Guitar song lesson: learn to play The Raconteurs' Steady As She Goes

The Raconteurs
(Image credit: Carlos Gonzalez/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

We have a nice and easy guitar song lesson for you today, we're learning Steady As She Goes by The Raconteurs, which is a great showcase for the beauty of simplicity in songwriting and to check out some of Jack White's tasty licks. 

Get the tone

Beetronics Vezzpa

(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)

Any guitar will work with this one but I'd aim for humbuckers or P-90s to deliver the tonal girth for the riff. Jack White does love a fuzz pedal too, so for this one we're going with the Beetronics Vezzpa Fuzz Stinger. It's great for both the verse parts and the solo parts. 

You could just use any overdrive pedal for the verse parts but for the solo go for a fuzz pedal that can give you those spitty high octave fuzz tones.

Technique tips and video lesson 

After the single note intro, you start off playing partial chords on the second and fourth beats. It's a really simple Bm - F# - A - E progression but once the verse starts the rhythm shifts slightly so you then play on the second beat and the 3-and. 

After a quick chorus (same chords) you build on the verse part by adding some rhythmic percussive strums and then into an extended chorus. The solo parts are really cool and not too tricky with some keyboard overlapping, but you can combine the two. Have fun! 

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Matt Webster
Contributor

Matt spends his spare time teaching guitar lessons and creating gear demos on his YouTube channel Let's Play All, which covers all manner of styles, but he does have a special place in his heart for '90s grunge and alt rock.