Back On The Chain Gang Tab

What You Need to Know Before You Try to Play This Song

The Rolling Stones released Back on the Chain Gang in 1979, and it quickly became one of those tracks that everyone wants to learn but relatively few can actually play through from start to finish without tripping over the fingerpicking pattern. The recording features Keith Richards on guitar, and the arrangement is deceptively simple on the surface. You hear one guitar part and it sounds straightforward, but the timing demands are tighter than they appear, and most tab sites get several details wrong, which is why beginners often end up frustrated trying to follow them. I spent a solid evening last month trying to nail this piece down for a gig setlist, and the problem I ran into is that the standard tabs online all assume you are playing the chord shapes in a way that does not match the original recording. The open E minor shape comes up constantly, and the way Richards articulates it involves specific muting and picking order that the written tablature completely misses. Once I figured out the correct right-hand pattern and adjusted my left-hand fingering slightly, everything locked in within about twenty minutes of focused practice.

Back On The Chain Gang Tab

Here is the main progression in standard tuning, played as a fingerpicked pattern rather than strummed: Em: 022000
C: x32010
G: 320003
D: xx0232 The tempo sits around 74 beats per minute in 4/4 time. Each measure contains four picked notes per chord change, and the pattern follows a consistent alternating bass structure. The thumb handles the bass string on beats one and three, while the index and middle fingers take the G and B strings on beats two and four. This is not a down-up strumming pattern. If you strum it, it will sound nothing like the record and you will wonder why you cannot get the groove right.

The transition between Em and C is the most common stumbling block. Your ring finger stays on the third fret of the G string through both chords, and your middle finger slides from the second fret of the A string to the second fret of the D string. That sliding motion needs to be smooth, not a lift-and-replant movement. I used to pluck too hard when switching and end up with a gap in the rhythm, which throws off the entire feel. There is also a short instrumental break that loops back into the verse using the same progression, and the bridge section shifts to a D minor chord before returning. The D minor is played as xx1311, which is awkward under the fingers and not always shown correctly on beginner tabs. Most sites just leave it out or suggest a different voicing that sounds nothing like the original. If you want a downloadable version, there are several community-hosted PDFs and Guitar Pro files floating around the usual tab repositories, but honestly, the ones I have seen online are often transcribed by ear without verification against the studio track. The most reliable approach is to slow the song down using software like Audacity or the free version of Transcribe!, set it to about seventy percent speed, and map the notes yourself. It takes more time upfront, probably thirty to forty-five minutes, but you end up with something that is actually accurate rather than a copy of someone else's error.

One thing nobody seems to mention in these tabs is the string muting. Richards lets the low E string ring very slightly during the C chord, creating a subtle dissonance against the E in the harmony. If you fully mute that string you lose a piece of the tone. If you do not mute it at all, it starts clashing with later chord changes. The trick is a very light palm mute, barely touching the strings near the bridge, just enough to control the bleed without killing the resonance. The song ends with a fade that repeats the Em-C-G-D progression indefinitely, so you need to be comfortable playing through it at least eight or nine times without your right hand tiring out. That is where the real test is. The first two minutes are manageable. By the fifth repetition your fretting hand will start to tighten up if you have not built the muscle memory yet. Slow practice with a metronome for a full week is genuinely worth it, and you will notice the difference when you pick it up cold again. Also worth noting: some players transpose this to a capo on the second fret and use simpler open-chord shapes, which works fine for live performance if you want less finger strain. The tonal result is slightly brighter and higher-pitched than the original, but it is close enough that most listeners will not notice. If you are recording or trying to match the studio version exactly, skip the capo and work with the shapes as written.

The song runs approximately four minutes and fifty seconds, and learning it end-to-end usually takes about two to three weeks of regular practice for someone who already plays acoustic guitar comfortably. If you are still building basic chord change speed, expect closer to a month. Be patient with the fingerpicking pattern. It feels clunky for the first few days and then suddenly clicks, usually on a day when you are not even thinking about it.