That opening snarl. You know the one. It starts with a low, industrial hum before Mark Knopfler’s Les Paul Junior erupts into one of the most recognizable riffs in rock history. If you've gone searching for a money for nothing tab, you've likely realized something pretty quickly: the notes look easy on paper, but they sound like absolute garbage when you play them.
Most people think it's just a bunch of power chords. It isn't.
If you approach this song like a standard AC/DC track, you're going to fail. This isn't just about finding the right frets; it's about a specific, weird technique that Knopfler used to get that "clucky" mid-range honk. It’s a bit of a nightmare for beginners and a humbling experience for pros. Let's get into why.
The Secret Sauce in the Money for Nothing Tab
To play this right, you have to throw away your pick. Seriously. Put it on the amp. Knopfler is a fingerstyle player, and this riff relies entirely on the interaction between the thumb and the index finger. When you look at a standard money for nothing tab, it usually shows double stops—two notes played at once.
But it’s the snap that matters.
Knopfler uses a technique where he pinches the strings. He often hits the G and D strings simultaneously, but he doesn't just pluck them; he pulls them slightly away from the fretboard and lets them snap back. This creates a percussive "pop" that a plastic plectrum simply cannot replicate. If you're looking at a tab and it just says "5th fret, G and D strings," it’s technically correct, but it’s lying to you about the soul of the song.
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The Gear is Half the Battle
Everyone talks about the "Money for Nothing" tone. It’s legendary. It’s also a total accident. During the 1985 sessions at Air Studios in Montserrat, producer Neil Dorfsman and Knopfler were trying to get a specific sound. They had a Laney amp and a 1958 Gibson Les Paul. While moving a Shure SM57 microphone around, they accidentally hit a "sweet spot" where the phase was just slightly off.
It sounded like a wah-pedal stuck in the halfway position.
If your guitar sounds too "open" or "bright" while you're practicing your money for nothing tab, you're never going to feel like you're playing it right. You need to roll off the tone knob on your guitar. Get it down to about 3 or 4. If you have a wah-pedal, click it on, find that "nasal" spot in the middle of the sweep, and leave it there. That’s the trick.
Decoding the Fingerwork
Most tabs show the main riff in G minor. You're basically working out of a G pentatonic box, but with some clever "inside" notes.
- The Intro: It’s all about those suspended chords. You're toggling between a G5 and a Bb.
- The "Snap": When the main riff kicks in, you’re hitting the 5th fret on the D and G strings, then sliding or hammering into the 3rd fret.
- The Syncopation: This is where people trip up. The riff isn't on the beat. It’s pushed. It’s "lazy" in a way that feels incredibly cool but is mechanically difficult to timing-obsessed players.
You’ve got to feel the "chug." It’s almost like a blues shuffle but played with the aggression of a stadium rock anthem. Honestly, most online tabs get the rhythm notation wrong because it's so fluid. You’re better off listening to the Brothers in Arms record on loop while staring at the frets.
Why Your Tab Might Be Wrong
The internet is full of bad transcriptions. You’ll find versions that tell you to use a capo on the 3rd fret (don't do that) or versions that simplify the chords so much they lose the harmonic tension.
A real, high-quality money for nothing tab should acknowledge the "ghost notes." Knopfler is constantly brushing the strings with his palm or his unused fingers. There’s a lot of "mud" in the riff that actually makes it sound cleaner in the mix. It sounds counterintuitive, but if you play it too cleanly, it sounds like a MIDI file. You want it a little bit dirty.
The Technical Breakdown
Let’s look at the main hook. Usually, the tab will look something like this:
- D String: 5 -- 5 -- 3 -- 5 -- 5
- G String: 5 -- 5 -- 3 -- 5 -- 5
But look closer at live footage from the Live Aid performance in 1985. Mark isn't just hitting those notes. He’s doing a subtle pull-off on the G string while keeping the D string steady. It adds a melodic movement inside the chord. That’s the "Expert" level of this song. If you just play the block chords, you're the guy at Guitar Center that everyone ignores. If you add the internal movement, people stop and look.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Don't over-gain. People think because it's a "heavy" riff, they need to crank the distortion to ten. That’s a mistake. The original tone has a surprising amount of clarity. If you use too much gain, the finger-snapping sound gets buried in the fizz. Use a "crunch" setting—think AC/DC levels of gain, not Metallica.
Also, watch your thumb. Knopfler keeps his thumb over the top of the neck for many of his riffs to mute the low E string. In "Money for Nothing," that low E is your enemy. If it rings out, the whole G minor vibe turns into a muddy mess.
Actionable Steps for Your Practice Session
If you want to actually master this, don't just stare at the screen.
- Ditch the pick immediately. Your thumb and index finger are your new best friends.
- Fix your EQ. Bass at 6, Mids at 8, Treble at 4. This is a mid-range heavy song.
- Slow it down. Use a tool like YouTube's playback speed or a dedicated app to drop the speed to 75%. Listen for the "cluck" of the strings hitting the frets.
- Record yourself. Play along to the track and listen back. Are you too "stiff"? Most people are. You need to loosen your wrist.
- Focus on the "and" beats. The riff mostly happens on the off-beats. Count out "1-and-2-and-3-and-4-and" and make sure you're hitting those snaps on the "ands."
Mastering the money for nothing tab is a rite of passage for any serious rock guitarist. It’s a masterclass in tone, touch, and restraint. Once you get that first "snapped" G5 chord to sound like the record, everything else starts to fall into place. Just remember: it’s in the fingers, not the gear.