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Animal

Def LeppardView all Def Leppard tabs

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Animal by Def Leppard

Animal is a high energy track from Def Leppard's 1987 mega hit album Hysteria. It showcases the band's obsession with layering guitars and crafting radio friendly hooks, a hallmark of producer Mutt Lange's approach. The Hysteria sessions stretched over several years and involved hundreds of guitar overdubs, with Steve Clark and Phil Collen weaving tight harmonized riffs and soaring leads that drive the song's infectious groove.

The track helped define the late 80s arena rock sound and became a staple on MTV and rock radio, cementing Def Leppards status as one of the era's biggest acts. Its relentless tempo, punchy chorus, and glossy production illustrate the period's sonic ambitions while highlighting the band’s dedication to precision in the studio.

🎸 Want to know the techniques, practice tips, and lesson details? Scroll below the lesson!

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What You'll Learn

In this lesson you will break down the signature opening riff, learn the verse and chorus progressions built on powerful open and barre chords, and explore the layered lead lines that sit above the rhythm. We will cover technique details like palm muting, alternate picking, and clean transitions between the riff, verse, and chorus, plus how to sequence the parts so you can play along with a backing track at proper speed. Watch for tricky spots such as rapid riff transitions and keeping the muted rhythm tight while the lead parts come in.

Intermediate; prior skills such as power chords, barre chords, accurate timing, and a basic sense of picking patterns will be very helpful.

🎸 Techniques Used

Power ChordsPalm MutingAlternate PickingHammer-ons/Pull-offsLead Harmonies (double tracked riffs)

Practice Tips

💡Start by slowing the main riff with a metronome to lock in the groove, then gradually increase the tempo while maintaining clean muting and tight transitions.
💡Practice the rhythm sections with heavy palm muting to replicate the tight, punchy feel and prevent string bleed during rapid passages.
💡Work on the lead harmony notes separately, then blend with the rhythm parts so the layered leads sit on top of a solid, locked-in groove.