Guitar & Bass Tabs
Lita Ford
About Lita Ford
Lita Ford's trailblazing career began when she joined The Runaways in 1975, one of rock's first all-female hard rock acts. The Runaways fused punk energy with riff-driven hooks and helped prove that women could front and shred in a male-dominated scene. Ford's punchy, melodic guitar work became a defining voice of late-70s rock, and the band toured the world, building a devoted following before disbanding in 1979.
Going solo in the early 1980s, Ford forged a high-octane, guitar-forward path through the MTV-era rock landscape. Her 1988 self-titled album Lita delivered one of the era's memorable power ballads, Close My Eyes Forever, a duet with Ozzy Osbourne, and the punchy Kiss Me Deadly, showcasing her fiery leads and riff-driven rhythm. The late 80s and early 90s saw further releases and continued touring, cementing her status as a cornerstone of women-led hard rock and a lasting influence on aspiring guitarists.
On DadRock Tabs, we celebrate her two signature lessons featuring Close My Eyes Forever and Kiss Me Deadly, offering clean transcriptions, technique breakdowns, and play-along ideas. Whether you're chasing big-tone rhythm, expressive bends, or soaring solos, Lita Ford's catalog is a deep well of classic-rock guitar that inspires players to push their own boundaries.
🎸 Want to know what gear Lita Ford used, their playing style, and fun facts? Scroll below the lessons!
Watch the Lesson
Kiss Me Deadly
Lita Ford
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Close My Eyes Forever
Lita Ford
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Lita Ford's playing blends blues-soaked hard rock with memorable melodic hooks. Her rhythm parts lean on tight power-chord chug and precise palm-muted riffs that cut through the mix, while her leads pair fast, assertive picking with singable melodies. She uses expressive bends and vibrato, with tasteful use of color from a wah or subtle tremolo to shape tone. Her solos balance brute speed with musical phrasing, creating lines that feel both fierce and communicative—a hallmark of late-70s to 80s hard rock virtuosity.
🎸 Gear & Equipment
Her tone is closely linked to the classic hard rock toolbox: sturdy Gibson-style guitars through Marshall-style tube amps, delivering thick, sustain-heavy rhythm and biting lead tones. On both recordings and stages, she layered in effects such as wah-wah, chorus, and delay to sculpt shimmering leads and punchy riffs, achieving a timeless 80s hard rock bite that remains instantly recognizable.
Why Learn Lita Ford Songs?
Learning Lita Ford's songs gives players a clear path to core rock skills: solid rhythm foundations, tight palm-muted chug, precise alternate picking, and expressive lead work. Kiss Me Deadly challenges you with riff-driven rhythm and aggressive tone, while Close My Eyes Forever offers a melodic ballad lead approach that emphasizes phrasing, bends, and dynamics. Together, these tunes are approachable for late-intermediate players and serve as a strong bridge to more advanced soloing and stage-ready tone control.
Did You Know?
- 1Lita Ford was one of the early female guitar heroes who helped pave the way for women in hard rock and metal.
- 2Her duet with Ozzy Osbourne, 'Close My Eyes Forever,' remains a standout power ballad from the late 1980s.
- 3Her work blends bluesy riffs with metal-edged leads, shaping the sound of 80s female-fronted rock.
- 4She has maintained a long, influential career across decades, continuing to inspire new generations of guitarists.
2 Lita Ford lesson(s) available — Start learning today!
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