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In this easy lesson, we'll learn how to play Before You Accuse Me by Eric Clapton on the acoustic guitar. We'll start with a simple, beginner version and build it up to playing it as Clapton did on the original recording.
If you're following the Beginner Guitar Grade 2 Course, you'll be able to pull this one off! And you can revisit it later to embellish it with some tasty guitar elements. :) Let's get into it!
To play this song, you'll need to get into that Blues rhythm. The easiest way to play it is with the Chunka-Chunka 12 Bar Blues pattern in E.
💡 Get into that rhythm! Watch the close-up if you need a guide to nail that Chunka-Chunka pattern, or check out the full lesson here. :)
You'll also need to streeeetch over and play a B7 chord at some point. Yup - that's a barre chord, which we explore at the intermediate level. This might be a bit of a struggle for beginners, so practice it on your own if you need it! It's best to learn this tune properly in different sections starting with the basics. :)
In the intro, you'll learn this Clapton trick where he uses the thumb on the bass note. To replicate this you'll use all down picks with your thumb. Your other finger will only take care of up strums, and you'll need a bit of palm muting with the outside of your hand.
🚨 Don't skip those mutes - this technique really brightens up your sound.
If you pay attention to Clapton playing live, you'll notice he's using his thumb for the rhythm. It sounds fantastic, and it's an excellent technique to learn! It gives an authenticity similar to the early blues style of strumming.
Have fun experimenting with this song! Blues is all about improvising once you get the structure down. If you want to learn the whole piece, transcribing it and writing down the chords and patterns will be a great exercise! Learning by ear is how the great Blues legends, like Clapton, did it, so why shouldn't you try too? :)
Check out the original