Behind Blue Eyes Guitar Lesson (The Who)

The year was 2002…

I had just bought tickets to see the Who at the Hollywood Bowl and was ecstatic.

You see, Pete Townshend was one of my idols, and seeing him do the windmill arm live was definitely on my bucket list.

The show I had tickets to was on a Sunday night…

But something tragic happened the Friday before the show...

News broke that John Entwistle had passed away...

My heart sank as I thought this is it, I’m not going to the Who. They are going to cancel the shows.

So they canceled Friday night's show and Saturday’s show. But the first show back was the show I had tickets to on Sunday night.

And wow was it a powerful night…

In fact, Roger Daltrey came up on the mic, and the first thing he said to 17,500 Who fans at the bowl was…

“Tonight we play for John”...

Another amazing side-note to this story is that legendary bass player Pino Palladino had stepped in and learned all of John’s bass parts for the whole show in two days. 

What a legend.

Today I want to share with you a powerful song I heard that night…

It’s got a haunting idea behind it. You see, the lyrics have this idea of loneliness, alienation, and frustration.

That someone is feeling, but then hiding this behind their eyes.

Now the guitar part and style is not easy. It’s an advanced part. But it really demonstrates the masterful way Pete Townshend can accompany a singer.

So grab your guitar and let’s dive into this “Behind Blue Eyes” guitar lesson. 

Who wrote Behind Blue Eyes?

"Behind Blue Eyes" is a song written by Pete Townshend, the guitarist and primary songwriter for the British rock band The Who. It was originally released by The Who as part of their 1971 album "Who's Next." It’s a powerful song, known for its introspective lyrics and haunting melody.

The lyrics of "Behind Blue Eyes" are often interpreted as expressing feelings of loneliness, alienation, and frustration. The whole idea is that the protagonist has inner turmoil but hides it behind their blue eyes.

The song was originally intended to be part of futuristic rock opera called “Lifehouse”. But instead the song was later incorporated into "Who's Next" when "Lifehouse" was abandoned.

“Behind Blue Eyes” was recorded at Olympic Studios in London, England, during the sessions for "Who's Next." It features Roger Daltrey on vocals, Pete Townshend on guitar, John Entwistle on bass, and Keith Moon on drums.

"Behind Blue Eyes" reached number 34 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In 2004, it was ranked number 412 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

"Behind Blue Eyes" has received critical acclaim over the years and has been covered by numerous artists. Including popular versions by Sheryl Crow and Limp Biskit. 

It has also been featured in various films, TV shows, and commercials, further cementing its status as an iconic rock song.

Behind Blue Eyes Guitar Lesson Chords

To play “Behind Blues Eyes” on guitar, you’ll need to know 11 chords Esus4, Em, G, D, Dsus4. Cadd9, Asus2, C, E, Bm, and B. Let’s take a look at some common shapes for these chords.

Esus4 is a big open sounding chord that uses all 6 strings like this:

From there we’ll just change one note and get Em like this:

G I play in a folk style like this:

(Pete Townshend used this chord a lot)

D is played from the 4th string down like this:

Cadd9 looks like a G chord just with a slight change. I play Cadd9 from the 5th string down like this:

Asus2 looks like an Am chord but we’ll lift off the index finger and play the 2nd string open like this:

C is played in open position from the 5th string down like this:

E uses all 6 strings like this:

Bm I play as a bar chord at the 2nd fret like this:

B is another bar chord played in 2nd position and goes like this:

Now that you have the chords down. Let’s look at how they unfold the carious progressions throughout the song. The Verse progression is a 4 bar chord progression. The first 2 bars have 2 chords per bar. And then the 2nd 2 bars have 1.

Em, G (1 bar)

D, Dsus4 (1 bar)

Cadd9 (1 bar)

Asus2 (1 bar)

This progression is played twice. For this part of the song Pete uses a technique called arpeggio picking. (More on that below). 

Then when Roger Daltrey sings:

“But my dreams they aren't as empty…”

This marks the beginning of the B section. Here Pete switches over to strumming and plays an 8-bar chord progression that goes like this:

C, D (1 bar)

G (1 bar)

C, D (1 bar)

E (1 bar)

Bm (1 bar)

C (1 bar)

D (1 bar)

Asus2 (2 bars 

What key is Behind Blue Eyes in the Who?

“Behind Blue Eyes” as recorded by the Who is in the key of Em. All of the chords can fit into some form of an Em scale, except for the E major chord. When the E major chord is played during the bridge of the song, it creates a powerful and dramatic mood shift. This concept is called a parallel major. 

A parallel major in music theory refers to a major scale that shares the same tonic (starting note) as a minor scale.

Moving between a minor key and its parallel major creates a dramatic shift in mood. It's a powerful tool for composers to evoke different emotions within a song. Pete Townshend does this masterfully.

Behind Blue Eyes Guitar Style

The guitar style for “Behind Blue Eyes” as played by Pete Townshend on the original recording goes back and forth between two essential guitar techniques arpeggio picking and strumming. 

Arpeggio picking on guitar means playing the notes of a chord individually, rather than strumming them all at once. You’ll see this done in the Intro and Verse sections of the song.  

Essentially Pete is plucking each string of the chord separately, usually in a specific pattern or sequence. (Although this does vary)

When playing arpeggios, guitarists often use a combination of downstrokes and upstrokes with their picking hand to articulate each note clearly. This technique allows for greater control over the dynamics and articulation of the individual notes within the chord.

Arpeggio picking can create a sense of movement and texture in the music, adding complexity and depth to chord progressions. It creates an almost fingerstyle-like sound. It is the basis for millions of famous riffs in many styles of music.

Practicing arpeggio picking can help guitarists improve their finger dexterity, coordination, and precision. By mastering this technique, guitarists can enhance their playing and add a new dimension to their sound.

Here’s an example of arpeggio picking in the style of Pete Townshend. Hold down an Esus4 chord and play this pattern with the picking hand:

The second technique Pete goes to in the Bridge and C sections of the song is just strumming.

So the mix between arpeggio picking, and strumming creates a beautiful movement in the guitar part.

Conclusion:

The year 2002 marked a poignant moment for many fans of The Who, myself included. With tickets in hand for the concert at the Hollywood Bowl, it was exciting. Then tragedy struck just days before the event. But amidst the grief and uncertainty, the show went on, serving as a powerful tribute to a fallen legend

So take your time with this song. It’s not an easy guitar part. But it’s a powerful one to play. Keep it up!

And for more great rock guitar style lessons check out this Fortunate Son guitar lesson or this Paint It Black guitar lesson next!