Something by The Beatles | JustinGuitar.com
JustinGuitar Lessons & Songs AppBeginner Songbook 1TABS
About This Lesson

"Something" is gorgeous on the acoustic guitar.

This George Harrisson classic has such a beautiful harmonic structure!

I couldn't help but cover the entire song so that we'll learn an acoustic arrangement and the solo too. We'll learn how to play Something by The Beatles in good detail - great if you're playing on your own! You'll learn an acoustic arrangement rather than a specific layer that requires an entire band to make sense. :)

 

💡 Something has different guitar layers on the original recording. The band was full-on, and George Harrison played both lead and rhythm guitar on this one. Lennon was on the piano! 

 

To play Something by the Beatles on the acoustic guitar and sound just like the original recording will require some Intermediate guitar skills. But I've got you, and we'll take it slowly and as painfully as possible. 

 

🎶 Get JustinGuitarTABS and make your life easier! You'll get access to detailed tabs, chords, and lyrics to follow along with this and over 600 other song lessons.

 

Ready? Let's get stuck in and learn how to play Something by The Beatles on the acoustic guitar. Sneak peek? We'll get my electric SG guitar for the solo - a little present for you. 🎁

 

How to play Something on the guitar

The first thing you might want to do is get comfortable with a basic chord version. It starts with an E Shape Barre Chord - the infamous F Chord - and then you've got the first melody line right away. Right now, focus on the chord grips - we'll check out the melody later in this tutorial!

So - back to the chords. To play Something's introduction, you'll need an F Chord, then an Eb, and the C Chord. For the verses, we'll start off with an open C Chord, play it for a bar, and then lift off your first finger to get a C Major 7 Chord. Then, you've got an F Chord with an E note bass, and you'll lift up your first finger again, getting a D7 Chord.

 

🚨  Notice that there’s a different motion when playing a G Chord! I'm muting the thinnest string with my third finger so, I’ve got a B note as the top note. :) That's an often trick: I’ll just play the bass notes there and put my first finger down on the first fret. Check out the video lesson to learn more!

 

The next chord sequence you'll need here is Am, Am7, and then D7. There are different fingerings to explorer here - we talk more about it in the tutorial. :)

Now - that's the main chord sequence you need to play Something on the acoustic guitar! But, as I've mentioned, this George Harrison song has many interesting instrumental layers. It could be fun to try to incorporate some of them into your cover version, especially if you're playing on your own! 

 

There are a few things you might want to incorporate! The first riff requires string bend, so you've got a few different fingerings to explore here. More details on the video tutorial. Most of the fingers I'm suggesting on the video tutorial are a great way to connect the sections, and you should feel free to explore how you'll play them. 

 

💡 More advanced songs like this are a great opportunity to develop your guitar skills and musicianship.  Whenever I learn a tune like this, it feels rewarding to explore it on my own and see what I might learn from it. I'd really encourage you to push yourself and try that too! You won't regret it. :)

 

When you're comfortable with all the acoustic guitar parts, join me on the video lesson and learn how to play George Harrison solo on Something as well! :) It won't be the easiest one to learn, but you've got loads to explore here. So go for it - and have 

 

Get chords, tabs, and lyrics to follow with my Something tutorial! Try JustinGuitar Tabs for free. :)

Check out the original

Chord Grips
Other Songs by The Beatles