Introduction and Key

Introduction:

This song was originally written and composed during the time of Schultz and Fraites in New York. It was meant to be a kiss-off to disinterested concertgoers. It was the first single from a folk rock band to get certified in the US. 

Chords Used in Song Guitar Lesson:

Arpeggios Verse & Chorus Chords: The song is present in the key of C major. 

Strumming Pattern:

The most common strumming pattern used for playing this song is D - D - U - D - D:

• D = Down strum
• U = Up strum
• - = Pause (mute or let the chord ring)

The alternative strumming pattern is D - D - U - U - D - U, this adds more guitar movement in the song and makes the guitar play a bit more smooth. 

Song Structure:

Introduction: The introduction of the song is by J.J. Pattishall, in here he teaches you the tuning required to play this song on guitar. 

Song Arrangement: Here, your guitar instructor talks about the feel of the song and how it helps you play it. In addition, he shares with you all the chords you have to play and how they should be played.

Sing and Play: In this section, you will learn how to time your chords while you are singing. 

Song Demo: Finally this is the part where your guitar instructor will show you how to play the entirety of the song with the song running in the background. 

Introduction:

I See Fire is a song written and composed for the movie The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The song is played over the closing credits of the movie. After its release, the song was able to climb to the 13th spot in the UK Singles Chart and in New Zealand it was able to reach number 1 in just six weeks of time. 

Chords Used in Song Guitar Lesson:

Arpeggios Verse & Chorus Chords: You will be following basic arpeggios picking for this song, and this is what you need to follow in order to create a simple yet attractive progression: 

e|------0---------0------|  

B|------0---------0------|  

G|----0---0-----0---0----|  

D|-----------2-----------|  

A|--2--------------------|  

E|-----------------------| 

Strumming Pattern:

This one is primarily a fingerpicking song, but in case you wish to play the strumming pattern you can follow this: D D U U D U. 

• D = Down strum
• U = Up strum

Song Structure:

Introduction: In this introduction, Mike Luciano, your guitar instructor is going to share why everyone needs to learn this song, and where, and why you should be putting the capo on 

guitar like Ed does. 

Intro Lick and Song Arrangement: In this section, Mike shows you how to play the intro licks for the song and how to use hammer-on and pull-off techniques with your first and third fingers. Along with this, you will learn the entire song arrangement as well. 

Song Demo: This section shows you how to play the song with the backing track played alongside. 

Beginners Version: If you are not able to play with new techniques which you have learned in this guitar lesson you can also try the beginner friendly version of I See Fire by Ed Sheeran which is mentioned in this part. 

Why Learn I See Fire By Ed Sheeran?

I See Fire take the full advantage of acoustic fingerpicking which is something perfect for beginner guitar players to start with. This song will also help you in building dexterity, accuracy, and finger independence as you play. Furthermore, it’s a great introduction to the thumb-bass technique, along with melodic picking. 

FAQs I see fire Guitar Lesson

Q1. What was the reason behind Ed Sheeran's writing I See Fire? 

Ans. It was Peter Jackon, the director of The Hobbit, who asked Ed Sheeran to come up with a song for a kid’s movie. Sheeran saw the movie and started working on the song.

Q2. What other songs are out there which sound similar to I See Fire? 

Ans. There is a huge library of Ed’s songs, which sounds pretty familiar, starting with Eyes Closed, Give Me Love, Happier, Shivers, and Beautiful People. 

Q3. Which song is Ed Sheeran’s biggest hit? 

Ans. Without a doubt it has to be “Perfect,” this particular song topped charts in more than 18 different countries, making him one of the most loved artist all around the globe. 

Fun Fact: The song I See Fire was written, composed, and recorded on the same day. After Ed Sheeran watched the entire film The Hobbit for which the song was officially released on 5th November 2013. He sat down to write the lyrics and his flow made him finish composition and recording of the song in just 24 hours. 

Introduction

Wake Me Up When September Ends is one of the most iconic songs from the American punk rock band Green Day. It is the fourth single from their seventh studio album, American Idiot, which was released in 2004. The lead vocalist Armstrong, wrote the lyrics of this song after his father's death in September 1982.

Chords Used in Wake Me Up When September Ends

Arpeggios Verse & Chorus Chords: Open chords. The song is played in the key of G, and there is no need for a capo. 

Chorus Variation: The chorus of the song is pretty short, and the guitar chords used in it are similar to those of the verse. 

Strumming Pattern 

The entirety of the song follows the same strumming pattern: Down-Up, Down-Up, Down-Up. (DUDUDU)

Song Structure 

Introduction: In this section, J.J. Pattishall will explain the key you need to play the song in.

Song Arrangement: Here, you will learn how and why the guitar instructor has broken down this song into several different parts. This particular section will show you how to play the guitar parts of the intro, verse, chorus, and bridge. 

Rhythm: Here, you will learn the open chords used to provide backing rhythm to the verse and chorus of the song. 

Song Demo: Right here, after showing you how to play all the different chords for this song, J.J. Pattishall will show you how to play the guitar alongside the song. 

Solo Lesson: This is the last part, where you learn how to play the epic solo from the song. 

Introduction:

It’s My Life is known to be one of the rock anthems, it was released in May, 2000 as the lead single of the seventh album called Crush by the rock band Bon Jovi. This was the song which made it possible for the band to introduce themselves to the younger fanbase. 

Chords Used in Song Guitar Lesson:

Arpeggios Verse & Chorus Chords: This song uses power chords most of the time along with some strong strumming, but it is up to you to add arpeggios to add another dynamic layer in the verses 

Instead of strumming, you can also play the following arpeggios in the verse section:

E|----------------|  

B|------0--------|  

G|----0---0------|  

D|--2-------2----|  

A|--------------|  

E|--------------| 

Strumming Pattern 

This song uses palm muting and strong downstrokes in order to create the classic rock sound. The main strumming pattern for It’s My Life by Bon Jovi is: D D X U D X U D  

• D (Downstroke) → Hit the full chord with power.
• X (Palm Mute) → Lightly rest your palm on the strings for a muted "chug" effect.
• U (Upstroke) → Play lightly, focusing on the higher strings for dynamics.

Song Structure 

Introduction: In the introduction of the song you will be getting to know the tuning required to play this song. 

Song Arrangement: Here you guitar instructor Mike Walker will be combining the guitar and piano parts of the song together which allows you to play the iconic guitar melody of this song. 

Song Demo: After understanding what chords you need to play and where, in this part Mike is going to show you how to play the entire song with the backing track. 

Solo: This is the final part of the guitar lesson, and here you will be learning all the licks which are part of the guitar solo. 

Perfect - Introduction

Welcome to the guitar lesson on a song that needs no introduction. Perfect by Ed Sheeran topped all the charts in 2017 and became a super duper hit worldwide. This song has now become part of mainstream pop youth culture. All lovers, depending on their heartbroken status, either love or hate this song. It has collected more than 4.9 billion views (almost half of humanity) on YouTube since its release and has been in all the romance playlists on every streaming service platform.

The song is a ballad celebrating the traditional marriage relationship between two lovers, written about Sheeran’s wife-to-be, Cherry Seaborn, whom he had known since he was in school and then reconnected with her when she was working in New York. Sheeran has said the song captures the feeling of finding "the one" - that magical moment when you realise you've met your soulmate.

Perfect Guitar Lesson

The guitar lesson on Perfect is an easy one. Nevertheless, the lesson has many sections that talk about the chords and rhythm of the song, and a section on improvisation where the instructor is demonstrating how to solo over the track.

The song only has four chords, namely – G - Em7 - Cadd9 - D, which the tutor explains is meant to be played with the capo on the 1st fret, as does Sheeran himself in live performances. The strumming of the song goes in triplets of 4, covering four bars of music.

The thing about minor 7th chords and augmented chords used in the song is that in the open position, they share some of the notes, and when chords share notes, the phenomenon of voice leading occurs. Voice leading is when the notes of one chord lead to another, creating an interesting movement between anticipation and resolution in the music.

Although the studio recording version of the song uses a capo on the first fret, the lesson here demonstrates both ways, with and without a capo, of playing the song in its entirety. The song follows a 12/8 time signature, and the rhythm sounds like that of a waltz, which makes it an easy song to dance to, especially with one’s lover.

The lesson makes available Perfect lyrics and chords along with the video lesson, which the advanced players can refer to when learning the song.

FAQs

Q. What is the story behind Ed Sheeran's song Perfect?

Perfect was written by Ed Sheeran as a love song for his then-girlfriend (now wife) Cherry Seaborn. The lyrics describe their real-life romance, from meeting as teenagers to falling in love as adults.

Q. What key is Perfect?

Perfect is written in the key of Ab major (G major for live performances), though most guitarists use a capo on the 1st fret to make the chords easier to play. This transposition means you'll be playing standard shapes like G, Em, C and D but hearing them in Ab major.

Introduction:

Smooth By Santana is a mix of rock, blues, and it combines some melodies of Latin rhythms as well. So if you are someone who is interested in learning the ways of Santana this should be a great starting point for your musical journey. 

Fun Fact: In the beginning the song was called Room 17 and the idea of the song came to the mind of Itaal Shur, but then lyrics were all take out from the song and it was given to Rob Thomas, who completely re-wrote the song and changed its original melody, that’s how Smooth came into existence by Santana. 

Chords Used in Song Guitar Lesson

Arpeggios Verse & Chorus Chords: The arpeggios for this song are as follows: 

e|------1-------------|

B|----3---3----------|

G|--2-------2--------| 

D|--------------------| 

A|--------------------| 

E|--------------------|

Strumming Pattern 

There are two strumming patterns for this song, the first one is pretty basic and you can play it like this: DD UU DU. 

• D = Down Strum 
• U = Up Strum

Or you can play this version which adds more groove to the song: DD X UDU. 

• D = Down Strum 
• U = Up Strum
• X = Muted Strum 

Song Structure 

Introduction: In this introduction, Mike is going to show you how to tune up your guitar for this song. 

Song Arrangement: Here, you will learn about the different guitar rhythms that you will be following as you play the song. Mike starts explaining every rhythm starting with the intro section. 

Song Demo: Over here, Mike is going to show you how to play the guitar parts of the song with the backing track. 

Solo 1: From this part, you will start learning how to play different solos which come in the song. This is the first solo performed by Santana in the first part of the song. 

Overdub Licks: This particular section shows how to play a particular lick which is being played at the 32 second of the track. 

Solo 2: This is the second solo from the song. 

Solo 3: Solo which comes after the verses. 

Outro Solo: This one is the last solo which Santana played and it was used as an outro for the song. 

Why Learn Smooth By Santana?

Carlos Santana is known throughout the world for his amazing phrasing and his ability to sustain heavy tones on the guitar. As you learn this song, you will get to know about techniques like Vibrato, sustain, melodic soloing and smooth transition between the lead and the rhythm of the song. 

FAQs-This Song Guitar Lesson

Q1. Who originally sang “Smooth?”

Ans. Smooth was performed by Santana & Rob Thomas who were part of a band called Matchbox Twenty. This song was released as a lead single from the 1999s studio album, Supernatural. 

Q2. What made Santana so famous in the music industry? 

Ans. Santana became much more popular after their incredible set which they performed live at Woodstock in 1969. In that same year, the band also released their self-entitled LP as well. 

Q3. Is Santana considered to be a good guitarist of his time? 

Ans. Santana is known to be the man who invented the Latin rock guitar genre, making it stand as one of the best of his generation. 

Dhimu Dhimu - Introduction

Welcome to the guitar lesson on Dhimu Dhimu, a soft romantic ballad from the 2011 Tamil film Engeyum Kadhal. Directed by Prabhu Deva, the movie stars Jayam Ravi and Hansika Motwani, and this track became one of its emotional high points. Composed by Harris Jayaraj and sung by Karthik, the song is soaked in longing and tender expression.

Interestingly, Dhimu Dhimu holds a unique spot in the film's music journey—it was the first track composed for Engeyum Kadhal, even though it was first heard by the public in its Telugu adaptation “Chilipiga” for the film Orange. Still, the Tamil version managed to claim its own space with a different emotional tone and arrangement.

Dhimu Dhimu Guitar Lesson

In this lesson, instructor J J Patishall takes you through Dhimu Dhimu in a way that’s both thoughtful and easy to follow. The song is played in standard 4/4 time at around 120 BPM, which makes it a comfortable speed for both beginner and intermediate players. The chords are rooted in C major and include C, Fmaj7, G, and even a slightly unexpected Bb chord. J J explains how these chords work together to create that dreamy atmosphere the song is known for. For example, the Fmaj7 adds a floating quality—it's basically an F major chord, but with an open E string, giving it a more emotional sound.

J J also talks about how to play the song with smooth transitions between chords. He focuses a lot on how to hold each chord shape lightly and clearly, so the ringing notes don't get muddy. The Bb chord might feel like a challenge for some, since it's usually a barre chord, but J J breaks down a simplified version so even newer players can try it without stress.

The strumming pattern is kept subtle and steady—mostly downstrokes with light upstrokes filling the gaps. It reflects the slow-burning feel of the track. J J also offers an optional picking style for those who want to add more texture to their playing. He demonstrates how to pluck the individual strings of each chord in rhythm with the melody, which matches the orchestral style of the original arrangement.

Lastly, there's a small section where the harmony shifts in a surprising way, using the Bb to break the usual major pattern. J J points this out and explains how little moments like this can really pull at your emotions, even if you’re not actively aware of it while listening. It’s this kind of insight that makes the lesson a blend of both learning and feeling the music.

FAQs

Q. Is the Bb chord necessary to play Dhimu Dhimu?

Yes, but if you're a beginner, J J shows an easier version of it that works just fine for the song’s feel.

Q. Do I need to know music theory to follow this lesson?

Not at all. J J keeps the explanation simple—he talks more about how things sound and feel than using technical language.

Welcome to the guitar lesson on one of the most emotional title tracks to come out of Bollywood in the last decade — Sanam Teri Kasam. Composed by Himesh Reshammiya and sung by Ankit Tiwari and Palak Muchhal, this song belongs to the 2016 film Sanam Teri Kasam, directed by Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru. It tells the story of Inder, a man with a broken past, and Saru, a woman rejected by her own family. Their journey from complete strangers to soulmates is carried forward by the lyrics written by Sameer Anjaan, and this title track captures that entire journey.

The guitar theme by Vivek Verma is one of the standout parts of the soundtrack and plays as a kind of emotional thread that pulls the whole film together. In fact, this theme has become so iconic that it returned to the big screen in the film’s re-release in February 2025. Even years later, people still remember this song not just for its melody, but for how deeply it made them feel.

Sanam Teri Kasam – Guitar Lesson

This lesson is taught by Steve Luciano, and he takes you through the entire track step by step, in a way that’s easy to understand even if you’re not a music theory expert. The song is in the key of C minor, and it has a mix of simple and emotionally rich chords, including Cm, G/B, Eb, Bb/F, Ab, and Bb. These chords create a blend of tension and release, which matches the emotional highs and lows in the song’s storyline.

One interesting chord you’ll play is Bb/F, a slash chord, where the bass note is not the root of the chord. That F in the bass changes the mood of the chord slightly, adding a deeper colour to an otherwise familiar sound. Steve explains this in a way that even beginners can follow, breaking down the fingering and showing how these changes affect the overall feel of the song.

What also stands out in this lesson is how Steve pays attention to not just the chords but the phrasing and mood. The strumming is soft and patient more like painting with sound than just playing rhythm. He also shows how you can play along with the original recording, even suggesting how to simplify some of the chord shapes if you're still getting comfortable with barre chords. Whether you’re looking to perform the song or just play it in your room for yourself, this lesson gives you all the tools to do justice to it.

FAQs

Q. Can beginners learn to play Sanam Teri Kasam?

Yes, but expect a small challenge. Some chords like Bb/F and barre shapes might take practice, but Steve also offers easier versions for those still getting comfortable with these grips.

Q. Do I need a capo for this song?

No capo is used for this version. All chords are played in open or barre forms in standard tuning.

In this video lesson Mike Walker teaches how to play the song Yaarian as part of our guitar series on Indian songs. The song is broken down into multiple lessons for easy learning - Intro, Chords, and Rhythm, Song Demo and Electric Overdub Parts. Don't forget to make use of the chords and tabs provided with the song lesson!

Adiyae Kolluthey – Introduction

Welcome to the guitar lesson on Adiyae Kolluthey, a vibrant romantic track from the 2008 Tamil film Vaaranam Aayiram, directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. This song stands out with its fresh and youthful vibe, beautifully capturing the excitement and innocence of young love. Composed by Harris Jayaraj, Adiyae Kolluthey features the voices of Krish, Benny Dayal, and Shruti Haasan, with lyrics by Thamarai that add a poetic touch to the melody. The song’s lively energy and emotional depth quickly made it one of the most beloved tracks of the film’s soundtrack.

Visually, the song is equally memorable, shot in stunning locations like the University of California, Berkeley, and the scenic San Francisco Bay area. The beautiful backdrops perfectly complement the playful chemistry between the lead actors, Suriya and Sameera Reddy. This combination of heartfelt music and captivating visuals made Adiyae Kolluthey a favorite among fans and helped cement Harris Jayaraj’s place as one of Tamil cinema’s top composers. The song also marked an important moment for Shruti Haasan, establishing her as a strong playback singer in the industry.

Adiyae Kolluthey – Guitar Lesson

In this lesson, Mike Walker takes you through the essentials of playing Adiyae Kolluthey on guitar, using Eb tuning which lowers the pitch a half step from standard tuning. This tuning helps capture the song’s smooth and mellow feel while making some of the chords easier to finger. The main chords you’ll use include power chords like B5, A5, D5, and E5, along with some major chords like C# and F#. Mike breaks down each chord shape slowly so you can get comfortable with the finger placement and maintain the song’s clean tone.

Mike explains that the song’s arrangement relies a lot on these power chords, which give the track a gentle rock edge without overpowering the vocals. The use of power chords instead of full major or minor chords creates a light but driving sound that fits perfectly with the song’s youthful energy. He also points out the smooth transitions between chords like B5 to A5, which require a relaxed hand and practice to sound fluid.

The rhythm of Adiyae Kolluthey is steady and laid-back, sitting comfortably in a 4/4 time signature at a moderate tempo. Mike guides you through the strumming pattern, which combines downstrokes and light upstrokes to keep the momentum moving without becoming too busy. He also offers tips on muting and palm damping to control the tone, which is important to replicate the song’s clean guitar sound. For those looking to add some flair, Mike suggests subtle embellishments using slides and hammer-ons within the chord shapes, making your playing feel more expressive without overcomplicating things.

FAQs

Q. What tuning is Adiyae Kolluthey played in?

The song is played in Eb tuning, which is standard tuning lowered by a half step on every string.

Q. Are power chords difficult to play for beginners?

Not really. Power chords are simpler shapes that focus on the root and fifth notes. With some practice, even beginners can play them smoothly.