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In this easy lesson, we'll learn how to play Let It Be by The Beatles on acoustic guitar. This is a fun song to play for beginners, and it's a campfire favorite! Everyone loves to sing along to this one. :)
There are different ways to approach it, and it works great with both simple strumming approaches and more complex strumming patterns.
As long as you're cool with playing an F chord, you'll be able to play this one! The main chord sequence is pretty simple, so let's first start by checking that out.
💬 Did you know? Paul McCartney's got inspiration for this song in a dream. In this dream, his mother appeared to tell him to simply let things be. A beautiful backstory for a beautiful song, right? Even his subconscious self is a great song writer!
First, let's look at the main chord sequences for the intro and verse. You'll be playing two strums of C, G, Am, F major 7, C, G, F, and back to the C. These chords might seem intimidating, but practice the ones that challenge you the most with the One Minute Changes exercises.
If you struggle with the full F barre chord, you can substitute it with the F major seven chords, and it's an easier grip option for beginners!
You'll follow a similar chord sequence in the chorus. This is also where you'll encounter a C over G chord. This chord is as simple as taking your third finger off and putting it down on the third fret of the thickest string. At the same time, you'll mute the 5th string with the underneath of that finger.
🚨 Play along with Let It Be using my app! The backing tracks are loads of fun, and it'll help optimize your progress. :)
This Beatles song heavily relies on the fantastic vocals, which means the strumming possibilities are open to interpretation. You can get away playing a simple strumming pattern, but it's also fun to switch it up! Try playing an 8th note strumming with all downstrums or adding an upstrum there! Explore, and see what you like. :)
If you want to make it fancy, add some folk fingerstyle - this technique is not for beginners, but great if you want to take this tune a bit further! There are little melodic elements that you can add for both the strumming and the picking hand, and they sound fantastic if you're playing this one solo.
So, beginner guitar players - keep it nice and simple. For more advanced players or if you're revisiting this tune - go ahead and explore the melody bits!
Check out the original