Learn to play Black Or White - Guitar Lesson
Guitar lesson for this song by Michael Jackson
Black Or White by Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson’s “Black Or White” is one of the defining pop-rock tracks of the early 1990s, combining a huge vocal hook with an instantly recognisable guitar riff and a polished mixture of rock, funk and pop. Released in 1991 as the lead single from Dangerous, the song demonstrates how a relatively economical guitar part can become the backbone of an enormous production. In this Black Or White guitar lesson, Richard Shaw teaches the guitar parts note for note, exploring the rhythmic precision, chord work, riffing and lead techniques that give the track its distinctive sound.
Learning “Black Or White” is particularly valuable for guitarists who want to improve their ability to play tightly within a groove. Rather than relying on constant technical fireworks, the guitar parts demand excellent timing, controlled articulation and an understanding of when to leave space. This makes the song a great study for rock players looking to develop a stronger sense of rhythm and for pop guitarists who want to make simple parts sound powerful and memorable.
The Main Guitar Riff
At the heart of “Black Or White” is its instantly recognisable guitar riff. The part combines a punchy rock attitude with the rhythmic discipline required for a polished pop production. The challenge is not simply playing the correct notes, but making every attack land in exactly the right place while maintaining the groove.
Syncopated rhythms are an important element of the riff, with accents and note placements interacting closely with the drums. Practising this part helps develop your internal sense of pulse and teaches you how to make a guitar riff groove without overcrowding the arrangement. This is an extremely useful skill for funk, pop, rock and R&B guitar playing.
The riff also provides an excellent workout for alternate picking. Using consistent down and up strokes where appropriate can make repeated phrases feel more relaxed and controlled. Developing alternate picking through a musical example such as “Black Or White” helps improve right-hand accuracy and makes it easier to maintain consistent articulation when playing rhythmic single-note lines.
Chords And Rhythm Guitar
The rhythm guitar parts demonstrate the importance of controlled chord progressions in pop and rock music. The guitar works as part of the overall arrangement rather than dominating it, supporting Michael Jackson’s vocal while adding energy and harmonic definition.
Studying the chord progression helps players develop smoother chord changes and a better understanding of how harmony supports a song’s melody. The real benefit comes from learning to keep chord changes rhythmically accurate, particularly when moving between chordal playing and shorter riff-based figures.
Palm muting can also be used to create greater dynamic contrast and rhythmic definition within rock-oriented guitar parts. Controlling the amount of pressure applied by the picking hand allows notes to range from lightly damped to short and percussive. Developing this control gives guitarists a much broader dynamic vocabulary and is especially valuable when playing with distortion or within dense arrangements.
Slides And Articulation
Small details in articulation make a significant difference when recreating professional guitar performances. Slides provide a smooth way to connect notes while adding attitude and movement to a phrase. Rather than treating each note as a completely separate event, sliding between positions creates a more vocal quality.
Learning to execute slides accurately also improves fretboard navigation. The player must judge the distance between notes while maintaining pressure and timing, making slides useful for developing both left-hand accuracy and expressive phrasing.
Double-stops add further weight and character by allowing two notes to sound together. They are a staple of rock, blues, country, soul and funk guitar, and learning to use them effectively can make relatively simple phrases sound much bigger. Working on the double-stop vocabulary heard in this style of playing can improve fretting-hand control while expanding your rhythm and lead guitar options.
Lead Guitar And String Bending
The rock character of “Black Or White” becomes particularly apparent in its lead guitar moments. String bending is essential for achieving an expressive rock sound, allowing the guitarist to manipulate pitch rather than simply moving from fret to fret.
Practising bends within a real song develops pitch accuracy, finger strength and control. A bend needs to reach its target note cleanly to sound convincing, making this one of the most important techniques for players interested in rock and blues lead guitar.
Vibrato complements bending by adding controlled pitch movement to sustained notes. Good vibrato can transform a straightforward note into an expressive statement, and studying it in the context of a song encourages players to think about phrasing rather than simply technique. Developing controlled vibrato will improve virtually every style of melodic electric guitar playing.
Sustain is equally important when allowing lead notes to ring confidently over the backing track. Learning how fretting pressure, vibrato and clean articulation contribute to sustain helps players produce stronger, more authoritative lead phrases.
Guitarists On Black Or White
The guitar work on “Black Or White” involved several notable musicians, with Bill Bottrell credited with the song’s famous main guitar riff and Tim Pierce contributing additional guitar. The track also features a high-profile appearance from Slash during its extended opening sequence. Together, these contributions reflect the crossover nature of Michael Jackson’s music, where tightly produced pop and funk could sit naturally alongside hard-rock guitar sounds.
Bill Bottrell’s riff is a particularly strong example of writing for the song rather than for technical display: it is concise, memorable and immediately identifiable. Tim Pierce has become one of the most respected session guitarists of his generation, known for serving the arrangement with precisely chosen parts, while Slash’s unmistakable rock vocabulary and expressive lead style helped make blues-influenced bends and powerful vibrato a defining part of late-'80s and early-'90s rock guitar.
Why Learn Black Or White On Guitar?
Learning “Black Or White” gives guitarists an opportunity to study how rock guitar techniques can function inside a world-class pop production. The song requires precision, groove and restraint, while still offering plenty of attitude and expressive character.
For rhythm players, the main riff is an excellent exercise in timing, syncopation and picking-hand control. For lead players, the song provides opportunities to develop bends, vibrato, sustain and expressive articulation. Perhaps most importantly, it demonstrates that a great guitar part does not need to be excessively complicated. A carefully constructed riff played with excellent timing and feel can define an entire song.
By working through this note-for-note Michael Jackson “Black Or White” guitar lesson, you can develop practical techniques that transfer directly to rock, pop, funk and blues playing while learning one of the most recognisable guitar-driven hits of the early 1990s.
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