Introduction

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. 

Hotel California - Introduction

Welcome to the guitar lesson on the acoustic version of one of the greatest songs of all time, Hotel California by The Eagles. This specific arrangement replaces the original electric instruments with nylon-string guitars, creating a different interpretation of the song. The track keeps the same chord progression and structure as the studio version but uses fingerpicking patterns and multiple guitar harmonies.

Hotel California, as writer Henley put it, is more of a symbolic piece about America in general, and added, “Lyrically, the song deals with traditional or classical themes of conflict: darkness and light, good and evil, youth and age, the spiritual versus the secular. I guess you could say it's a song about the loss of innocence”.

The song follows a narrative about a traveller staying at a mysterious hotel, with lyrics that some interpret as commentary on American culture, for instance, the most iconic line of the song being “you can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave”.

Hotel California Guitar Lesson

Hotel California guitar lesson is taught by our beloved expert, Mike Walker, who explains all the different sections of the song in a section-by-section manner, starting from the intro that talks about the chords and different voicings of those chords, through the acoustic overdubs and the guitar solo section.

The song features a number of minor 7ths, dominants, suspended and augmented chords. The intro alone covers all these variations of these chords. The tutor, nevertheless, goes into detail explaining how to play them using a fingerpicking pattern.

The song is written in B minor; the live acoustic version uses a capo on the 7th fret, making it an E minor. The intro follows a repeating progression of Em-B7-Dsus-A7-C-G-Am7-B7, which establishes the harmonic foundation.

Since this is an acoustic version of the song, played by multiple guitarists. There are a number of artistic motifs and embellishments using techniques like double stops, arpeggios, and most importantly, the individual guitarists harmonising with each other throughout the song.

The tutor explains all the solos of the song in great detail, the last of which features some of the notes from the harmonic minor scale, which carry a signature sound of the desert, or the Middle East. This lends itself literally to the theme of the narrative of the song.

FAQs

Q. Do I need a nylon-string guitar to play this version?

While the original recording uses nylon strings, you can play it on a steel-string acoustic. The tone will sound brighter, but the chords and techniques remain the same.

Q. Why is the capo on the 7th fret? Can I play it without one?

The capo transposes the chords to match the original key (B minor) and allows easier open-position shapes. Without a capo, you’ll need to play full barre chords in B minor.

In this video lesson Mike Dugan teaches how to play the song Can't Help Falling in Love as part of our guitar series on English songs. The song is broken down into multiple lessons for easy learning - Introduction, Verse (Chords, Rhythm, and Singing) and Bridge and Song Arrangement. Don't forget to make use of the chords and tabs provided with the song lesson!

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.

Arms Wide Open - Introduction

Welcome to the guitar lesson on a song that has the best rock song Grammy to its name –With Arms Wide Open by Creed. Scott Stapp’s wife was pregnant with his first child, he wrote the lyrics when he found out, with great surprise, that he was going to be a father. According to Stapp, the song was written in just fifteen minutes during a soundcheck. The song has received almost 200 million views on YouTube.

Stapp says, “It continues to have relevant meaning in my life because as I sing it now, I think of my daughter who's now on this planet and alive. And then I think of my newest son, my three-year-old, Daniel”. The song is about a man expressing his feelings about thinking about becoming a father.

Arms Wide Open Guitar Lesson

This is a guitar lesson that is an acoustic cover version of the song performed by James Boyce, taught by our expert Steve Luciano, in a section-by-section manner. They start with the introduction

The song is in the key of C major and features a number of suspended chords. There is a C major 9 chord with a B note in the bass, which sounds like a suspended chord because of the 9th scale degree. There is also a very unique A minor 11th chord, which also sounds like a suspended chord because of the 11th scale degree, which is actually the 4th scale degree on the octave higher. The instructor explains all the chord shapes in great detail. You can also refer to the Arms Wide Open tabs along with the lesson on the sidebar.

The strumming of the chords is very simple, compared to the chord voicings, that is – D - U U D - U U D - D U for the most part (D is a downward strum and U is an upward strum).

There is also an easy verison of the song that the instructor demonstrates, which is a beginner-friendly version of the song focused more on the singing part of the track.

FAQs

Q. What skill level is Arms Wide Open for?

This lesson is ideal for beginner to intermediate players. If you know basic open chords, you can easily learn the song.

Q. Is this version different from the original Creed version?

Yes. This is a soft acoustic cover by James Boyce. It keeps the emotional depth of the original but focuses more on the singing part.

Q. What is the tuning of Arms Wide Open by Creed?

Nope! This version is played in standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-e), making it very accessible. Drop D is not required here.

Q. What chords are used in this version?

The song uses common suspended and power chords, with some being 9 and 11th chords. The tutor goes over each one slowly and clearly.

Introduction

Ironic is the song by Canadian singer and songwriter Alanis Morissette. It was the third single from her 1995 studio album, Jagged Little Pill. 

In this video lesson Amy May teaches how to play the song Ironic as part of our guitar series on English songs. The song is broken down into multiple lessons for easy learning - Chords, Rhythm, and Song Demo. Don't forget to make use of the chords and tabs provided with the song lesson!

Chords Used in Song Guitar Lesson

Arpeggios Verse & Chorus Chords: You will use open chords for this song. 

Chorus Variation: D G D E-minor are the chords you will use when playing chorus variation. 

Strumming Pattern 

This song has lots of repetition, making it easier for new guitar players to learn and play. The strumming pattern varies throughout the song, but for the most part, you will be playing:

Down-Down Up-Down Up-Down

Song Structure 

Chords, Rhythm, and Song Demo: This guitar lesson has only one section. Your instructor is Amy May, who will show you how to play specific chords for this song using a capo on the 4th fret. The tuning note for this song is Low-E. 

Why Learn This Song?

For six straight weeks, this song remained on top of the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, making it the second most successful song of the year in Canada. In addition to this, Ironic reached the top five spots in Australia, New Zealand, and Norway. This is a pretty catchy song, and once you start listening to it, you will be humming it day in and day out. 

Tips To Improve Guitar Playing: 

• When playing any chord, use one finger for one chord. 
• Always keep your thumb behind the middle finger and halfway down the neck. 
• You must understand that to become a better guitarist, you first need to be a better musician. 

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. 

To Kia Hua is a song that has deep, meaningful lyrics, that is why it stands out amongst the other songs from Bilal Khan. It’s a song that is filled with raw emotions, and as you learn to play it on guitar, you will get to develop multiple guitar playing techniques which help you become more expressive with the guitar. 

Song Structure:

Introduction: The introduction is from the original singer and composer of this song, Bilal 

Khan, who is also going to be your guitar instructor for this lesson. Here, Bilal talks about the song in Season 4 of Coke Studio Pakistan. In addition to this, he also shares that the song is in standard tuning, and to play this song, he used a capo on the 3rd fret. 

Intro and Verse: In this part of the song lesson, Bilal first plays the different sections of the 

song and then tells you which chords you need to learn for that specific section. 

Chorus: Right here in this part, you will learn the chords for the chorus, and then you will see how it should be played. The chorus part is much easier in comparison to the intro and the verse because in this part, you are not going to pick chords. Instead, you will be using the basic strumming pattern here. 

Bridge and Ending: This part is divided into two sections, the first is the bridge, and the second is the ending of the song. Bilal once again plays the section and then explains the chords used in it. 

Song Demo: Finally, in the song demo, you get to see how Bilal plays the entire guitar part of the song with the backing track. 

Why Learn To Kia Hua By Bilal Khan Song?

To Kia Hua is a song that has an intimate acoustic nature, which makes it a perfect choice for small live events, open mic performances, and unplugged versions that you can share on your social media platforms. In addition to this, it’s a song where you can experiment with different fingerpicking techniques in the verse section and then go with the soft strumming in the chorus part. 

FAQs – To Kia Hua By Bilal Khan Song Guitar Lesson

Q1. What level of guitar playing is necessary to play the song “To Kia Hua” right? 

Ans. You can be a beginner or you can be immediate. There are no hard rules to play this song because it uses simple open chords, and the strumming pattern, which you need to follow, is steady and slow, making it great for learners who are at the start of their musical journey. 

Q2. What is the strumming pattern for the song To Kia Hua by Bilal Khan?  

Ans. The strumming pattern you should be using is D – D U – U D U

(Down – Down Up – Up Down Up).

In this video lesson J.J. Pattishall teaches how to play the song Wake Me Up When September Ends as part of our guitar series on English songs. The song is broken down into multiple lessons for easy learning - Introduction, Song Arrangement, Rhythm, Song Demo and Solo Lesson. Don't forget to make use of the chords and tabs provided with the song lesson!