Killing In The Name Tab

Getting the Rage Against the Machine Tab Right

The original riff is in standard tuning, E-A-D-G-B-E. Tom Morello's part is basically three chugging notes on the low E string with a quick hammer-on to the G string. Most people mess up the timing because they try to play it like a normal metal riff. It's not. It's more sloppy and percussive than that. Here's the main riff. The timing is what kills you, not the notes themselves. E|---3-3-3---3-3-3---3-3-3---3-3-3---|

B|----------------------------------| G|-----------0-0-0-----------0-0-0--| D|----------------------------------|

A|----------------------------------| E|-3-3-3---3-3-3---3-3-3---3-3-3---| That's the verse riff repeated. Each group of three is played as eighth notes with a palm mute, and the three hammer-ons to the G string hit on the "and" counts between the low E groups.

I spent about six months trying to get this tight enough to play along with the record. The problem isn't the finger movement. It's that your right hand has to alternately palm mute and release in a very specific groove pattern. Most guitarists just mute everything equally and it sounds flat. Try recording yourself and playing it back at half speed. You'll hear exactly where your timing drifts. The chorus uses the same chord shape but strummed open. It's essentially an Em add 9 with the G on top. Not much to say about that part except keep it loose and let it ring. One thing nobody mentions: the bridge solo section uses a whammy bar dive bomb on the low E string that goes almost to B string pitch. If you're playing on a hardtail bridge, you're out of luck. You either learn to fake it with bending (which sounds wrong) or you put a Floyd Rose on the guitar. Morello used a customized Floyd Rose on his Ibanez for this.

For the full tab, most online sources get the bridge wrong. They either omit the feedback noise sections or notate them as if they're actual pitched notes. The live versions from the Black Light Syndrome album have different guitar tones and some extended sections that aren't on the studio track. If you're learning this for a cover, stick to the Radio King single version. Everything else adds confusion you don't need. The drum part also matters here. Brad Wilk plays a straight beat with heavy ghost notes on the snare during the verse. If you're playing along with a drum machine, set it to around 110 BPM. That's the tempo. Anything slower and the groove falls apart.