Learn ‘In My Dreams’ by Dokken – Guitar Lesson

Dokken’s ‘In My Dreams’ is a standout example of melodic 1980s hard rock guitar, combining powerful rhythm playing, memorable riffs and the technically accomplished lead guitar work of George Lynch. Taken from Dokken’s 1985 album Under Lock and Key, the track captures the balance between melody and aggression that helped define the band’s sound, making it an excellent song for guitarists looking to develop both their rhythm and lead guitar skills.

In this ‘In My Dreams’ guitar lesson, Sam Bell teaches the guitar parts note for note, exploring the techniques, phrasing and rhythmic details that give the original recording its distinctive character. From tightly controlled power chord riffs to expressive bends, fast lead lines and Lynch’s signature vibrato, the song provides a valuable workout for rock and metal guitarists.

Rhythm Guitar Riffs and Power Chords

The rhythm guitar work in ‘In My Dreams’ demonstrates how effective power chord playing can create a huge sound without relying on overly complicated chord shapes. The riffs combine strong chord accents with carefully controlled single-note passages, producing the energetic foundation that drives the song.

Learning these sections will improve your ability to move confidently between power chord shapes while maintaining accurate timing. It also develops fretting-hand control and picking-hand consistency, two essential skills for playing classic hard rock and heavy metal rhythm guitar.

Palm Muting and Dynamic Control

Palm muting plays an important role in creating contrast within the heavier rhythm sections. By lightly resting the edge of the picking hand against the strings near the bridge, guitarists can produce the tight, percussive attack associated with countless classic rock and metal riffs.

Working through the palm-muted sections of ‘In My Dreams’ will help you develop better control over the amount of muting you apply. This is particularly useful when moving between restrained, punchy notes and open, sustained chords. Developing this control allows your rhythm playing to sound more dynamic and gives riffs greater definition.

Alternate Picking and Picking Accuracy

The faster single-note passages require accurate picking and efficient movement. Alternate picking allows guitarists to play rapid sequences using alternating downstrokes and upstrokes rather than relying exclusively on downstrokes.

Practising these parts slowly before gradually increasing the tempo can significantly improve your picking-hand accuracy and synchronization between both hands. These skills transfer directly to faster rock and metal riffs, scale sequences and guitar solos, making the song a useful technical workout beyond simply learning the track itself.

String Bending and Blues-Rock Phrasing

George Lynch’s lead playing combines hard rock aggression with strong blues-based phrasing, and string bending is an essential part of that sound. Bends allow individual notes to become more vocal and expressive, particularly when they are targeted accurately towards specific pitches.

Learning the bends in ‘In My Dreams’ will help improve pitch recognition, finger strength and control. Rather than treating bends purely as a technical exercise, the lesson demonstrates how they can become an important part of melodic phrasing, allowing individual notes to carry greater emotional impact.

Vibrato and Sustain

One of the most recognisable elements of George Lynch’s playing is his expressive vibrato. Sustained notes are given movement and personality through controlled changes in pitch, helping lead lines sound powerful rather than static.

Developing vibrato through this song can improve both your control and your ability to shape individual notes. Combining vibrato with sustain is particularly valuable for rock lead guitar, where a well-placed sustained note can be every bit as effective as a fast sequence of notes.

Legato, Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs

Lead passages in ‘In My Dreams’ also provide opportunities to develop smooth legato phrasing. Hammer-ons and pull-offs allow notes to flow together without every note requiring a separate pick attack, creating a smoother contrast to aggressively picked lines.

Working on these techniques helps build fretting-hand strength and independence while improving coordination across faster phrases. Learning to combine picked and legato articulation is especially useful for players wanting to develop more fluid rock and metal soloing.

Slides and Position Shifts

Slides are another important expressive tool within Lynch’s guitar vocabulary. Moving between notes by sliding along the string creates a vocal quality while also allowing rapid transitions between different areas of the fretboard.

Practising these movements within the context of ‘In My Dreams’ can improve fretboard navigation and help guitarists become more comfortable shifting positions during solos. This makes it easier to connect scale shapes and melodic ideas rather than feeling restricted to a single area of the neck.

The ‘In My Dreams’ Guitar Solo

The guitar solo is one of the highlights of the track and showcases many of the characteristics that made George Lynch such an influential player. Rather than simply being an exercise in speed, the solo combines melodic phrases, aggressive articulation, bends, vibrato and faster technical passages.

Learning the solo note for note provides an excellent study in how melodic ideas can be combined with advanced rock guitar technique. Pay particular attention to the transitions between phrases: Lynch frequently moves from sustained expressive notes into faster runs, creating a sense of tension and release.

Breaking the solo into smaller phrases is an effective way to master it. Once each section is comfortable, connecting the phrases will help develop the stamina and concentration required to perform the complete solo smoothly.

George Lynch – Guitarist and Influence

George Lynch is widely regarded as one of the most distinctive guitarists to emerge from the 1980s hard rock and metal scene. His work with Dokken helped establish a style that combined blues-rock phrasing with the speed, precision and technical experimentation associated with the decade’s emerging generation of virtuoso guitarists.

What makes Lynch particularly influential is his instantly recognisable phrasing. His playing often features wide vibrato, aggressive bends, unusual melodic choices and explosive bursts of speed, while his rhythm work maintains a powerful sense of groove. Guitarists studying ‘In My Dreams’ can therefore gain far more than the ability to reproduce one classic Dokken song; they can explore a vocabulary of techniques that can be incorporated into their own rhythm playing, improvisation and lead guitar solos.

Why Learn ‘In My Dreams’ on Guitar?

Learning ‘In My Dreams’ is ideal for intermediate and advanced guitarists looking to strengthen several important areas of rock guitar playing within the context of a complete song. The rhythm sections develop timing, palm muting, power chord control and picking accuracy, while the lead parts introduce expressive techniques such as bending, vibrato, slides and legato.

Most importantly, learning the track note for note provides an opportunity to study how George Lynch uses technique musically. Speed and precision are important, but phrasing, dynamics and note choice are what give these guitar parts their personality. Mastering these elements will help you develop a stronger understanding of classic 1980s hard rock guitar and provide new ideas that can be applied to your own riffs and solos.

Guitar Techniques Used

• Vibrato
• Alternate Picking
• Legato
• Chord Progressions
• Pull-Offs
• Power Chords
• Palm Muting
• Hammer-Ons
• Slides
• Sustain
• String Bending