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You become a musician by listening/imitating/innovating. I have a music degree and all the technical knowledge is invaluable, but you first learn by copying. People connect to the rhythm and note contour of melodies/riffs. For example, play a silly tune like "Mary had a Little Lamb" and use the same rhythm and note contour/shape (with totally different notes) and you will instantly recognize it. (start with note 1 -- go down for note 2 -- down for n3 -- up for n4 -- up for n5 (repeat 3 times), etc. This is the same way we learn LANGUAGE, and music is the same.
Practically, you must be in tune with the recording (some guitarists tune to Eb or anywhere else in between). You can find this knowledge online or (better yet) you'll figure out that if (in standard tuning A440) the riff is in Ab, it's most likely played in A (with the 5th string) and not on the 6th string, 4th fret! Proper fingering/picking comes with experience (and I will/can play most riffs in several ways).
Zeppelin riffs are great! Start with "Heartbreaker" and see if you can figure out the notes and then a logical fingering. Listen to the rhythm and note contour, find the FIRST note or the note that sounds like the root (home base) and go from there. For chords, start with the root notes and then try to fill the chords out. After you can play with the recording, play with a metronome (or drum machine...or your band) and see what you can do.
Do this for 50-100 tunes and you'll start to get better. You have to work at it.
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