What is a flat top box guitar

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In this video I’ll teach you how to play “Tennessee Flat Top Box” by Johnny Cash, including a tutorial for the intro tab, the chords needed, strumming patterns used, and more! This is one of the funnest Cash songs to play, in my opinion – it combines simple verse chords & strumming with a complicated (but approachable) riff heard in the intro and interlude. Enjoy! Make sure you put a capo on 3 if you want to play along with Cash’s album version.

• 0:00 Lesson preview & greeting
• 1:23 Capo or no capo?
• 1:57 Verse chords
• 2:45 Verse strumming
• 3:45 Verse lyrics & chord changes
• 4:36 Main riff, part 1 of 2
• 7:32 Main riff, part 2 of 2
• 11:01 Riff extras: how to transition back to verse
• 14:36 Riff extras: how its played in song’s intro
• 16:10 Full song playthrough

My full play-along cover

Capo to play along with Johnny Cash

If you want to play along with Johnny Cash’s version, use the chords I show you with a capo on the 3rd fret. I’m choosing not to play with a capo to keep things simple and accessible.

Chords needed

These are the chords you’ll need for the verse:

e –––3––––2–––– B –––0––––1–––– G –––0––––2–––– D –––0––––0–––– A –––2––––––––– E –––3––––––––– G D7

Intro riff

This is what’s heard in the opening measures of the song:

See sheet music for my tab.

Interlude riff

This one is very similar to the intro riff, the only difference being how it begins. Note that they both end the same.

Play through these two sections twice:

See sheet music for my tab.

Then, play this to end it and transition into the next verse:

See sheet music for my tab.

Lyrics w/ chords

See sheet music for the lyrics with chords.

Good luck!

Let me know if you have questions. I hope this was helpful. Be sure to check out my other Johnny Cash lessons, I have a bunch!

Page 2

This is one of my few lessons that doesn't have a printable song sheet / PDF available. If you'd like to request I make one, let me know... it's always great to hear which lessons have the most interest.

Lyrics w/ chords

(capo 7 fret) INTRO C ... Am7 ... Em ... G ... C ... Am7 ... Em ... F ... VERSE C Am7 Em Em I was just coasting, never really goin anywhere C Am7 Em Em Caught up in a web I was gettin kinda used to staying there C Am7 Em Em And out------ of the blue C Am7 Em G (let ring) I------------ fell for you (no chord) C Am7 Now you're lifting me up, instead of holding me down Em G Stealing my heart instead of stealing my crown C Am7 Em F Untangled all the strings around my wings that were tied C Am7 I didn't know him and I didn't know me Em G Cloud nine was always out of reach C Am7 Em G Now I remember what it feels like to fly C Am7 Em F You give me butterflies C Am7 Em Em Kiss full of color makes me wonder where you've always been C Am7 Em Em I was hiding in doubt till you brought me out of my chrysalis C Am7 Em Em And I----------- came out new C Am7 Em G All------------- because of you Now you're lifting me up instead of holding me down Stealing my heart instead of stealing my crown Untangled all the strings round my wings that were tied I didn't know him and I didn't know me Cloud nine was always out of reach Now I remember what it feels like to fly C Am7 Em G You give me butterflies C Am7 Em F Yeah, you give me butterflies BRIDGE Dm ... Dm ... Am7 ... G ... Dm ... Dm ... F ... Fm ... [ repeat chorus, w/ fingerpicking for first few lines ] ENDING C Am7 Em G x2, then end on C

Capo 7th fret

To play along with my lesson and Kacey Musgraves, use a capo on the 7 fret with the chords I show here.

How to play the chords

Here’s how I play the chords:

E –––0––––0––––0–––(1)–––3–––– B –––1––––1––––0––––1––––0–––– G –––0––––0––––0––––2––––0–––– D –––2––––2––––2––––3––––0–––– A –––3––––0––––2––––3––––2–––– E –––––––––––––0–––(1)–––3–––– C Am7 Em F G

Strumming pattern

Intro guitar riff

Coming soon! See my video lesson for reference - I bet you can work it out by watching!

Good luck!

Thanks for reading! I hope this helped you.

Hey there! My name is David Potsiadlo, and I'm the creator of the 400+ weekly lessons here at Song Notes, going back to 2013. Here’s my guitar story »

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Page 3

This is one of my few lessons that doesn't have a printable song sheet / PDF available. If you'd like to request I make one, let me know... it's always great to hear which lessons have the most interest.

Lyrics with chords

INTRO C Am x4 VERSE C They're there for your first year, they give you your first beer Dm When you get your heart broke, they're there for your worst year G (w/ riff) C Am C Am Don't get you at all, but your apple don't fall too far from 'em C They own too much wicker and drink too much liquor Dm You'd wash your hands of them, but blood's always thicker G (w/ riff) You might look just like 'em, that don't mean you're like 'em C But you love 'em CHORUS C F Family is family, in church or in prison G F G You get what you get, and you don't get to pick 'em C F They might smoke like chimneys, but give you their kidneys G F G C Am C Am Yeah, friends come in handy, but family is family VERSE #2 C They're there when you're married, divorced, and remarried Dm You fall out of touch, but then someone gets buried G (w/ riff) C Am C Am And you're right back together like no time has ever gone by C Can't live with or without 'em, you might talk about 'em Dm But if someone else does well, then you'll knock 'em out cause G (w/ riff) C When it's all said and done, they're the only ones that you got CHORUS #2 [chorus] => C Dm F G CHORUS #3 C F Yeah family is funny, they'll ask you for money G F G Even though they know you ain't got no money C F They show up at Christmas, get up in your business G F G => C Am x4 They might not be fancy, but family is family ENDING G (w/ riff) You might look just like 'em, that don't mean you're like 'em C (let ring) But you love 'em

Chords needed

E –––0–––0–––1–––(1)—––3–––– B –––1–––1–––3––––1—–—–0–––– G –––0–––2–––2––––2—–—–0–––– D –––2–––2–––0––––3—–—–0–––– A –––3–––0––––––——3––––2–––– E ––––––––––––—–—(1)–––3–––– C Am Dm F G

Riff

How she plays it.

E –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––0––– B ––1––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––1––– G ––––––––2––/4––2––0–––––2––0–––––––––––––––––––0––– D ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––3––/5––3––0––h2––2––– A –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––3––– E ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– C

Slightly simpler version, without the slides:

E –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––0––– B ––1––0––––––0––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––1––– G ––––––––2––––––2––0–––––2––0––––––0––––––––––––0––– D ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––3––––––3––0––h2––2––– A –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––3––– E ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– C

Strum

Simple:

Full:

Good luck!

Thanks for reading! I hope this helped you.

Page 4

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In this video I’ll teach you how to play “Banana Pancakes” by Jack Johnson - complete with chords, strumming pattern, and intro tab. This is one of my favorite Jack Johnson songs to play, even though it requires quite a bit of practice to get down smoothly! I hope this lesson helps.

Lyrics w/ chords

See my sheet music for the lyrics, with chords typed above.

Chord progression cheat sheet

The two progressions used for most of the song look like this. Note how in the verse, you’re on each chord for 2 counts. In the chorus and bridge, you stay on each chord for 8 counts.

See my sheet music for the chord progression diagrams.

How to play the chords

Here are how to play the guitar chords used in this song, notably in the bar chord style that Jack Johnson uses. Note, these are tough – especially if your goal is to play the entire song (muscles can get tired). If you don’t know barre chords yet, see the net section. Also - you can omit the “7” note of each of these chords if you want (e.g., turn G7 into a G). I’m including them here because that’s how Jack Johnson plays most chords in most songs - but it isn’t truly required in a strict sense.

e ––––3–––––5–––––5–––––3–––––7–––––7––––– B ––––3–––––7–––––5–––––5–––––7–––––8––––– G ––––4–––––5–––––5–––––3–––––7–––––7––––– D ––––3–––––7–––––5–––––5–––––7–––––9––––– A ––––5–––––5–––––7–––––3–––––9–––––7––––– E ––––3–––––––––––5–––––––––––7––––––––––– G7 D7 Am7 C7 Bm7 Em7

If the above chords are giving you trouble (which is okay, they’re tough) - then use the standard open chords. You can combine these with the main riff and things sound just fine! To be honest, when I play this song complete from end to end, I usually have to use these open chords sometimes just because my hand/wrist muscles get fatigued from dealing with the barre chords.

e ––––3–––––2–––––0–––––0–––––2–––––0––––– B ––––0–––––1–––––1–––––1–––––3–––––0––––– G ––––0–––––2–––––2–––––0–––––4–––––0––––– D ––––0–––––0–––––2–––––2–––––4–––––2––––– A ––––2–––––––––––0–––––3–––––2–––––2––––– E ––––3–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––0––––– G D7 Am C Bm Em

How to Play the Riff

There is one distinct riff used throughout this song. Here is how you play it. You’ll want to use your ring finger on the lowest E string, and initially slide your finger up to the 7th fret (which is the first proper note of the riff).

See my sheet music for the tab.

To properly transition from this riff into the G7 or Am7 chord, you’ll need to add the bass note for the chord to the tail end of the riff. Here is the complete intro tabbed in context, using the core of the riff above.

See my sheet music for the tab.

Here’s a secondary version of the riff, used occasionally:

See my sheet music for the tab.

Occasional verse filler riff

There’s a riff I play 0:17 seconds into my video lesson that I want to show the tab for here. It happens during the verse progression (G7-D7-Am7-C7)… where instead of going to the final “C7” chord I do this riff immediately after the Am7. The riff happens under the “*” asterisk shown below.

See my sheet music for the tab.

Strumming patterns and rhythm

This is the final piece of the puzzle. To play this like Jack Johnson, there are in fact two distinct strumming patterns used in this song: one during the verse, and another during the chorus & bridge. You can of course strum things however you want, but I’ll teach you both of these patterns now.

Verse strum pattern

This strum pattern has a very distinct accented strum on the “2” and “4” counts - which is muted immediately after it’s played. To mute (silence) the strings, use the fleshy part of your right hand’s palm to lightly touch all strings - see my video lesson for reference. Another tip: notice how the bass note of each chord is played on the “1” and “3” counts. Again listen to the song and see my video lesson for reference.

Here’s a simple way to write it (though this doesn’t show some of the intricacies of muting the strings and targeting the bass notes).

See my sheet music for the strumming diagrams.

Chorus & bridge strumming pattern

This one is a bit more constant and less punctuated. You still want to keep the accent on the 2 and 4, but in this case those counts will have a muted downstrum that’s accented. This is very common for Jack Johnson. See my video lesson for reference!

See my sheet music for the strumming diagrams.

Good luck!

Thanks for reading! I hope this helped you. Questions? Comments? Requests? Let me know!

Page 5

This is one of my few lessons that doesn't have a printable song sheet / PDF available. If you'd like to request I make one, let me know... it's always great to hear which lessons have the most interest.

Capo 4th fret

Put a capo on the 4th fret to be able to play along with the album version of this song while using these common & easy-to-play open chords.

Chords used

E —–—0––––––––––––––––––––––– B —–—1––––0––––1––––––––––––– Right thumb plays bass note of each chord. G —–—0––––0––––2––––0––––2––– D —–—–––––0––––2––––2––––3––– Right index, middle, & ring play highest A —–—3–––––––––0––––2––––3––– three strings of each chord. E —–—–––––3–––––––––0––––1––– C G Am Em F

Big picture

C C ... C C G Am Am ... Am Am Em F F ... G G ... C C ... C C ...

Full riff

E —————————0—x—————————0—————x—————————————0—x—————————0——————————————— B ———————1———x———————1———————x———————————1———x———————1—————————————0——— G —————0—————x—————0—————————x—————————0—————x—————0—————————————0————— D ———————————x———————————————x———————————————x—————————————————0——————— A ———3———————x———3———————————x———————3———————x———3————————————————————— E ———————————–———————————————————————————————————————————————3————————— 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a C C G E —————————–—–—————————–—————–—————————————–—–—————————–——————————————— B ———————–—1—x———————–—1—————x———————————–—1—x———————–—1———————————–——— G —————–—2———x—————–—2———————x—————————–—2———x—————–—2———————————–—0——— D —————2—————x—————2—————————x—————————2—————x—————2———————————–—2————— A ———0———————x———0———————————x———————0———————x———0—————————————2——————— E ———————————–———————————————————————————————————————————————0————————— 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a Am Am Em E ———–––––––—–———–––––––—————–—————————————–—–—————————–——————————————— B ———–––––––—–———–––––––—————–———————————–—0—x———————–—0—————x––––––––– G ———––––––2—x———––––––2—————x—————————–—0———x—————–—0———————x––––––––– D ———––––3––—x———––––3––—————x—————————0—————x—————0—————————x––––––––– A ———––3––––—x———––3––––—————x———————–———————x———–———————————x––––––––– E ———1––––––—x———1––––––—————x———————3———————x———3———————————x––––––––– 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a F G E —————————0—x—————————0—————x—————————————0—x—————————0—————x———————–– B ———————1———x———————1———————x———————————1———x———————1———————x———————–– G —————0—————x—————0—————————x—————————0—————x—————0—————————x———————–– D ———————————x———————————————x———————————————x———————————————x———————–– A ———3———————x———3———————————x———————3———————x———3———————————x———————–– E ———————————–———————————————————————————————–———————————————————————–– 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a C C

Good luck!

Let me know if you have questions. I hope this was helpful.

Hey there! My name is David Potsiadlo, and I'm the creator of the 400+ weekly lessons here at Song Notes, going back to 2013. Here’s my guitar story »

Join the 20,000+ readers who get my new lessons dropped in their inbox each week. I teach a fun mix of songs, weekly riffs, practice ideas, and more!

Page 6

This is one of my few lessons that doesn't have a printable song sheet / PDF available. If you'd like to request I make one, let me know... it's always great to hear which lessons have the most interest.

Intro and verse tab

E |–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|– B |–––5–––––––––5–––––5–––––––––5–––––|––5–––––––––5–––––5–––––––––5–––––|– G |–––––––––4–––––4–––––––––4–––––4–––|––––––––4–––––4–––––––––4–––––4–––|– D |–––4–––––––––––4–––4–––––––––––4–––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|– A |–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––4–––––––––––4–––4–––––––––––4–––|– E |–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|– 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a E –|––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|| B –|––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|| G –|––7–––––––––7–––––7–––––––––7–––––|––7–––––––––7–––––7–––––––––7–––––|| D –|––––––––7–––––7–––––––––7–––––7–––|––––––––7–––––7–––––––––7–––––7–––|| A –|––5–––––––––––5–––5–––––––––––5–––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|| E –|––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––7–––––––––––7–––7–––––––––––7–––|| 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

Chord shapes this uses

Understand these chord positions before you try to master the fingerpicking:

E ––––––––––––––––––––––––– B ––––5––––5––––––––––––––– G ––––4––––4–––––7––––7–––– D ––––4––––x–––––7––––7–––– A –––––––––4–––––5––––x–––– E ––––––––––––––––––––7––––

Fingerpicking pattern

This is the pattern the entire song uses! Some chords may have your right thumb on the 5th or 6th string, but the essence of this pattern (the timing, the alternating strings, etc) stay the same.

––––––––––––––––––––– ––––x–––––––––x–––––– <-- right middle ––––––––––x–––––x–––– <-- right index ––––x–––––––––––x–––– <-- right thumb ––––––––––––––––––––– ––––––––––––––––––––– 1 e + a 2 e + a

Good luck!

Thanks for reading! I hope this helped you. Questions? Comments? Requests? Let me know!

Hey there! My name is David Potsiadlo, and I'm the creator of the 400+ weekly lessons here at Song Notes, going back to 2013. Here’s my guitar story »

Join the 20,000+ readers who get my new lessons dropped in their inbox each week. I teach a fun mix of songs, weekly riffs, practice ideas, and more!

Page 7

Follow along with my print-friendly guide for this song! It’s available for purchase at Musicnotes.com, the web’s leading provider of licensed sheet music.

On the fence? Here's a guide I made showing the purchase & print process, including answers to common questions about my song sheets.

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• 0:00 Playthrough & greeting
• 1:24 Chords needed
• 3:10 Strumming pattern
• 5:42 Verse, chorus, & bridge
• 7:16 Farewell

(capo 2nd fret if you want to play along with the official version) INTRO G ... G .... VERSE G Em ...Almost heaven... West Virginia D C G ...Blue Ridge Mountains... Shenandoah River G Em ...Life is old there, older than the trees D C G Younger than the mountains, growing like a breeze CHORUS G D Em C Country roads, take me home... to the place I belong G D C G West Virginia, mountain mama... take me home, country roads G Em ...All my memories... gather around her D C G ...Miner's lady, stranger to blue water G Em ...Dark and dusty, painted on the sky D C G Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye G D Em C Country roads, take me home... to the place I belong G D C G West Virginia, mountain mama... take me home, country roads BRIDGE Em D G ...I hear her voice, in the morning hour, she calls me C G D The radio reminds me of my home far away Em F C And driving down the road I get a feeling G D D7 That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday G D Em C Country roads, take me home... to the place I belong G D C G West Virginia, mountain mama... take me home, country roads C G C G Take me home, country roads... take me home, country roads

If you want to use the chords above and play along with John Denver’s official version, you’ll need a capo on the 2nd fret. Without a capo, you’d need to use chords in the key of A to play along with John Denver (which makes a bit tougher, since a barre chord is needed for F#m). Otherwise, you can use no capo (using the chords I show) and you’ll sound just fine on your own.

Understanding the timing of each chord

We’ll have 4 counts per measure. Chords are either played for 1 or 2 measures, depending on the part of the song. Here’s a look at the chord progressions used for each section. Everytime you see a chord name, play that chord for 4 counts (1 measure). If you see a slash (“/”), repeat the prior chord for an additional measure.

Verse:

Chorus:

G / D / Em / C / G / D / C / G /

Bridge:

Em D G / C G D / Em F C G D / D7 /

How to play the chords

Here’s how to play the chords you’ll need. For the F chord, you can get away with the “easy” approach of only playing the middle four strings - this prevents you from needing to play a full barre chord, which is more difficult.

E –––3––––0––––0––––2––––2–––(1)––– B –––0––––0––––1––––3––––1––––1–––– G –––0––––0––––0––––2––––2––––2–––– D –––0––––2––––2––––0––––0––––3–––– A –––2––––2––––3––––––––––––––3–––– E –––3––––0––––––––––––––––––(1)––– G Em C D D7 F

How to strum this song

Quite simply, the easiest way is to use all down strums – and accent the “2” and “4” counts in each 4 count measure.

1 2 3 4 D = downstrum D D D D > = accented strum > >

To take this a step further, for the “1” and “3” try only playing the bass note the chord with your picking hand. For example:

E –––––3–––––3–– –––––0–––––0–– –––––0–––––0–– –––––2–––––2–– B –––––0–––––0–– –––––0–––––0–– –––––1–––––1–– –––––3–––––3–– G –––––0–––––0–– –––––0–––––0–– –––––0–––––0–– –––––2–––––2–– D –––––0–––––0–– –––––2–––––2–– –––––2–––––2–– ––0––0––0––0–– etc A –––––2–––––2–– –––––2–––––2–– ––3––3––3––3–– –––––––––––––– E ––3––3––3––3–– ––0––0––0––0–– –––––––––––––– –––––––––––––– G Em C D 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 > > > > > > > >

Alternating bass notes

E –––––3–––––3–––––3–––––3–– –––––0–––––0–––––0–––––0–– B –––––0–––––0–––––0–––––0–– –––––0–––––0–––––0–––––0–– G –––––0–––––0–––––0–––––0–– –––––0–––––0–––––0–––––0–– D ––––––––0–––––––––––0––––– ––––––––2–––––––––––2––––– A –––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––– E ––3–––––––––––3––––––––––– ––0–––––––––––0––––––––––– G Em 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 > > > > > > > >

Good luck!

Thanks for reading! I hope this helped you. Questions? Comments? Requests? Let me know!

Page 8

This is one of my few lessons that doesn't have a printable song sheet / PDF available. If you'd like to request I make one, let me know... it's always great to hear which lessons have the most interest.

Overview

The tabs below show an easy, simplified, accessible version of the acoustic riff you hear in this song. I’m not pretending this is “exactly” how it’s played in the actual song - but it’s close enough, and I think quite beginner friendly compared to what is actually being played.

Simplified riff, variation 1 of 2

E |––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|– B |––––––––1–––––––––1–––––––3p1–––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––1––––––––|– G |––––––2–––––2–––––––2–––––––––2–––|––––––––3–––––––––3–––––––––––0––––|– D |––3–––––––––––3–––––––3–––––––––––|––––––2–––––2–––––––2––––––––––––––|– A |––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––3–––––––––––3–––––––3––––––––––––|– E |––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|– 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + F C7

Simplified riff, variation 2 of 2

E |––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|– B |––––––––1–––––––––1–––––––3p1–––––|–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|– G |––––––2–––––2–––––––2–––––––––2–––|––––––––3–––––––––3–––––––5––––0–––|– D |––3–––––––––––3–––––––3–––––––––––|––––––5–––––5–––––––5––––––––––––––|– A |––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––3–––––––––––3–––––––3––––––––––––|– E |––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|– 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + F C7

Understanding chord shapes

No matter which of the two variations you’re playing (above), understand that it’s ideal to position your left hand into the chord shapes below. I show both C7 variations here - use the first position for variation 1 (easier), and the second position for variation 2 (a bit tougher because you’re barring part of the 3rd string).

E ––––––––––––––––––––– B –––1–––––1–––––5––––– G –––2–––––3–––––3––––– D –––3–––––2–––––5––––– A –––––––––3–––––3––––– E ––––––––––––––––––––– F C7 C7

Thanks for reading!

I sincerely hope this was helpful. If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to let me know.

Hey there! My name is David Potsiadlo, and I'm the creator of the 400+ weekly lessons here at Song Notes, going back to 2013. Here’s my guitar story »

Join the 20,000+ readers who get my new lessons dropped in their inbox each week. I teach a fun mix of songs, weekly riffs, practice ideas, and more!

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On the fence? Here's a guide I made showing the purchase & print process, including answers to common questions about my song sheets.

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In this video I’ll teach you how to play the intro & verse riff of “All Apologies” by Nirvana – with tabs! I’ll include an easy version of the riff (using standard tuning), as well as a more full advanced version that closely matches what Kurt Cobain plays (using drop-D tuning). As I note in the video, Nirvana tunes everything down an additional half-step – though I’m not doing that in this lesson.

Lesson timestamps:

• 0:00 Playthrough and greeting
• 1:00 Simplified easy version
• 3:01 “Full” advanced version
• 6:55 Farewell

Quick note about tuning!

Nirvana plays with everything tuned down 1/2 step (E becomes Eb, A becomes Ab, etc). In my video lesson, I’m staying in standard tuning to keep things simple. There is an additional step (of tuning your low-E string down an extra whole step) which I’ll talk about later as well.

Easy version of the riff

If you’re just getting started, begin with this tab below. This will help you learn the notes. By “easy” I mean:

• Keeps your guitar in standard tuning
• Doesn’t require playing the sixth string at all
• Sounds less full, but is easier to learn

Here’s the tab:

E ||––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|–––––––––––––––––––––––––|| B ||––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|–––––––––––––––––––––––––|| G ||––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––11–11–9––––|| D ||––––––––––––––––––––––––––|–––––––––––––/12–12–10–9––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––12–|| A ||––9––9––10–9–/12–12–10–9––|–––––9––10–9––––––––––––––|––9––9––10–9–/12–12–10–9––|–––––9––10–9–––––––––––––|| E ||––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|–––––––––––––––––––––––––|| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

Full & advanced version of the riff

Here’s how Nirvana plays it, for the most part. Note, they have their lowest string tuned down an extra whole step (from E down to D). And also, if you want to play along with Nirvana, tune all strings down an additional half step (Db Ab Db Gb Bb Eb).

E ||––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|–––––––––––––––––––––––––|| B ||––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|–––––––––––––––––––––––––|| G ||––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––11–11–9––––|| D ||––––––––––––––––––––––––––|–––––––––––––/12–12–10–9––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––0–––––––12–|| A ||––9––9––10–9–/12–12–10–9––|–––––9––10–9––0–––––––––––|––9––9––10–9–/12–12–10–9––|–––––9––10–9––0––––––––––|| D ||––0–––––0–––––0–––––––––––|––0–––––0–––––0–––––––––––|––0–––––0–––––0–––––––––––|––0–––––0–––––0––––––––––|| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

If you’re having trouble adding those droning bass notes, start with this tab below – which admittedly over-applies the droning bass note. Once you get a feel for this, then you can dial it back and use the bass note enough to add some body, but not too much as to overwhelm things. See my video lesson for additional reference.

E ||––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|–––––––––––––––––––––––––|| B ||––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|–––––––––––––––––––––––––|| G ||––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––11–11–9––––|| D ||––––––––––––––––––––––––––|–––––––––––––/12–12–10–9––|––––––––––––––––––––––––––|––––––––––––––0–––––––12–|| A ||––9––9––10–9–/12–12–10–9––|–––––9––10–9––0–––––––––––|––9––9––10–9–/12–12–10–9––|–––––9––10–9––0––––––––––|| D ||––0––0––0––0––0––0––0––0––|––0––0––0––0––0–––––––––––|––0––0––0––0––0––0––0––0––|––0––0––0––0––0––––––––––|| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

Good luck!

Thanks for reading! I hope this helped you. If you’d like to learn how to play the full song beyond this riff, let me know!

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In this video I’ll teach you how to play the intro riff of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses, simplified for an acoustic guitar. I’ll show you the tabs needed for this riff, walking you through exactly how to go about learning this for the first time (I’ll be using standard tuning).

In my 4-page song sheet, I also include the lyrics, chord shapes, chord progressions, and strumming patterns for this entire song – in addition to two full pages with my notes on the intro riff (which I teach in the video above). Note, the song sheet does not include the tabs for Slash’s solos – as that is it’s own beast I haven’t tackled yet.

I hope you enjoy!

Quick notes about my acoustic arrangement

👉 I’m in standard tuning Slash tunes all strings on his guitar down 1/2 step (Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb). To keep things easy for you, I’m going to keep things in standard tuning (E A D G B E).

👉 I’m using an easier fretboard position Slash plays things up between the 11th & 15th frets (tough!), but I’ll bring the riff down one octave so it uses the familiar D-major chord position (easy!).

👉 I’m simplifying a few of the notes For the sake of practicality, I’m deviating from what Slash plays for just a few of the notes. 99% of listeners won’t notice the difference!

Page 13

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In this video I’ll teach you how to play the intro riff of “My My, Hey Hey” by Neil Young on an acoustic guitar. I’ll teach you the chords, show the tabs, explain the strumming, and walk you through a step-by-step process of how to go about learning this riff.

Lyrics w/ chords

Tune down a whole step to play with Neil Young: DGCFAD.

See my sheet music for the complete lyrics, with chords and intro tab included.

Tune down a whole step to play with Neil’s version

To play along with Neil Young’s version (e.g., on Rust Never Sleeps) you’ll need to tune your guitar down one whole step (DGCFAD). However, in my video lesson above, I’m staying in standard tuning to keep things easy.

How to play the chords

E ||–––0––––3––––0––––0––––0–––– B ||–––1––––0––––1––––1––––3–––– G ||–––2––––0––––2––––0––––0–––– D ||–––2––––0––––3––––2––––2–––– A ||–––0––––2–––––––––3––––2–––– E ||––––––––3––––––––––––––0–––– Am G Fmaj7 C Em7

Strumming pattern

I’m a bit torn on this – do you copy Neil, or use your own pattern? He’s so loose with his strumming, I’m hesitant to try to quantify it into a single pattern. Here’s what I recommend to start with – do with this what you will:

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + D D D U D U

Use that for all verses and refrains –– no matter which chord you’re playing. For example:

Am G Fmaj7 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + D D D U D U D D D U D U D D D U D U D D D U D U

and

C Em7 Am Fmaj7 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + D D D U D U D D D U D U D D D U D U D D D U D U

How to learn the riff

Start with the chords and strumming

First, learn these chords and understand the timing (e.g., Am for one measure, G for one measure, Fmaj7 for 2 measures). I also recommend practicing strumming here, whether you want to keep it simple or be loose and free like Neil.

See sheet music for the tab.

Adding lead notes, but keeping it simple

Next, add some of the foundational lead notes as shown below. If this is tough for you, stick to this simplified tab (below) and take it slow. Watch my video and listen to Neil for reference. This tab below omits some of the strummy nuance, just to help get you through the front door. A final note: it may be easier to use all downstrums at this stage, for the lead notes especially (i.e., the notes between the strums).

See sheet music for the tab.

Advanced version with nuance

This is my attempt to tab it out exactly like Neil plays it. There’s a bit more strum nuance, and a bit more delicacy with the lead notes. Not shown in the tab below is the hammer-on that occur in the first note after the full G-chord strum (see my video for reference):

See sheet music for the tab.

Finally, here’s a modified version of the riff – the only difference between the lead phrase immediately after the G-chord strum (which can start off with a hammer-on as well).

See sheet music for the tab.

Good luck!

Thanks for reading! I hope this helped you.

Page 14

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In this lesson I’ll show you how to play “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver. I’ll explain the chords needed, how to tune your guitar to Drop-D, playing the main riff (with tabs), and how to strum the verse & chorus section. This is a fun song to play, whether you want to get advanced with it or keep it simple.

Video timestamps

• 0:00 Playthrough & greeting
• 2:07 Tuning & capo
• 2:51 How to play the main riff
• 10:45 Chords shapes needed
• 11:58 Verse w/ strumming
• 13:27 Chorus

Lyrics w/ chords

(capo 2nd fret, drop-D tuning) INTRO E ––––––2–2–––––2–2–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– B ––––––3–3–––––3–3–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– G ––––––2–2–2h4–2–2–2–––––––2–––––––––––––––0–––0–0–0–––0–0–0–––0–0–– D ––––––––––––––––––––––0h4–––––4–––2–0–––––x–––x–x–x–––x–x–x–––x–x–– A ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––2–––2–2–5–––5–5–7–––7–7–– D ––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––0h2–2–––2–2–5–––5–5–7–––7–7–– D Em G A 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a VERSE D (w/ riff) Em C A He was born in the summer of his twenty seventh year D (w/ riff) Em G A Coming home to a place he'd never been before D (w/ riff) Em C A He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again D (w/ riff) Em G A You might say he found a key for every door [use same chords for all remaining verses] When he first came to the mountains his life was far away On the road and hanging by a song But the string's already broken and he doesn't really care It keeps changing fast and it don't last for long CHORUS G A D But the Colorado rocky mountain high G A D I've seen it raining fire in the sky G A D G The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullabye D (w/ riff) Em G A Rocky mountain high, Colorado D (w/ riff) Em G A Rocky mountain high, Colorado [use same chords for all remaining choruses] He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below He saw everything as far as you can see And they say that he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun And he lost a friend but kept his memory Now he walks in quiet solitude the forest and the streams Seeking grace in every step he takes His sight has turned inside himself to try and understand The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake And the Colorado rocky mountain high I've seen it raining fire in the sky You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply Rocky mountain high, Colorado Now his life is full of wonder but his heart still knows some fear Of a simple thing he cannot comprehend Why they try to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more More people, more scars upon the land And the Colorado rocky mountain high I've seen it raining fire in the sky I know he'd be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly Rocky mountain high, Colorado It's Colorado rocky mountain high I've seen it raining fire in the sky Friends around the campfire and everybody's high Rocky mountain high, Colorado Rocky mountain high, Colorado [repeat as desired to finish]

A quick note about Drop D tuning

To play this exactly like John Denver (or me, in my video lesson) – you’ll need to be in Drop D tuning. This means, tune your thickest string (low E) down to a D. Everything else stays the same. This does make some (but not all) of the chord shapes you’ll need different. I explain all this below.

If you don’t want to change your tuning, that’s fine - stay in standard tuning, and use the normal chord voicings throughout the song.

Main riff

Here’s the main riff used in the intro, verse, and the end of the chorus. For tips on learning this, see my video lesson. If you can’t play this as tabbed out here, you can still play this song - just strum the D / Em / G / A.

E ––––––2–2–––––2–2–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– B ––––––3–3–––––3–3–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– G ––––––2–2–2h4–2–2–2–––––––2–––––––––––––––0–––0–0–0–––0–0–0–––0–0–– D ––––––––––––––––––––––0h4–––––4–––2–0–––––x–––x–x–x–––x–x–x–––x–x–– A ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––2–––2–2–5–––5–5–7–––7–7–– D ––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––0h2–2–––2–2–5–––5–5–7–––7–7–– D Em G A 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

Chord Shapes

Here’s how to play the chords used in this song. Remember, we’re in drop-D tuning so that will change up a few things with the Em and G chords.

E ––2–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– B ––3–––(0)–––(0)––––––––2––––1–––– G ––2––––0–––––0––––0––––2––––0–––– D ––0––––x–––––x––––x––––2––––2–––– A ––0––––2–––––5––––7––––0––––3–––– D ––0––––2–––––5––––7–––––––––––––– D Em G A A C

Strumming

If you prefer to strum, here’s a pattern you can use for the entire song. I show it here with the D / Em / G / A for context.

D Em G A ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a > > > > > > > >

Verse

Here’s the exact timing of the verse section, in tab form:

"He was born in the summer of his 27th year..." E ––2–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– B ––3–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––1–––––––2–––––––– G ––2–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––0–––––––––––––––0–––––––2–––––––– D ––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––x–––––––––––––––2–––––––2–––––––– A ––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––2–––––––––––––––3–––––––0–––––––– D ––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––2–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– D Em C A ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a > > > > > > > > "Coming home to a place he'd never been before..." E ––2–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– B ––3–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– G ––2–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––0–––––––––––––––0–––––––0–––––––– D ––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––x–––––––––––––––x–––––––x–––––––– A ––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––2–––––––––––––––5–––––––7–––––––– D ––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––2–––––––––––––––5–––––––7–––––––– D Em G A ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a > > > > > > > >

Chorus

And finally, here are some tabs for the chorus section - where the final 4 counts are played differently with each line. Remember to see my video lesson for context if you need help.

"Colorado rocky mountain high..." E ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––2–––––––5–––––3–––––2–––––––––––– B ––0–––––––––––––––2–––––––––––––––3–––––––7–––––3–––––3–––––––––––– G ––0–––––––––––––––2–––––––––––––––2–––––––7–––––4–––––2–––––––––––– D ––x–––––––––––––––2–––––––––––––––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– A ––5–––––––––––––––0–––––––––––––––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– D ––5–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– G A D 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a "I've seen it raining fire in the sky..." E ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––10––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– B ––0–––––––––––––––2–––––––––––––––7–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– G ––0–––––––––––––––2–––––––––––––––7–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– D ––x–––––––––––––––2–––––––––––––––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– A ––5–––––––––––––––0–––––––––––––––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– D ––5–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– G A D 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a "Talk to God and listen to his casual reply..." E ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––2–––––––3–––5–––7–––––––––10––––– B ––0–––––––––––––––2–––––––––––––––3–––––––5–––7–––8–––––––––8–––––– G ––0–––––––––––––––2–––––––––––––––2–––––––4–––6–––7–––––––––7–––––– D ––x–––––––––––––––2–––––––––––––––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– A ––5–––––––––––––––0–––––––––––––––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– D ––5–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––0–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– G A D G 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a ...

Good luck!

I sincerely hope this lesson helped you. Remember to check out my video lesson if these tabs leave you at all confused. Feel free to hit me up with any comments or questions.

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In this week’s lesson I’ll teach you how to play Personal Jesus as covered by Johnny Cash. Originally recorded by Depeche Mode in 1989, Cash’s version of this song is an amazing reinterpretation that fits perfectly within his country & blues guitar style. The song is characterized by a bassline riff, played with the thickest 3 strings on the guitar, used throughout. I’ll walk you through the process of learning & mastering this riff, in addition to teaching you the strumming & basslines needed in the verse, chorus, and bridge sections of the song. This one is a blast to play, I hope you enjoy!

• 0:00 Preview & Lesson Summary
• 0:44 Riff: Learning the Basics
• 3:56 Riff: Full Em & Am Tabs
• 6:24 Riff: Advanced Techniques
• 13:13 Verse
• 16:14 Chorus
• 18:24 Bridge

Lyrics and chords

See my 3-page song sheet! It’s all on page 1, carefully formatted to nicely fit on a single page while still being readable. Pages 2 & 3 include tabs and strumming for the entire song, plus some additional exercises to help you learn the main riff.

Notes on Depeche Mode’s Recording

Depeche Mode originally recorded this song in 1989. The tabs & chords I show in my lesson above will work for their version as well, though there are two things to take note of:

1️⃣ Tune Up One Whole Step (or use capo 2)

Regarding tuning, you’ll need to tune all strings up a whole step to play along with Depeche Mode’s version. Alternatively, you could use a capo on the 2nd fret and stay in standard tuning. Johnny Cash’s version is played in standard tuning, with no capo.

2️⃣ Use Swing Eighth Notes

Regarding rhythm, the eighth notes in Depeche Mode’s recordings are played with swing. This means that the “AND” eighth note count in each measure’s one AND two AND three AND four AND all come a slight bit late.

Here’s audio of the main riff played with swing:

Alternatively, Cash’s version has the eight notes played “straight” —— meaning there is no swing. his means that the “AND” eighth note count in each measure’s one AND two AND three AND four AND are equally spaced between quarter notes.

Here’s audio of the main riff played straight:

Note, both audio samples above are played at the same tempo (i.e. the pace of the quarter notes on the “1 2 3 4” counts). In this case, it’s 120bpm for both audio clips shown above. The presence of eighth note swing has no impact on a song’s tempo.

Studio Recordings of This Song

Depeche Mode (1989)

Capo 2 or tune all strings up one whole-step.

No capo, standard tuning.

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In this lesson I’ll show you how to play “Lady May” by Tyler Childers, from his wonderful album “Purgatory”. This one features a very elegant riff that combines a melodic lead with rhythmic strumming, and is actually quite accessible to players of various skill levels. I’ll explain the riff, the chords needed, talk about hammer-ons & pull-offs, and otherwise describe how to master this little tune. I hope you enjoy!

• 0:00 Playthrough & greeting
• 2:14 Capo 3rd fret
• 2:25 Chords needed
• 4:57 Riff, simplified
• 11:02 How to hammer-on & pull-off
• 14:05 Riff, with nuance
• 18:15 Verse & chorus strumming
• 19:45 Farewell

Lyrics w/ chords

See my sheet music for the lyrics and chords, with intro tab, all shown on a single print-friendly page.

Intro (simple version)

Here’s the main melody notes of the intro. In this simplified version, I’m not including any of the hammer-ons or pull-offs. Don’t worry about adding those until you have this foundation memorized.

See sheet music for the tab.

Also, while learning the melody riff above, understand that these are the chord shapes you’ll want to have your left hand in while playing (if you can manage it). This sets you up nicely for doing full strums of any of these chords should you want to dial-down the riff and amp-up the rhythm strumming.

See sheet music for the tab.

Intro (w/ nuance)

Here’s the main melody notes of the intro. Here, I’m showing the hammer-ons and pull-offs that you hear on the album version of the song.

See sheet music for the tab.

And, understand these are the implied chord shapes played underneath. Sometimes you may want to lean into plucking strings from these chords while you’re making your way through the riff. Listen to Tyler Childer’s version - you’ll hear him sneak in occasional notes from these chords, as no doubt his hands are in these chord positions as he moves his way through.

See sheet music for the tab.

How to play the chords

Here’s how to play the chords used in this song – including a few simplified ways to play the F chord (you don’t need to play all 6 strings to make it work).

Main chord shapes: Simplified F positions: E –––0––––1––––0–––––––– ––––– ––––– ––––– B –––1––––1––––1––––0––– ––1–– ––1–– ––––– G –––0––––2––––2––––0––– ––2–– ––2–– ––2–– D –––2––––3––––2––––0––– ––3–– ––3–– ––3–– A –––3––––3––––0––––2––– ––––– ––3–– ––3–– E ––––––––1––––––––––––– ––––– ––––– ––1–– C F Am G/B F F F

Hammering-on and pulling-off

A crucial part to playing this song like Tyler Childers is being able to hammer on your left-middle finger on both the C and F chords. Here are some tabs that break this down to its simplest form. For each chord below, I show the “normal” way to play the chord, and then show the tab for the hammer-on note you can add with your left-hand middle finger.

E ––––––––––––– E –––––––––––––– B –––1––––1–––– B –––1–––––1–––– G –––0––––0–––– G –––2–––––0h2–– D –––2––––0h2–– D –––3–––––3–––– A –––3––––3–––– A –––––––––––––– E ––––––––––––– E –––––––––––––– C C* F F*

Similarly, the idea behind the pull-off technique involves forcefully & quickly removing your finger - in such a way that causes the now open string to ring out. This can take a lot of practice!

E ––––––––––––– E –––––––––––––– B –––1––––1–––– B –––1–––––1–––– G –––0––––0–––– G –––2–––––2p0–– D –––2––––2p0–– D –––3–––––3–––– A –––3––––3–––– A –––––––––––––– E ––––––––––––– E –––––––––––––– C C* F F*

Good luck!

Let me know if you have questions. I hope this was helpful.

Page 21

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In this lesson I’ll teach you how to play “Acid Tongue” by Jenny Lewis. Chords, strumming pattern, intro tab, etc – it’s all here! This was a very dear song to me back when it came out in 2009 – and I 100% recommend the album of the same name. I hope you dig this lesson!

Chords w/ lyrics

(capo 2nd fret) INTRO E ––3–––––––3–3–3–3–3–––––––3–––3–3––– B ––0–––––––0–0–1–1–0–––––––0–––0–0––– G ––0–––––––0–0–0–0–0–––––––0–––0–0––– D ––0–––––––0–0–2–2–0–––––––0–––0–0––– ...play twice A ––x–––––––x–x–x–x–x–––––––x–––x–x––– E ––3–––––––3–3–3–3–3–––––––3–––3–3––– G C G 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + D D U D U D D D U VERSE G C I went to a cobbler to fix a hole in my shoe D C G C G He took one look at my face and said "I can fix that hole in you" G C ...I beg your pardon, I'm not looking for a cure D C G C G I've seen enough from my friends in the depths of the God-sick blues CHORUS G Am G ...You know I am a... liar------- G Am G ...You know I am a... liar------- G Am C G C G ...Nobody helps a.... liar------------ G C 'Cause I've been down to Dixie and dropped acid on my tongue D C G C G Tripped upon the land 'til enough was enough G C I was a little bit lighter and adventure on my sleeve D C G C G I was a little drunk and looking for company G C So I found myself a sweetheart with the softest of hands D C G C G We were unlucky in love but I'd do it all again G Am G ...We built ourselves a... fire------- G Am G ...We built ourselves a... fire------- G Am C G C G ...You know I am a... liar------- G C G/B Am (let ring) G C G ...And you don't know what I've done G C And by the rollin' river is exactly where I was D C G C G There was no snake oil cure for unlucky in love G C To be lonely is a habit, like smoking or taking drugs D C G C G And I've quit them both but man, was it rough G Am G ...And now I am...... tired----- G Am G ...It just made me... tired----- G Am G ...Let's build ourselves a... fire----- G Am C G C G ...Let's build ourselves a... fire-------- (repeat G-C-G as desired to end)

How to play the chords

Here’s the typical positions used for each of the chords needed in this song:

E –––3––––0––––2––––0––––3––– B –––0––––1––––3––––1––––0––– G –––0––––0––––2––––2––––0––– D –––0––––2––––0––––2––––0––– A –––2––––3–––––––––0––––2––– E –––3––––––––––––––––––––––– G C D Am G/B

Suggested intro chords

In spite of the chord shapes above, I would absolutely recommend learning this 2-finger way of playing a G-major for the intro of this song – as it makes the switch from G-to-C so much easier. See my video lesson for context. Technically, the C below is a “C/G”, but I’ll refer to it as a C for simplicity.

E –––3––– <= left pinky f. ––3––– <= left pinky f. B –––0––– ––1––– <= left index f. G –––0––– ––0––– D –––0––– ––2––– <= left middle f. A –––x––– ––x––– E –––3––– <= left ring f. ––3––– <= left ring f. G C

Using the shapes above, you can play the intro G-C-G sequence in the intro as follows:

G C G E ––3–––––––3–3–3–3–3–––––––3–––3–3––– B ––0–––––––0–0–1–1–0–––––––0–––0–0––– G ––0–––––––0–0–0–0–0–––––––0–––0–0––– D ––0–––––––0–0–2–2–0–––––––0–––0–0––– A ––x–––––––x–x–x–x–x–––––––x–––x–x––– E ––3–––––––3–3–3–3–3–––––––3–––3–3––– 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + D D U D U D D D U

Strumming pattern

Here’s an easy strum to get started with. Establish your tempo (1-2-3-4), and then do downstrums on only the 1 and 3 counts.

From there, you can mimic what Jenny Lewis plays through most of the song by doing this. Note, you’ll want to keep your accent on the 1 and 3 counts, but you’ll want to add a subtle “down up” on the “4 +” counts. See my video lesson for reference.

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + D D D U > >

For strumming the G-C-G sequence (heard in the intro, etc) – refer to this mapping. Basically, you’ll want to maintain the 1 and 3 accented counts, but you also need an additional up-strum on the first “3 +” count, just before switching to the C. Again, see my video lesson for reference.

G C G 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + D D U D U D D D U > > > >

Chord progressions

Intro:

G • • C G • • • G • • C G • • •

Verse:

“I went to a cobbler...” G • • • G • • • C • • • C • • • D • • • C • • • G • • C G • • •

Chorus:

“We built ourselves a fire...” Am • • • Am • • • G • • • G • • • Am • • • Am • • • G • • • G • • • Am • • • Am • • • C • • • C • • •

Leaving all strings open during chord transitions

It sounds like, on the album recording of this song, the guitarist is using a technique whereby they’re releasing all of their left-hand chord fingers from each chord on the final “down up” strums before each new chord. Specifically, see the sample tab below where the * denotes that I’m picking up all my left hand fingers from the chord - just for the two strums before the next chord comes in. See my video lesson for additional reference.

G * C * E ––3–––––––3–––3–3–3–––––––3–––0–0–––|––0–––––––0–––0–0–0–––––––0–––0–0––|– B ––0–––––––0–––0–0–0–––––––0–––0–0–––|––1–––––––1–––1–1–1–––––––1–––0–0––|– G ––0–––––––0–––0–0–0–––––––0–––0–0–––|––0–––––––0–––0–0–0–––––––0–––0–0––|– D ––0–––––––0–––0–0–0–––––––0–––0–0–––|––2–––––––2–––2–2–2–––––––2–––0–0––|– A ––x–––––––x–––x–x–x–––––––x–––0–0–––|––3–––––––3–––3–3–3–––––––3–––0–0––|– E ––3–––––––3–––3–3–3–––––––3–––0–0–––|–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––|– 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + D D D U D D D U D D D U D D D U

Bridge walk-down

Here’s how to play the bridge walk-down that happens midway through the song:

"And you don't know what I've done..."" E ––3–– –––0––––3––––0–––– B ––0–– –––1––––0––––1–––– G ––0–– –––0––––0––––2–––– D ––0–– => –––2––––0––––2–––– ...let the A-minor ring, A ––2–– –––3––––2––––0–––– then return to the G E ––3–– –––––––––––––––––– G C G/B Am

Good luck!

Thanks for reading! I hope this helped you.

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See PDF for lyrics, chords, and intro tab.

“Magic ring” chord shapes (used for intro & verse fingerpicking):

E –––––––––––––––––––––––––––– B ––––3–––––3–––––3–––––3––––– <== left ring finger stays here, G ––––0–––––2–––––0–––––0––––– on 3rd fret, for all chords! D ––––2–––––0–––––0–––––2––––– A ––––2–––––0–––––2–––––3––––– E ––––0–––––2–––––3––––––––––– Em7 D/F# G Cadd9

Conventional chord shapes (used throughout the song):

E ––––0–––––3–––––3–––––0––––0–––––0–––––2–––––0–––– B ––––0–––––3–––––3–––––1––––1–––––1–––––3–––––2–––– G ––––0–––––2–––––0–––––0––––2–––––0–––––4–––––2–––– D ––––2–––––0–––––0–––––2––––2–––––2–––––4–––––2–––– A ––––2–––––––––––2–––––3––––0–––––x–––––2–––––0–––– E ––––0–––––––––––3––––––––––––––––3–––––––––––––––– Em D G C Am Am/G Bm A

How to learn the intro riff

When learning this song, I recommend using the following as a guide to understand the rhythm of the intro & verse chords. Whether you strum or fingerpick, you’ll want to note which chords are switched to on the beat, and which are “pushed” so that you switch to them an 8th note ahead of the main beat (e.g., the first G is played on the “4 +” count instead of the “1” count).

From here, you can bring in the fingerpicking tab as heard in the actual song. Notice how the chord changes happen on the beats prescribed above.

Simplifying the intro & verse riff

Here’s the same intro progression, but using the simplified chord shapes that keep your left ring finger on the same note for all chords. Can’t beat that!

If you want to keep things simpler for the intro and/or the verse, I recommend learning this approach. The benefit is that your left ring finger stays on the B string (3rd fret) for all chords, which makes things so much easier. Note, this gets looser with the timing - which also keeps things simpler (don’t feel like you HAVE to match the exact timing of the song, if it’s giving you a hard time).

Chord progression cheat sheet

There are four beats per measure - and each of the main song sections used the following chords (sometimes you stay on a chord for 4 counts, other times you split a measure between two different chords).

Verse: "Tell me something, girl..." | Em D/F# | G | C | G D | Pre-chorus: "I'm off the deep end..." | Am | D | G D/F# | Em | Chorus: "In the shallow, shallow..." | Am Am/G | D/F# | G D/F# | Em | Bridge: "Whoaaaa....." | Bm | D | A | Em | | Bm | D | A |

Strumming pattern

After the verse sections are over, I usually strum the rest of the song. Quite simply, I’ll use a “down, down up… up down up” pattern, over and over again.

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + D D U U D U

Thanks and good luck!

I hope this helps, and as always let me know if you have any questions. While you’re here, check out my other lessons for songs from A Star is Born:

Always Remember Us This Way

Lesson timestamps:

• 0:00 Lesson preview & agenda
• 1:45 Chords shapes needed
• 4:53 Chord progressions
• 7:04 Strumming patterns
• 11:18 Chorus: strum & timing
• 14:05 Chorus: advanced voicings
• 16:23 Putting it all together
• 18:03 Farewell & thanks

Maybe It’s Time

Guitar lesson:

Play-along cover (full song):

Page 23

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Page 24

Follow along with my print-friendly guide for this song! It’s available for purchase at Musicnotes.com, the web’s leading provider of licensed sheet music.

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I’ve had a blast learning this classic holiday tune, “Please Come Home for Christmas”. Originally recorded by Charles Brown (1960) and then notably covered by The Eagles (1978), this is not only a great song - but one that’s darn fun to play on guitar. There’s quite a few chords needed, but it’s really the D#-diminished and E-augmented that add some really special flavor to the main chord progression. In this lesson, I’ll teach the song with a heavy focus on the first verse (learn that, and you’ll be 80% of the way there). I hope you enjoy!

Backing track

You can currently find the backing track here. Note, this is only the first verse - looping over and over. The idea is to let you practice your chords, strumming, etc - with a steady background track to have on for reference.

See first page of my sheet music for all of the lyrics, with chords included.

Here’s how to play the chords you’ll need. There are a lot, but take it slow and don’t give up!

E ––0––––0––––0–– ––2–––1–––2––– ––0–––0–––0–– –––2––––4––––2––– B ––2––––2––––2–– ––3–––3–––1––– ––0–––3–––1–– –––2––––6––––0––– G ––2––––1––––0–– ––2–––2–––2––– ––1–––1–––1–– –––2––––4––––2––– D ––2––––2––––2–– ––0–––0–––1––– ––2–––2–––2–– –––4––––6––––1––– A ––0––––0––––0–– –––––––––––––– ––2–––2–––––– –––4––––4––––2––– E ––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––– ––0–––0–––––– –––2––––––––––––– A Amaj7 A7 D Dm D#° E E7 E+ F#m C#7 B7

Time signature

Understand that this song has 6 counts per each measure. I’ll explain more about this later (within strumming section), but it’s important to understand when looking at the chord progression - and understanding how long you stay on each chord.

Chord progressions

See page 2 of my sheet music for diagrams of the chord progressions used in this song.

Strumming

If you want to keep things as simple as possible, try doing a single down strum on the 1 and 4 counts (or, only the 1 count). I recommend doing this, with the song or backing track on in the background, to get a feel for the pulse of the song.

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + D D

Next, start moving your strumming hand regularly within the rhythm of the 6 counts per each measure. The important thing, though, is to place accent on the 1 and 4 counts (all other strums can be light, delicate brushes upon each string).

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + D D D D D D > >

You can then bring in up-strums. One way is to add a “down-up-down-up” after each heavy “down” that happens on the 1 and 4 count.

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + D D U D U D D U D U > >

Finally, here’s one example of one additional way you can add some variety to the strum. I demonstrate this in the video lesson - it isn’t easy, but is just one example of how you can make a strumming pattern your own.

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + D U D D D U D U > >

Good luck!

Thanks for reading! I hope this helped you. Questions? Comments? Requests? Let me know!

Page 25

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After many requests, I’m please to bring you all this lesson for “Last Christmas” by Wham. I’ll teach the basic chords, explain some strumming pattern options, and show a few ways to spice things up with some simple chord voicing modifications. I hope that you’ll be able to pick this one up quickly and run with it. Best of luck!

• 0:00 Playthrough & lesson overview
• 2:06 Basic chord shapes
• 3:24 Chord progression overview
• 4:18 Strumming patterns
• 7:30 Modifying each chord shape
• 10:21 Mixing the chorus melody w/ chords

PDF chord sheet overview

Here’s an up-close look at the print-friendly PDF chord sheet I made for this song (3 pages, with lyrics/tabs/strumming/etc):

Capo 2nd fret to be in same key as Wham!

See my page 1 of my sheet music for all the lyrics, with chords included.

Chords needed

Without a capo, you’ll need to use these chords to play this song. I immediately don’t love this, because B-minor is a barre chord and that may up the level of difficulty for this song.

E –––2––––2––––0––––0––– B –––3––––3––––0––––2––– G –––2––––4––––0––––2––– D –––0––––4––––2––––2––– A ––––––––2––––2––––0––– E –––––––––––––0–––––––– D Bm Em A

Instead, I’ll be teaching with these chord shapes. Use a capo on the 2nd fret (and these chords) if you prefer to play along w/ the Wham version of this song. Otherwise, you can not bother with a capo (and still use these chords) and you’ll be just fine.

E –––0––––0––––1––––3––– B –––1––––1––––3––––0––– G –––0––––2––––2––––0––– D –––2––––2––––0––––0––– A –––3––––0–––––––––2––– E ––––––––––––––––––3––– C Am Dm G

Chord progression for entire song

Straight up, use the four chords shown above - in that same order - for the entire song! 8 counts per chord (2 measures of 4 beats each). Typed out crudely, that looks like this:

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 C Am Dm G

Strumming pattern

There’s a few ways to approach this. At the simplest, start with a single down strum on the 1 and 3 counts:

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + D = down strum D D

Or you could do a down strum on the back beat (2 and 4 counts):

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + D = down strum D D

But if you do this, you may want to include lighter strums on the 1 and 3 counts, with accented (stronger) strums on the 2 and 4:

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + D = down strum > = accented strum D D D D > >

If you want to bring in up-strums, here’s a very common pattern you can use:

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + D = down strum > = accented strum D D U U D U U = up strum > >

Finally, perhaps the most advanced of these, would be to include a percussive “slap” strum. See my video lesson for reference.

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + D = down strum > = accented strum D U x U D U x U U = up strum x = percussive slap > >

Spicing up the chord shapes

Something I demonstrate in my video lesson, is how you can add a single note to the voicing of each of the chord shapes - and this can go a long way to spicing up the sound of the song. Shown here are each of the 4 chords I use to play the song, and each of the chords has its “modified” version just to the right.

See my sheet music for the tab.

Playing the chorus melody along with chords

Here’s the melodic phrase heard during the chorus vocals, that I like to sometimes incorporate into the plucking & strumming of these 4 chords. The key here is to accent these melody notes, and then bring in full strums as you’re able. With some practice, you can get the best of both worlds: the recognizability of the melody, mixed with the full sound of the strums.

See my sheet music for the tab.

Good luck!

I hope this helps, and as always let me know if you have any questions.

Page 26

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With New Years just around the corner, I wanted to learn this very timely traditional song - Auld Lang Syne. This video shows a relatively simple way to play it, involving strummable chords with a melody that weaves through each of the 8 measures. I’ll teach the chords, explain the melody, talk about some of the difficult transitions - all with tabs to help you through it. I hope you enjoy! Happy New Years to you and yours - here’s to many more years of music for all of us.

Guitar arrangement

Here’s the arrangement I’m using in my video lesson. This is 8 bars, which can be repeated over and over again if you want to play additional verses and/or choruses. Your job is to either strum, pluck, or fingerpick the chords - adding melody notes as you desire. For your ending, the final measure should be the C chord only (without the G). If you are repeating the 8 bars, the final measure should include the G chord on the final 2 counts - which creates a nice “turn around” to setup the C in the first bar.

"Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind..." E ––––––|–––––––––––––0–––|–––––––––––––0–––|–––––––––0–––3–––|–5–––––––5–––5–––|– B –/5–3–|–1–––––0–1–––––––|–3–––––1–3–––––3–|–1–––––1–1–––––––|–4–––––––4–––––––|– G ––––––|–0–––––––0–––––––|–0–––––––0–––––––|–0–––––––0–––––––|–5–––––––5–––––––|– D ––––––|–2–––––––2–––––––|–0–––––––0–––––––|–2–––––––2–––––––|–3–––––––4–––––––|– A ––––––|–3–––––––3–––––––|–2–––––––2–––––––|–3–––––––3–––––––|–––––––––––––––––|– E ––––––|–––––––––––––––––|–3–––––––3–––––––|–––––––––––––––––|–––––––––––––––––|– C G C F7 F#dim7 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + "Should old acquaintance be forgot and auld lang syne" E –|–3–––––0–0–––––––|–––––––––––––0–––|–––––––––––––––––|–––––––––––––––––|– B –|–1–––––––1–––1–––|–3–––––1–3–––––3–|–1–––––––––––––––|–1––––––––––/5–3–|– G –|–0–––––––0–––––––|–0–––––––0–––––––|–2–––––2–2–––0–––|–0–––––––0–––––––|– D –|–2–––––––2–––––––|–0–––––––0–––––––|–2–––––––3–––––––|–2–––––––0–––––––|– A –|–3–––––––3–––––––|–2–––––––2–––––––|–0–––––––3–––––––|–3–––––––2–––––––|– E –|–––––––––––––––––|–3–––––––3–––––––|––––––––(1)––––––|–––––––––3–––––––|– C G Am F C G 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + –|–––––––––––––––––|| ...repeat the 8 bars for each verse. –|–1–––––––––––––––|| To end the song, replace the final –|–0–––––––––––––––|| measure with this, which plays only –|–2–––––––––––––––|| the C chord (and not the G). –|–3–––––––––––––––|| –|–––––––––––––––––|| C 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

Chord guidance

For a few of these chords, I want to call out some tips that will help you on your way - specifically with finger positions.

G major chord

For the G major chord, notice how you’re not really ever putting a left-finger on the 1st string (high E string). Also, you’ll often need to remove the 2nd-string-3rd-fret note, in order to play the 2nd-string-1st-fret. As such, you’ll want to use your pinky on the 3rd fret of the 2nd (B) string. This sets up your index finger to be in place at the same time.

E ––––– E ––––– B ––3–– <= left pinky B ––1–– <= left index G ––0–– G ––0–– D ––0–– D ––0–– A ––2–– <= left middle A ––2–– <= left middle E ––3–– <= left ring E ––3–– <= left ring G G*

F7 and F#dim7 chord

For the F7 and the F#dim7, the main thing to call out is that the thinnest 3 strings will use the exact same notes (and fingers). All that changes between these two chords is which fret your left index finger is playing.

E ––5–– <= left pinky E ––5–– <= left pinky B ––4–– <= left middle B ––4–– <= left middle G ––5–– <= left ring G ––5–– <= left ring D ––3–– <= left index D ––4–– <= left index A ––––– A ––––– E ––––– E ––––– F7 F#dim7

If the F7 section gives you trouble, use this voicing. I got this via Justin Sandercoe’s lesson. You can ignore the F#dim7 chord altogether.

E ––5–– <= left pinky B ––x–– <= (muted by left ring) G ––5–– <= left ring D ––3–– <= left index A ––––– E ––––– F7

Switching from the C to F7

The most difficult part of this song, for me, is switching from the C to the F7. Here’s one important tip when practicing this - which is your right pinky is staying on the high-E string for both chords! Specifically, it’s moving up from the 3rd fret to the 5th fret (of the high E-string). This is a helpful thing to keep in mind, as it is one less finger that needs to switch strings. Here’s a simple deconstruction of this progression to practice - do it slow over and over again, until you can do it without mistakes. From there, slowly speed it up until you can play it at the pace of the normal song.

E –––3–––5––– <= left pinky stays on this string for both chords! B –––1–––4––– G –––0–––5––– D –––2–––3––– A –––3––––––– E ––––––––––– C F7

F major chord

Don’t let the F chord in the 7th measure throw you off. You don’t need to do any barring! Here’s two ways to play it. The first way (left) shows you a 4-string version, where you’re only playing the thickest four strings. However, if this voicing is too difficult - try the right version - which ignores the 6th (lowest) string. This lets you only worry about 3 strings, which is much easier to switch to in a hurry. In a pinch, I’ll use this version so I can be sure I stay in time (especially when playing with people singing).

E ––––– E ––––– B ––––– B ––––– G ––2–– <= left middle G ––2–– <= left middle D ––3–– <= left pinky D ––3–– <= left pinky A ––3–– <= left ring A ––3–– <= left ring E ––1–– <= left index E ––––– F F*

Lyrics

Here’s the English translation of the lyrics, in the “minimalist” translation as per Wikipedia:

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old lang syne? CHORUS: For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne. And surely you'll buy your pint cup! and surely I'll buy mine! And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne. [CHORUS] We two have run about the slopes, and picked the daisies fine; But we've wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne. [CHORUS] We two have paddled in the stream, from morning sun till dine†; But seas between us broad have roared since auld lang syne. [CHORUS] And there's a hand my trusty friend! And give me a hand o' thine! And we'll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne. [CHORUS]

Good luck!

Let me know if you have questions. I hope this was helpful.