Preview

Believer – Introduction

Welcome to the guitar lesson on a sensational pop blockbuster by one of the greatest pop-rock artists of modern music, Believer by Imagine Dragons. This song needs no introduction, for it amassed 2.8 billion views on YouTube and made Imagine Dragons world-famous, charting their way to everyone’s playlist.

Written in part and sung by Dan Reynolds, the song is about overcoming suffering and pain. He says, “The meaning of the song is reflecting on the painful things in my life, rising above that, finding a place where I could be appreciative of the pain and make it my greatest strength”. The message in the song is acceptance of pain in order to overcome it and cultivate belief in oneself through it, hence the title.

Believer peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's third top ten single after ‘Radioactive’ and ‘Demons’.

Believer Guitar Lesson

In this lesson, the tutor goes through talking about the individual parts of the song, one section after another. The first section contains the basic information about the song, like the key, tuning and tone. The second section talks about the chords and rhythm and the chords used in the song, followed by a section on the structural arrangement of the song, as in the position of verses and choruses. Finally, the tutor demonstrates how to play the song in its entirety with some improvisation tips.

Believer guitar chords are in the key of Bb minor. Mainly, three chords repeat over the length of the track, and palm-muted ‘chugs’ on the thicker strings give the song a metal vibe, while the special 12/8 time signature gives it a pop vibe. 12/8 time commonly feels like a shuffling rhythm, as if counting 1-2-3 repeatedly. The chords used are Bbm, F and F#.

The interesting bit about the arrangement here is in the overdubbed use of multiple guitars or guitar sounds. The tutor explains how there is a distorted rhythm guitar playing the power chords leaning on the low frequencies and the clean lead guitar playing the high frequency harmonies on top of it, both covering the sound space.

The instructor also goes through the lead or the vocal melody section of the song and shows how to play note by note, along with a demonstration on how to improvise on the track using the Bb minor pentatonic scale shape on the fretboard.

Consequently, this tutorial explores all the sections of the great power ballad of a song that Believer is and delivers the lesson in a structured format.

FAQs

Q. What is the story behind Believer by Imagine Dragons?

Dan Reynolds, the frontman of the band, was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, which is a form of arthritis and causes great physical pain. His experience with the pain and rising above it is where the song comes from.

Q. Does Believer have a guitar solo?

Believer does not have a specific guitar solo in the track, but there is plenty of room in the track that you can solo over the chords using the Bb minor pentatonic scale.

Introduction

Hello is a song by Lionel Richie, an American singer and songwriter. It was the third single from his second studio album, Can’t Slow Down, which was released in 1983. This song had a total of three guitarists: Darrell Jones, Tim Ray, and Louis Shelton, who played electric and acoustic guitar, respectively. 

In this video lesson Steve Luciano teaches how to play the song Hello as part of our guitar series on English songs. The song is broken down into multiple lessons for easy learning - Introduction, Song Arrangement, Song Demo, Advanced Voicing and Solo Lesson. Don't forget to make use of the chords and tabs provided with the song lesson!

Strumming Pattern 

The strumming patterns are: D D U U D U. 

Song Structure 

Here is the song structure which you need to follow to learn Hello by Lionel Richie:

Introduction: This is the start of the lesson, during which Steve Luciano, your instructor, will explain all the technicalities you will encounter during the learning stage of this song. 

Song Arrangement: Here, you will learn all the chords necessary to play this song. 

Song Demo: In this section, Steve will play the guitar part of the song alongside the track to help you understand how to sync chords with the vocals. 

Advanced Voicing: For individuals who can play advanced chords, this particular section is for them. It is the bonus of the lesson to make your guitar play more intricately.

Solo Lesson: In this section, you'll learn how to play the slow part of the song — a beautiful example of an instrumental pop solo, the kind that's rarely highlighted in mainstream pop music.

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. 

Welcome to the guitar lesson on a song that is an anthem for the spirit of youth and also for road trips. Phir Se Ud Chala is a track from the Rockstar album, composed by A. R. Rahman, voiced by Mohit Chauhan, a singer whose songs most indians have grown up listening to. The song has received over 150 million views on YouTube and has been playing in every youngster's earphones ever since.

It is a song about dreams and the freedom to take flight in pursuit of those dreams. The lyrics ‘phir se ud chala’ means, I fly again. The song follows on from the core story of the film, which is about a rebel artist hustling to make it big, while exploring themes of existentialism, love, discovery and the perils of life.

Phir Se Ud Chala Guitar Lesson

The lesson on Phir Se Ud Chala is done by one of our beloved experts, Mike Walker. The lesson is quite straightforward and a short one. It is divided into sections and contains all the information needed to play the song on an acoustic guitar. The initial sections talk about the chords and rhythm of the song, along with the strumming pattern. The latter sections talk about some of the articulate motifs in the song, along with a section on how to improvise on the track.

A special thing about this song is that it features some slash chords –chords that have a different bass note than the root note. For instance, there’s a Dsus2/G chord that is played after the 2nd verse that sounds dreamy and uplifting and fits the overall story of the song. 

The bit that makes this song easy to play is that there is a lack of frequent chord changes. The majority of the song can be played on a G major chord using a simple strumming pattern that goes like D - D U D U D - (D is a downward strum and U is an upward strum.)

The best part about the lesson is the section that talks about improvising on the track. The instructor demonstrates how to use the B major scale and the G# minor pentatonic scale for improv ideas. This improv section teaches one to unlock the fretboard horizontally.

FAQs

Q. Do I need a capo to play Phir Se Ud Chala

1. Yes, you need a capo on the 4th fret, as the song is in the key of B major, playing a G major shape will give you a B major chord.

Q. Can this song be played solo on an acoustic guitar?

1.  Absolutely! The capo makes it easier to fret the major chord shapes, and the strumming style makes it perfect for intimate solo performances.

Awari is a song that explodes into an emotional whirlwind, and it’s a song that can teach you storytelling via music, whether you’re a beginner guitar player who is trying to play something powerful or just an intermediate guitar player who is just trying to explore new tones and feels than again Awari is a must-learn song for you. 

Song Structure 

Introduction: The introduction is from Mike Walker, who is going to be your guitar instructor for this song lesson. Mike shares how this song has elements of acoustic guitars and electric guitars as well. After that, he shows you how to put your acoustic guitar in standard tuning, which is required for this song. 

Song Arrangement: This song is in 6/8 time signature; for this song, you will be using barre chords Am, G, Fmaj, and F. Mike shows you two methods for playing the F chord. 

Song Demo: After showing you all the chords required for this song, how you need to play them, and the rhythm that you need to follow, Mike will provide you a complete walkthrough of this song demo with the backing track; this section will help you understand how you should be syncing your chords with the other instruments and the vocals that are part of this song. 

Overdubs: This song starts with arpeggiated tones, but they are not played on the lead guitar. As a result, we have to put them in the overdubs section. 

Electric Overdub: In addition to the acoustic overdubs, there is also an electric overdub section, which you should learn if you wish to understand the technicalities behind this song. 

Solo: Right here is the solo, which is divided into multiple licks by Mike; he will show you how to play each and every lick that forms the guitar solo of this song. After that, he combines all the licks and once again plays the entire solo. 

Improvisation: The improvisation here is done by half-sub-down tuning in E minor scale; Mike plays some parts of the song in E minor scale and then talks about how it sounds different than the original version, which was shown above. 

Why Learn Awari Song On Guitar?

The reason why Awari has to be in your repertoire is due to its haunting progression, which allows guitar players to capture heartbreak and longing. In this song lesson, you will be learning dynamics and strumming variations, which have the potential to bring out your audience’s emotional side in the open. 

It’s a perfect song to strum on both acoustic and electric guitar; make sure you add a bit of a delay when playing this hit number on electric. Learning how to play it on guitar teaches you how to play with intention, emotion, and soul, all while slowly sharpening your guitar-playing techniques. 

Tamanna – Introduction

Welcome to the guitar lesson on a timeless Punjabi classic song loved and celebrated all over India. Tammana by Prabh Gill is a song about falling in love, where the singer is expressing his desires. This song has been plucking the heartstrings of its listeners since 2012, and has collected more than 8M views on YouTube since, with comments like – “I love this song a lot, I have also sent it to my girlfriend” and “I am in love with this song.....with every word… {heart emoji}”.

This song is written in Punjabi and talks about love is a way that is transformative. In the chorus, the singer expresses his sole desire –the love should transform us in a way that we see god in each other. This is because the song is set in the traditional north indian culture where love has connotations of divinity and grandeur.

Tamanna Guitar Lesson

The guitar lesson on Tammana is brought by Mike Walker, wo explains all the guitar parts of the song, section by section. The initial sections talk about the chords and rhythm patterns of the song and in the sections that follow, the instructor goes on to explain the various guitar parts –chord voicings, solos, and fills that the song consists of.

The song is in the key of Bb Major, which means the way to play the chords of the song using standard shapes is by using a capo on the 1st fret. The chords of the song follow a minor key for the most part, and only in the chorus do they go to a more major sound. The tutor explains how to capture this movement well with the strumming pattern – D - UDUD - UDUD - DU (D is a downward strum and U is an upward strum.)

The special thing about this song is that it does not have drums in it, which means that all percussive effects are produced by the guitars and the bass. This leaves room for a lot of melodic motifs to fill the space left empty by the absence of drums. Hence, the song has multiple solos and melodic lines that sound beautiful.

Another special thing about this song is that it features a sitar solo near the end of the track, which, although it sounds difficult to play because of the signature picking technique, the instructor shows the way to play the sitar solo on a guitar in an easy way.

FAQs

Q. Is Tamanna suitable for beginners?

Yes. The chords are simple, and the tempo is relaxed. The solos can be learned gradually.

Q. Do I need a capo to play Tamanna?

A capo is not necessarily needed, but the capo raises the default key and makes it easy to play the song.

Q. Is this song beginner-friendly?

A. Yes, this song is beginner-friendly. Once you place the capo at the 1st fret, all you need to do then is play all the standard chord shapes.

For retro Bollywood fans, “Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyaar Tera” is more than just a song; it’s a song with energetic rock ‘n’ roll flair blended with romantic vibes. The composition is from R.D. Burman, and the vocalist is none other than Mohammad Rafi Saab and Asha Bhosle. This trio made an unforgettable song, which even to this day is listened to by people of all ages.

Strumming Pattern 

The lesson leans heavily on electric guitar riffs and percussive rhythm, so if you wish to go full-on rock ‘n’ roll mode, you can go with the song arrangement mentioned in the lesson, otherwise to capture the essence of the song. You can use the following strumming pattern: D – D U – U D U.  

• D = Down Strum. 
• U = Up Strum. 
• – = Pause or miss the strings.

You should be using your palm to mute the strings, and it leads to a more rhythmic sound, especially if you are practicing on an electric guitar. Make sure you accent the second downstroke to match the energy and keep a consistent tempo; the song is fast-paced, so first practice chord progression slowly and then build it up. 

Song Structure 

Introduction: The introduction is from Mike Walker, who is going to be your guitar instructor for this guitar lesson. In the beginning, Mike will show you the required tuning for this song. 

Song Arrangement 1: Here, you will first learn all the individual licks that you need to play for this song, and once that’s done, you will get to piece them together to play the song. 

Song Arrangement 2: In this part of the guitar lesson, Mike will teach you the main riff of 

the song, which makes it so easily recognizable. 

Song Arrangement 3: This is the final song arrangement, and in this section of the song, you have to learn how to play sets of 16th notes. 

Song Demo: Right here is the final chapter of the song lesson. Mike, in this part of the song lesson, you will be playing the guitar parts of the song with a backing track to give you an example of how to keep up with the other instruments and the vocals of the song. 

Why Learn Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyaar Tera Song On Guitar?

It’s an amazing song for guitar players because of its upbeat tempo in addition to the groovy baseline, which leads to super fun strumming patterns and also helps you with rhythmic practice. 

In addition to this, as you learn this song, you will get an understanding of twangy electric guitar licks and how to use early rock techniques that influenced retro Bollywood songs that we all love. With this song, you also learn major scale runs, quick chord switches, and how to improvise 60s-style arrangements.