Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison | JustinGuitar.com
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About This Lesson

Easy Tutorial: Learn Brown Eyed Girl on Acoustic Guitar (including the riff!)

In this easy lesson, we'll learn how to play Van Morrison's evergreen hit, "Brown Eyed Girl." This song is fantastic for beginners, as it only requires four chords: G, C, D, and E minor. It's mostly played with the Old Faithful strumming pattern, with a slight variation leading into the chorus.

 

🎉 I first recorded this lesson in February 2018—so it was time for a remake, eh? :) You can watch my original take teaching this classic here. :)

 

If you're new to guitar, I highly recommend the JustinGuitar Lessons & Songs app. It contains hundreds of backing tracks to help beginner guitarists develop a solid rhythm. One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is stopping their strumming hand between chord changes, which can be a hard habit to break. Playing along with backing tracks prevents this because the track won't stop.

 

Basic Chords

  • G chord: Place the second finger on the thickest string and the third finger on the thinnest string. Mute the fifth string.
  • C chord: Standard C, but remember to mute the thickest string.
  • D chord: Avoid strumming the thickest two strings.
  • E minor chord: Usually played with the second and third fingers, but any comfortable finger combination works.

 

Chord Variations

  • G chord with fingers 3 and 4: Easier transition to C.
  • Cadd9 chord: Often interchangeable with C for a richer sound.

 

Song Progression

  • Intro/Verses/Chorus: G, C, G, D.
  • Bridge ("You're my brown-eyed girl"): C, D, G, E minor, C, D, G, D.

 

Start by strumming on the beat to lock in the chord changes before adding the Old Faithful strumming pattern: Down, Down, Up, Up, Down. Work slowly to ensure smooth transitions.

 

Tips

  • Practice the strumming pattern independently.
  • Keep your strumming hand moving consistently.
  • Once comfortable, combine the chords and rhythm.

 

Singing and Playing

If you struggle to sing and play simultaneously, focus on mastering each independently before combining them. I have a 10-step program to help with this.

 

Iconic Intro Riff

  • Play on the 7th and 8th frets of the thinnest strings.
  • Move the shape up the neck.
  • End with a small bar on the 7th fret.

 

Dynamics

Play verses softly and build up volume in the chorus to add dynamic variation.

 

💡 Check out my lesson on the 3 Types of Songs You Should Practice: easy campfire songs, skill developers, and aspirational dream songs.

 

👉 I hope you enjoyed this lesson—hundreds of free tutorials are available here. Enjoy!

Check out the original

Chord Grips
Getting the Sound