean and professional, but for just messing around on an acoustic? Definitely recognizable. Kept playing it for like 10 minutes straight just because I finally got it. Headbanging optional but recommended.
