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"Complete Cemetery Gates Solo Tabs: Learn How To Play Just Like The Recording"

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This lesson is a complete walkthrough for the Cemetery Gates solo by Pantera. Learn this solo note for note with 100% accurate tablature transcribed by Effective-lead-guitar.com.

What makes Pantera solos unique

Pantera solos feature a lot of shredding in the blues pentatonic scale, along with whammy bar dives, finger tapping, and playing by feel.

To play these solos note for note would be a challenge. It's better to learn the solo, get the bigger picture, and try to duplicate the feel of the solo.

I'm not saying don't try to play the solos note for note. You should most definitely learn all the notes as they are written. That's the first step. Only after you learn how to play each bar like it is written, you can then fake it using muscle memory and skill.

Of course, there are those of you out there who will disagree with me, arguing that the only real way to play any solo is, in fact, note for note. But, that goes against the nature of most Pantera solos themselves. Because when Dime himself was performing these solos, I feel that he made a few exceptions with certain phrases and just played them by feel.

What you hear in the recording is just what happened that day. What you see transcribed below for our Cemetery Gates solo is my interpretation of what Dime was going for in this solo, as accurately as I can interpret it. You can either learn it 100%, or just go for 95% and feel the rest. Your call.

What you should know about the Cemetery Gates solo

The Cemetery Gates solo features melodic whammy bar licks, fast finger tapping, and some heavy use of the pentatonic blues scale in F# minor (sometimes played like A major).

If you need some help with the pentatonic blues scale, click here.

In Pantera fashion, the song is a little bit detuned. You will have to tune your guitar down about a quarter of a step to play along with the record. I can't say for sure why Pantera tunes off by just a little bit. I guess it helped define their sound.

Let's get to the solo...

How to play the solo for Cemetery Gates

The first two lines of the solo are pretty easy, you just have to get the timing right. Watch for the whammy bar inflections to make it sound just right.

In bar 10, you have to hold the bend on 7 with your ring finger while fretting the 8th fret with your pinky. This is done at the peak of your bend.

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Bar 12 starts in with the fast stuff. Learn the pattern slowly at first, then try to match it to the record.

Then, you just have the chromatic climb up to bar 16.

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The next line starts in with the blues licks, influenced by classic rock styles.

You'll have to stretch from 14 to 21 and execute some fast pull-offs.

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The final phrases of the Cemetery Gates solo features some licks in the F# minor scale, using what almost sounds like trills, but is written as sextuplets.

To make the last line of this solo sound like the record, you have to use left hand legato going down the third string. At the same time, dip your whammy bar over and over to create the cool sound effect you hear on the recording.

Finally, you have to strike a natural harmonic on fret 3 of the third string. This takes precise aiming and high gain to pull it off correctly. Then, do a whammy bar dive all the way down to finish the solo.

Click tablature to enlarge:

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